A standard atomizer delivers roughly 0.065–0.07ml per spray, which means a 2ml decant holds about 30 sprays, a 5ml about 75 sprays, and a 10ml about 150 sprays. In real use, that makes a 2ml decant roughly two weeks of daily wear at 2–3 sprays per day, a 5ml around a month, and a 10ml two months or more. Those numbers are why decants work so well for testing: two weeks is long enough to wear a fragrance to work, on a night out, and in different weather — the situations where a scent actually proves itself — before you spend €150–400 on a full bottle.
Spray counts at a glance
| Size | Sprays (approx.) | Daily wear (2–3 sprays/day) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2ml | ~30 | ~2 weeks | First test of a new scent |
| 5ml | ~75 | ~1 month | Scents you already like |
| 10ml | ~150 | ~2+ months | Travel & rotation staples |
How many sprays do you actually need to judge a fragrance?
More than one wearing. Skin chemistry, weather and time of day all change how a fragrance behaves, and many scents smell different in the dry-down than in the opening. Plan for at least 5–6 full wearings — which is exactly why a paper strip or a single department-store spritz so often leads to regretted blind buys, and why a 2ml decant (about 10 wearings) is the sweet spot for testing.
Which size should you pick?
Buy 2ml when you've never worn the fragrance. Move to 5ml or 10ml when you already know you like it but aren't ready for a full bottle — or when a bottle is so expensive that 10ml at a time is simply the more sensible way to own it. Plenty of collectors never buy full bottles of their niche favourites at all; they rotate 10ml decants instead.