Some are entirely legitimate, but plenty aren’t — genuine discounts exist through clearance stock, discontinued packaging or bulk buying, but suspiciously deep discounts on popular fragrances are one of the most common signs of counterfeit or grey-market goods.

How to tell the difference

Legitimate discount retailers are usually transparent about why a price is lower — end-of-line stock, older packaging, or simply smaller margins — and will still provide proper authenticity guarantees, clear contact details and normal returns rights. Sites offering major fragrance brands at a fraction of the normal UK retail price, with little information about the seller and no clear returns process, are far more likely to be selling counterfeit or diverted stock, sometimes without the seller even realising it themselves.

  • Genuine discounts are usually explained (clearance, old packaging, bulk buying)
  • Be wary of prices dramatically below every other retailer
  • Check for proper contact details, reviews and a real returns policy before ordering

A quick search for independent reviews of the specific website, rather than relying only on the reviews shown on the site itself, is one of the simplest ways to catch a problem before you pay.

A little patience and a few extra minutes of checking before buying can save considerable disappointment further down the line if a discount turns out to be too good to be true.

Our guide on how to spot fake perfume goes into this in detail, alongside our complete guide to perfume.