Trying out Dolma’s Vegan and Cruelty-Free Fragrances

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It’s been a while since I treated myself to any new perfume. I have several bottles that I’ve been trying to use up before I buy more, but none of them are my favourites, since I’ve already used up my favourite ones!

I was therefore delighted when Dolma Fragrances contacted me to ask if I would like to test out and review some of their vegan and cruelty-free fragrances. It was the perfect opportunity to try some new scents and maybe find a new favourite perfume to buy when I’ve used up my old ones.

Who are Dolma Fragrances?

Dolma Fragrances is a fragrance company that produces 100% vegan and cruelty-free perfumes and aftershaves. It was fascinating to read the story of Dolma – how it first came about and grew into the successful, independent small business it is today.

I love the values that Dolma encompasses. As well as being a vegan and cruelty-free company, their products are also free from parabens, phthalates and palm oil. All their ingredients are sourced sustainably and ethically, and their perfumes are made locally in the UK. They use recyclable packaging, and they plant a tree for every single sale. This is the kind of company I love to support!

The Women’s Discovery Box Set

I opted to try Dolma’s Discovery Box Set which includes 1.8ml samples of all 12 of their women’s fragrances. This would be the perfect way to test all their different perfumes and see which suits me, without wasting any full-size bottles. Another great thing about the Discovery Set is that when you order it, you also receive a 30% off coupon to use on a favourite full-sized fragrance!

The set arrived packaged in minimal and recyclable packaging, which was great to see. The box itself is so pretty with its green, leafy design! Inside were the 12 perfume samples in sweet little 1.8ml bottles, along with a small leaflet listing the ingredients.

As there were 12 perfumes in the Discovery Set, I decided to try out a different perfume every day over a span of 12 days. Each day, I noted down my first impressions of the perfume, before going on the Dolma website and comparing my thoughts to their descriptions. It was interesting to see whether my impressions of the scents matched up to what was actually in them! Read on to find out what I thought of each perfume.

1. Light Bloom

This perfume smells clean, fresh and floral, as perfectly described by its name. Looking on the website, I discovered it has notes of magnolia, lily of the valley and freesia. I wouldn’t have guessed this as I don’t really know what those flowers smell like, but I definitely identified that it was floral. It also has top notes of orange and orange blossom, which I can smell too. I’m not sure this perfume is really ‘me’ but I do like it.

2. Midnight Velvet

I identified this perfume to be quite sweet with a hint of spice. The website told me it has a sweet base with spicy top notes so I was right about that! This is a pleasant, soft scent and I like it, although again, I didn’t feel it was really ‘me’.

3. Sun Joy

This is a bright, citrusy scent, with slight hints of floral, as confirmed when I looked on the website. I felt it also had a warmth behind the brightness. It suits its name, ‘Sun Joy’, as it feels like a summery scent. It was my favourite so far out of the three perfumes I had tried.

4. First Rain

Interestingly, I didn’t manage to guess what was in this perfume as I thought it smelt citrussy, but it’s actually described as earthy. To me, this perfume smells youthful yet sophisticated. I really liked it and found myself sniffing my arm throughout the day to get another waft! This perfume feels like ‘me’ and is something I could see myself wearing on a regular basis.

5. Amethyst Mist

This is another perfume that I described very differently from how it is described on the website. I perceived it as strong, tangy and fruity, with hints of spice, but on the website, it is described as calm and light! It does have mandarin, cardamom and clove in the top notes, so maybe that is what I was smelling. I liked this perfume but it wasn’t my favourite out of the set.

6. Anahita

This perfume smelt strong and sweet to me, almost like bubblegum. On looking at the website, I discovered it is fruity, with peach and lemon, which I could definitely recognise. I found this perfume a little too strong and overpowering when I first applied it, but it did gradually fade to become more subtle.

7. Andromeda

This had a strong floral smell, which I thought was maybe lavender or rose. The website told me it was actually cyclamen, jasmine and neroli – not such recognisable floral scents. It also has tones of vegan musk underneath, which I could recognise. It is described as ‘dreamy’ and I definitely got that vibe. I like this perfume but I didn’t feel it was really ‘me’.

8. Calista

My first impression of this perfume was that it smelt like rose. It reminded me of a classic, old-fashioned rose perfume. I was wrong about this because it is actually bergamot, lemon, jasmine and geranium, among other things. This perfume is pleasant, sweet and floral and I quite liked it.

9. Compassion

At first, I thought this perfume smelt of almond or marzipan! It’s actually ylang ylang, lemon and ginger, among other scents. I’m not sure what ylang ylang smells like and I couldn’t smell the lemon or ginger. However, I really liked this perfume. I would describe the smell as soft, warm and comforting, which suits its name, ‘Compassion’. It smells almost medicinal but in a good way. It is described on the website as warm, heartfelt and evokes love, which I would agree with. I kept smelling my arm throughout the day to get another waft, which is a sure sign that I liked it!

10. Cushi B

I found it hard to pinpoint this scent, but it smelt strong and tangy. I found it quite harsh and a bit overpowering at first, but it grew on me after it had faded down a bit. Looking on the website, I saw that it is cinnamon and cardamom with lime and orange, which I could recognise once I knew. It is said to be inspired by autumn, which I could understand because of the spicy notes, but it didn’t especially evoke thoughts of autumn in me.

11. Sarabande

I identified this as a spicy smell, but it turned out to be floral! It is rose and geranium, which I could recognise once I knew. This perfume wasn’t really ‘me’ but I didn’t dislike it.

12. Vegamusk

I assumed from the name that this perfume was supposed to smell like musk. I felt a bit weird about wearing a musk-scented perfume, (even though it is vegan) because I find it quite weird to be imitating an animal scent. That said, I did like the smell! Looking on the website, I discovered that this perfume is not just musk, it has other scents in it as well. This made me feel better about it! The scent smells rich, warm and woody – it reminds me of an old, country house.

Which perfumes were my favourites?

As you might have already guessed from the description, my absolute favourite perfume from this set was First Rain. I really clicked with it, as something I would wear. That was the one that stood out to me the most in this Discovery Set. I also really liked Compassion and Vegamusk – they were very different but both warm and comforting scents in their own way.

I feel like the 1.8ml sample bottles will go a long way, and I plan to use them all up as I didn’t dislike any of the perfumes. After that, I am planning to purchase one or more of my favourites!

I’m so happy to have discovered Dolma Fragrances – it’s a rare gem to find a perfume brand that is vegan, cruelty-free, sustainable, and has such lovely scents. I highly recommend trying the discovery set for yourself, whether you are vegan or not. They also do a men’s discovery set if you are a man or prefer more masculine scents. It’s the perfect way to try out all of Dolma’s fragrances, and you might just find some new favourites too.

Dolma Fragrances offer 15% off your first purchase when you sign up to their email list, so it’s well worth doing that to grab that discount!

What are your favourite types of scents – floral, fruity, sweet, earthy or something else? Let me know in the comments below.