Fragrance samples are fantastic. If you want to discover your new favourite scent or try a few out before you commit to buying, you can’t beat ordering a few samples online and trialling them in your own time, wearing them out and about the way you want.

You just don’t get the same experience from the samples available at a cosmetics counter. Yes they are free and yes you can test them as much as you like. But what a scent smells like on a piece of blotter paper doesn’t tell you what it will smell like worn on you. And once you start dabbing more than one at a time, you start mixing aromas and losing track of which ones smell like what.

Buying fragrance samples online lets you test them out in your own time and make sure you are really making the right decision before you part with your cash.

Which brings us to another reason why fragrance samples are great. They can save you a lot of money. For just a few pounds at a time, you get to try out some of the most expensive and luxurious perfumes out there. Maybe you’ll go on to splash out on a full sized bottle of a new discovery you absolutely fall in love with. Or maybe you like the idea of building up a collection of top quality fragrances in sample size that you can splash on for special occasions.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that some of our best selling fragrance samples are also some of the more expensive on the market. It demonstrates how samples open the door to more people experiencing some of the best perfumes and fragrances available. Here are three of our top sellers.

Creed Aventus

Retailing at upwards of £150 for a 50ml bottle, Aventus was launched to much fanfare in 2010 to mark the 250th anniversary of the Creed brand. Originally starting out as a gentleman’s tailors in London, Creed decided to honour this history with a high-end fragrance for men.

With the typical woody, leathery, smoky aromas associated with men’s fragrances, Aventus also falls squarely into the category of a ‘modern’ man’s fragrance, with in-your-face sweet, fruity notes supplied by pineapple, black currant and apple to provide pleasing contrast and balance.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540

One of the best-selling luxury fragrances currently on the market, Baccarat Rouge 540 from the renowned Maison Francis Kurkdijan perfumery will set you back around £120 for a 35ml bottle - or under five pounds for a sample.

Baccarat Rouge 540 can be described as a riff on the classic chypre fragrance style -  a fundamentally woody, resiny fragrance (in this case supplied by cedar, fir resin and amberwood) but with lighter, brighter, punchier notes cutting through over the top. Unlike many fragrances in the classic chypre style, though, Baccarat Rouge 540 swaps out citrus aromas for jasmine and saffron, giving it a spicier, warmer effect.

Tom Ford Private Blend Tobacco Vanille

Like most of the Tom Ford Private Blend collection, Tobacco Vanille does pretty much what it says on the tin - showcasing a pair of rich, evocative fragrances sharing a delicately choreographed armotic embrace, and sold as an intense eau de parfum that will set you back £100 for a 30ml bottle.

Concocted as a unisex fragrance balancing aromas traditionally labelled squarely as ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’ - the smoky spiciness of tobacco versus the sweetness of vanilla - this scent achieves a complexity that belies its fairly straightforward ingredient list. Clever use of tobacco blossom alongside tobacco leaf adds an additional floral edge to smooth out the spiciness, while cacao, tonka bean and dried fruits complement the sweetness of the vanilla. The result is a perfect balance of sweet and sultry that makes for perfect evening wear for formal occasions for men and women.