How to Buy Yves Saint Laurent Perfume on a Budget

Yves Saint Laurent makes some of the most popular designer fragrances in the US, including Libre, Black Opium, Mon Paris, Y and La Nuit de L'Homme. YSL is priced below Chanel and Tom Ford Private Blend, but the cost still adds up, especially if you like owning more than one bottle. These are the ways to pay less.

Start with pre-loved bottles

Because YSL fragrances are so widely bought and gifted, partly used bottles appear on the resale market constantly. Many come from people who received a gift set, tried a new flanker, or simply rotate through a lot of scents. A bottle at 70% full can be a large saving and smell exactly right if it was stored well.

Choose a smaller size

Most YSL lines come in several sizes, and the smallest is a low-risk way to try a fragrance. Travel sprays and gift sets with smaller bottles show up often too. For fragrances you already love, a larger pre-loved bottle usually gives the best price per ml.

Know the concentrations and flankers

YSL releases many versions of its main lines. Libre comes as eau de parfum, Intense and Le Parfum, among others. Y comes as eau de toilette, eau de parfum, Le Parfum and Elixir. Black Opium has several variations too. Each one smells different, and prices vary. If you like the original version, you do not need the newer ones, and older flankers often sell for less once they stop being promoted.

YSL also has a higher-priced collection, Le Vestiaire des Parfums, which includes Tuxedo. Pre-loved bottles from that line can bring the price down a lot. Some older YSL fragrances, such as the original M7, are no longer made, so the resale market is the only place to find them.

Testers

YSL testers come up on the resale market from time to time. They usually contain the same fragrance in simpler packaging, sometimes without a cap. Ask for photos of the bottle bottom and labels, and compare them with retail bottles of the same fragrance.

Do the price per milliliter math

Divide the listing price by the milliliters left in the bottle. As an example, a 100 ml Y Eau de Parfum at 80% full holds about 80 ml. Listed at $72, it works out to $0.90 per ml. Compare that with the current per-ml price on the YSL website and with other listings for the same concentration.

Check batch codes and condition

YSL bottles and boxes carry batch codes. Ask for photos of both and make sure they match. CheckFresh and similar tools can often estimate the production date. A code is easy to copy, so also look at the cap, label printing, glass and sprayer, and choose FoS Verified on higher-priced listings for an inspection before the bottle ships.

Use offers and price alerts

Set a price alert on Feelings of Scent for the exact YSL fragrance and concentration you want, and make a fair offer when a bottle comes close to your target. With so many YSL bottles listed, patience usually pays, and there is no buyer fee on top of the agreed price.

YSL bottles worth watching

• Libre: lavender, orange blossom and vanilla.
• Black Opium: coffee and vanilla, a popular evening scent.
• La Nuit de L'Homme: cardamom, lavender and cedar.
• Y Eau de Parfum: fresh, aromatic and versatile.
• L'Homme: a clean, easy everyday scent for men.
• Opium: the spicy 1977 classic.
• Le Vestiaire des Parfums: the higher-priced line, where pre-loved saves the most.

Browse every YSL listing on the Yves Saint Laurent brand page, and compare with other houses in Designer Fragrances before you make an offer.