You’ve just finished the last of your Nina Ricci (that you spent a small fortune on) and now, all you’re left with to remember your perfume by is its (admittedly gorgeous) bottle.Â
Unless you’re holding on for sentimental value, though, that bottle’s going to do you little good. Or is it?
If one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, your empty perfume bottle may well be worth something. Here’s what you need to know about empty perfume bottles and their worth.
The Worth of Empty Perfume Bottles
There are two ways that you can gain some monetary value from your empty perfume bottle—if it’s a rare brand that holds collector’s value, or if a retailer offers some discount on your new bottle of perfume for the bottles.
Here are the brands/products that fetch the most value in the market:
Rare Thomas Webb Bottles
Master glassmaker Thomas Webb’s artwork fetches millions today, and tens of thousands if it’s on a perfume bottle. Webb used something known as cameo glass to create perfume-bottle masterpieces in different shapes, such as a fish, a swan, a falcon head, and so on.
These carved bottles are antique pieces that were created during Webb’s lifetime (1804-1869), and any of these will fetch you anywhere between $9,000 and $15,000.
Galle French Cameo Perfume Bottle
Another cameo-glass masterpiece, this bottle is the creation of renowned French glassmaker Emile Galle. Worth around $17,500, this bottle features a carved black-and-white design of a butterfly set against a white-and-ash background.
The details are intricate and gorgeous, and the bottle is another beauty, with a thin neck, round, banjo-styled body, and a matching glass stopper.
Dating back to 1900, this bottle has long been eyed by collectors around the world.
Large Steuben Paperweight Perfume Bottle
Formed in 1903, Steuben Glass is one of the most well-known American glass companies in the world. This exquisite bottle can fetch anywhere between $8,000 and $10,000.
R Lalique Butterfly Perfume
Rounding off the list is this vintage bottle from the house of Rene Lalique, a 19th-century French jeweler. The red bottle is all kinds of stunning and can fetch anywhere above $9,000.
Most of these bottles are held by auction houses today, so unless you have a Lalique or a Webb and you didn’t know it, the chances of getting big money for your perfume bottle are quite low.
Your best bet is to go with the second option—availing of discounts at retailers!
What About Non-Monetary Value?
If money isn’t what you’re after, your perfume can still offer a lot of value.
- Use large bottles as decantersÂ
- Create a work of art with all your empty perfume bottles, such as a bedside lamp, vase, sculpture, or even a chandelier
- Fill the bottle with translucent dishwashing liquid to make it seem like it’s still full
- Repurpose your bottles into stick holders
- Fill them up with home fragrance and use them in your washroom or clothes cupboard
The Bottom Line
The next time you want to throw away that empty perfume bottle, wait—it may be a vintage collector’s item! Even if it isn’t, there are several things that you can do with them if you’re so inclined, as you’ve just seen—if a retailer doesn’t, the planet, at least, will give you major brownie points for reusing and recycling.
