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26 | Gazette Life | March 2026Scents & Perfume shops are one of the most visible fixtures in Lanzarote%u2019s resorts, and many tourists return from their holidays smelling a lot better than when they arrived. Here%u2019s how to shop for scents on Lanzarote.The Canaries form a special economic zone which is allowed to set its own VAT rates on products, and these rates are considerably lower than you%u2019ll find in most of Europe. As a result, it%u2019s cheaper to buy luxury products such as fragrances here. Travellers have the option to buy at airport duty free shops or in resorts, but you%u2019ll often find the prices are better outside the airport. This gives you the time to do your perfume shopping properly, and that takes time. The first thing to do is research scents a little. Think of perfumes you%u2019ve particularly liked in the past, then find out a little more about them. The next step is to sample. Grab some strips of paper, a notebook, then head for a perfume shop and locate a few scents you want to try. Spray a little on the sample papers and keep them between separate pages of the notebook, marking down the name. Many shops have free sample strips available. If a scent grabs you immediately, spray a little on your skin. The inside of the wrist and the elbow are the classic places, but you can also try the back of your hand. This means you can only really sample around six perfumes unless you want to rope in family members, so it should only be used for strong candidates. Don%u2019t sniff immediately. Give it about ten seconds for the alcohol to evaporate, then take a good snuffle. You%u2019ll immediately sense the top notes of the perfume, as well as underlying notes that will come to the fore later. Take a break between samples. It%u2019s easy to overload your sense of smell, and each fragrance should be given adequate time. Head out of the shop, stroll around, smell again. There%u2019s plenty of fresh air on Lanzarote to clear your nostrils. Then go home. Don%u2019t buy anything immediately. Ideally you want to really know how long the perfume lasts and how it changes as you wear it. Once you%u2019re home, you can also pay a little more attention to those paper samples, too. Perfume is expensive, so you%u2019ll want to be sure it%u2019s right for you. The sampling process can take up to a week, but once you%u2019ve done it you%u2019ll know what%u2019s right for you. Then it%u2019s time to go back with your credit card.Sensibility