How To Refill A Perfume Bottle [Step-By-Step Guide]

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If you want to change perfume bottles or need a smaller bottle to travel with, you should know how to refill a perfume bottle for one quirky reason or the other.

I’m sure you would have thought this is something you don’t need to learn; you can just get a small-sized bottle of the same perfume or buy another bottle.

However, if you are into mixing or making your own fragrance, getting bottles, and turning in a pleasant fragrance, having handy knowledge of how to refill perfume bottles becomes your golden ticket to making the best perfume.

With the different perfume caps and closures, you might also be discouraged because it looks difficult. Not to worry, this article will walk you through refilling various perfume bottles without creasing or scratching the neck.

How to refill crimped perfume bottle

1. Start with opening

This is the most challenging step when refilling a crimped perfume bottle. That’s because the screw of the pump fitted into the neck of the bottle determines how difficult or easy it will be to open the bottles.

For this step, you will need a plier, nipper, and tissues. You can also opt for a glass kit for bottles because it is safer.

For crimped perfume screws, they can be metal- or plastic-sealed screws. Plastic is easy, while metal is the most difficult because it is tightly crimped, and haphazardly opening it could dent the bottle or, even worse, break the neck of the perfume.

Metal seals

crimp with metal seals
perfume bottle with a metal base

Metal seals would take a bit of arm power to remove. First, remove the cap of the sprayer from the bottle. This includes the actuator covering the wick or straw of the perfume bottle. What’s left of the outer body is the metal seal covering the base of the pump.

Then, cover the opened metal seal with tissue (this prevents as little scratch as possible on the metal seal). And with pliers, twist according to the position of the sprayer until it loosens and the metal seal comes off.

After removing the metal seal, the base is exposed. This gets a little tricky because it is tightly fitted into the bottle’s neck using high-temperature pressure.

With the nipper, free the base a little- just enough space for the plier to catch the tips. Once the pliers can grab the tips, wiggle and move left and right until the base comes off. You will need patience and a lot of arm strength to do this.

You can also use a crimping machine (it’s expensive, by the way) to remove the metal base of the crimper.

This is how you remove the actuator, metal seal, and base of a metal seal of a crimped perfume bottle.

Plastic seals

plastic base for perfume bottle
perfume bottle with a plastic base

This process would require the same tools as the metal seals. However, the process is much smoother and faster.

Start with removing the actuator of the crimper to reveal the tip of the pump. With a nipper or scissors, loosen the plastic seal to reveal the base.

Then, either with a nipper or pliers (nipper preferred because plastics are easier), twist the base from where it connects to the bottle and release the plastic base. If the nipper doesn’t make the plastic budge, use a plier to remove the pump.

This is how you remove the pump of the crimped perfume bottle to reveal the open neck of the bottle.

2. Clean the neck

After separating the crimper from the bottle, clean the bottle’s neck in case there are glass fragments from opening the bottle. Use a tissue or soft towel to wipe the edges and neck of the bottle.

Also, sanitize your empty bottle by spraying a soapy solution or rubbing alcohol to kill germs and neutralize the leftover perfume smell.

3. Fill the bottle

After cleaning, you can now fill the bottle with perfume. If you are loading from an open container, it’s easy to turn from one bottle to the next.

Another way to refill a perfume bottle is with a syringe. Simply take a syringe with a wide-open needle, then, extract the perfume from an open container and reload the empty perfume bottle.  

4. Seal the bottle

After refilling the perfume bottle, you need to seal it. If the pump and seal of the bottle are not damaged while separating from the bottle, you can reattach them to the bottle. Then, tighten the seal.

If the metal seal is damaged, you can get another to seal and tighten the base. You can also go without the metal seal and attach the pump. This would not look good.

If the base is plastic, it is easier to reattach because it and the seal are not damaged.

How to refill a travel perfume bottle

Travel bottles are best for trips because of their compact and easy-to-pack sizes. However, the downside is that they empty quickly. You’ll find yourself running out of perfume mid-trip. Rather than buy another one, it’s best to refill.

Here’s how to refill travel perfume bottles:  

  • Check the top of the travel bottle. It’s usually a cap or screw-on lid for easy refill.
  • Remove the cap or lid of the bottle. If it has a spray nozzle with a metal seal, use a plier to remove the seal. However, most travel bottles come with plastic seals for easy refilling.
  • Then refill the perfume bottle with a wide-needle syringe.
  • After, replace the lid of the travel bottle. Place back the spray nozzle.
  • Test the lid to be sure it is working.

How to refill a sample bottle

If you are into sample bottles because of their sizes or you need to send a few samples of your homemade perfume, here is how to refill its bottle.

  • Get yourself a refillable sample bottle.
  • Remove the base of the lid as explained.
  • Then fill the bottle with a dropper or syringe. You will need to tilt the bottle because it’s smaller than the regular perfume bottle.
  • Replace the cap or lid on the sample bottle.
  • Gently shake the bottle to distribute the perfume evenly.
  • Test the spray nozzle to make sure it is working perfectly.

How to refill a Chanel bottle

Chanel bottles come with a unique cover that often makes it hard to refill. Moreover, due to their unique shapes and prominence, some people would like to show off their bottle.

If you want to refill a Chanel perfume bottle, you must:

  • Check if the Chanel perfume bottle is refillable. Not all Chanel bottles come with plastic or resealable bases.
  • If it has a resealable base, you will find it at the bottom of the bottle.
  • Then, remove the lid from the refillable part of the Chanel bottle.
  • Place the nozzle of your full perfume bottle into the refillable part of the Chanel bottle.
  • Gently squeeze the perfume bottle to release the perfume into the Chanel bottle. Be careful not to overfill the bottle.
  • Replace the cap or lid on the refillable part of the Chanel bottle.

FAQs

how to refill perfume bottles

Are all perfume bottles refillable?

No, they are not.

Not all perfume bottles are refillable. Some come with tightly sealed bases that would break the neck or body of the perfume bottle while you try to force it open.

Can you refill an atomizer?

Yes, you can.

An atomizer is the easiest to refill. All you have to do is place the bottom of the atomizer on your opened lid (the actuator is already off). Then, press down the atomizer until the perfume fills it.

How long does it take to refill a perfume bottle?

It depends on how fast the process is.

If you are refilling an atomizer, you should be done in a minute or two. Meanwhile, for big bottles, a syringe is also just as fast; pouring will take seconds.

However, spraying into the bottle will take a long time. Moreover, it is wasteful because half of the perfume may spill while trying to refill a perfume bottle.

Conclusion

Refilling a perfume bottle can be simple and easy if you are dealing with a travel bottle or atomizer. However, if you want to reload a full perfume bottle, you have to find out what closure it has.

Metal-crimped perfume bottles are the hardest to open if you do not have the right tools. Nonetheless, manually opening them will take more arm strength than expected. But once you open the bottle, it becomes easier to load the empty perfume bottle.

Thanks for reading.

You can read more about fragrances and how to use perfumes properly here on MBGON.