Glossier’s solid you perfume has been relaunched – here’s how it compares to the eau de parfum

If you’re looking for a handbag-sized fragrance, we might have found just the thing

Should you stay with the spray, or venture into solid perfume territory? (iStock/The Independent)

If you’ve ever walked past someone in the street and thought “god, they smell amazing” but can’t quite put your finger on why, we’d wager they were wearing a spritz of Glossier’s you.

The cult fragrance, launched by the brand in 2017, fast became one of the coolest scents to be smelt wearing, but not for the reasons you might expect. Far from being instantly recognisable, the challenge with describing Glossier you is that it – intentionally – smells a little different on everyone, hence the name.

Much like Glossier’s fuss-free make-up, this perfume is designed to enhance, not disguise, working with your unique chemistry to bring out that fresh, “clean skin” vibe, rather than heavily dousing you with overpowering notes of florals or musk (although both of these are subtly present in their own way).

A year after the liquid version of you arrived, to much fanfare, Glossier released a solid version of the perfume; this handy portable disc was also popular, but ultimately discontinued. Now that Glossier has just confirmed the return of the travel-size scent for 2022, we thought it was high time we compared the two to see which one comes out on top.

How we tested

We wore the relaunched Glossier you solid perfume for a full day to compare how it holds up to our favourite liquid counterpart, which we’ve worn on and off for the last few years. Points of consideration included ease of application, initial bloom and how long it lasted throughout the day.

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Glossier you solid: £24, Glossier.com

(Glossier)

Rating: 8/10

Packaging

The solid and liquid versions of you arrive in the same style of chunky white box with a signature Glossier pink strap holding them in place, but that’s where the similarities end.

The solid perfume is presented in a palm-sized compact that swivels open to reveal a disc of solid scent, as well as a token Glossier G for branding. It’s ceramic, which we were pleasantly surprised by, as it makes it really satisfying to hold and nicely weighty, rather than a flimsy plastic case that would be more inclined to break when tossed into a handbag (the obvious intention for this travel-sized pod).

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Perhaps outing ourselves as fools, we must admit that we first tried rubbing the balm-like compact directly on our wrist, and quickly realised that this was not the most efficient method of application, as it’s flush with the case and you can’t get much purchase. The best way to put the solid perfume onto your skin is to dab it with your finger, and then onto your pulse points, for a gentle infusion of fragrance.

Scent

The notes of Glossier you are a subject of debate on perfume forums – some get florals, powder and musk, others say they get “pencil shavings” (no, really), rubber and even, according to one reviewer, cardboard. For us, it falls somewhere in the middle – on our skin, it’s a really clean, warm neutral that lingers all day, but doesn’t overpower, and boasts a subtle woodiness to boot.

At a push, it’s probably more of a daytime pick rather than something really sultry that you might select for a night out. But overall it’s an excellent all-rounder that you could wear anywhere, and on any occasion, should you wish.

There’s a price difference of £21 between the two options (Eleanor Jones/The Independent)

The solid compact does a good job of replicating the original liquid form, but it’s not quite as powerful, representing more of the intimate, creamy end of the spectrum than the richer depths that the spray delivers. However, it lasts well with just a couple of liberal swipes, and we could still smell it on our collar several hours later.

Value

To us, it seems clear that the solid perfume is not intended to replace the eau de parfum, instead providing a loyal companion that’s much more convenient to take with you on the go (we can only imagine the joys of adding it to our hand luggage without restriction when we finally get back onto a plane). As such, the price is lower, and it – quite understandably – will likely not last as long as a full-size bottle.

However, if you love the you scent as much as we do, it’ll be a welcome addition to your fragrance wardrobe, with the added bonus of portability. You can also buy refills of the perfume disc when yours is empty (£14, Glossier.com) which brings the repeat purchase price down too.

Glossier You eau de parfum: £45, Glossier.com

(Glossier)

Rating: 9/10

Packaging

The glass you bottle is a little Marmite in nature – we’ve heard it called chic, but we’ve also heard it called cheap. Personally, we’re quite happy to display the pink glass and red cap on our dressing table, although we can understand why it’s divisive – it doesn’t look quite as classic and sophisticated as other eau de parfums, but it feels on brand for Glossier, and if you’re a collector of its make-up and perfume, it’ll slot right into your current edit.

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Spritz and go is the nature of the game when it comes to application – it pumps out a generous amount of product, so we typically put a spray on our wrists and another on our neck, and find that’s adequate for a day’s wear.

Scent

The notes here are the same as those listed above, so we won’t bore you with repeating them, but we do think it worth noting that the scent you get from the eau de parfum is a lot more instantaneous than the solid version – a quick flame as opposed to a slow burn.

However, it’s not one of those perfumes that hits you hard for five minutes and then fades away – it lasts until the evening, and lingers on coats and scarves for days. We’ve always been impressed with its longevity, and that fact didn’t change during this most recent test.

Value

When weighed up against a lot of similar women’s fragrances, we’d actually say Glossier’s eau de parfum represents very good value for money. You only need a couple of sprays for a really impactful, long-lasting hit.

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Plus, coming in at £45 for 50ml, it’s a fair price compared to a lot of bestsellers, which can often stretch up into triple figures. Look out for Glossier’s (admittedly rare) 20 per cent off sales around events like Black Friday, and you can bag it for even less.

The verdict: Glossier you solid perfume vs eau de parfum

The Glossier solid perfume will not be replacing our trusty bottle of eau de parfum anytime soon, but we’re happy to see it return with impeccable timing, as the world slowly reopens and we visit worlds away from our living rooms once again. If you only have budget to buy one of the two products, we’d say stick with the original, but if you’ve got a spare £24 for a beauty treat, you could do a lot worse than this cute new compact.

Voucher codes

For the latest discounts on make-up and other beauty buys, try the links below:

• Charlotte Tilbury discount codes
• Feel Unique discount code

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