4 brilliantly creative ways to recycle your perfume bottles

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While some perfumes just smell good, others pay equal attention to both form and function. Here at Perfume Philippines, we love an aesthetically pleasing perfume bottle.

Marc Jacobs Daisy, Bvlgari Omnia Amethyst, and Paco Rabanne Lady Million are masterpieces that deserve a spot in the Louvre – and this is precisely why they’re so hard to part with, even after you’ve squeezed the last scent.

Thankfully, there are several ways to upcycle the beautiful bottles you just can’t bear to throw out. This practice is not only good for the planet, but it also means you get to make lasting memories out of your most favorite perfumes! Here’s what to do with empty perfume bottles.

1. Turn them into a flower vase

Using perfume bottles as flower vases is a different kind of cool. They say you care about smelling good, but you also care for the planet. Keep an eye out for perfume bottles that are just the right size – those dainty enough to fit on smaller surfaces but tall enough to hold a small selection of plants and flowers.

Do it yourself:

If your recycled glass perfume bottles have a sticker label, soak them overnight so you can easily peel them away. Carefully easy off the perfume cap, fill it with water, and insert your florals inside. Great for adding visual interest to any room!

2. Turn them into a reed diffuser

Perfume bottles make great DIY scent diffusers that allow you to fill your home with the scent of your choice. This perfume bottle hack is super easy and takes just minutes to do!

Do it yourself:

Grab an empty perfume bottle, some pliers, a couple of reed or bamboo skewers, and your choice of scented oil. Soak your bottle in water to remove any sticker labels, fill the bottle with aromatic oil, then dip your bamboo skewers inside.

Once the skewers have absorbed a bit of oil, turn them around. Rotate your bamboo skewers once a week to refresh the aroma. Remember, the smaller the mouth of your perfume bottle is, the slower the oil will evaporate.

3. Make an oil burner

If you’re looking for a more potent way to diffuse scents, know that perfume bottles make great oil burners. With a bit of DIY, you can turn the right-sized bottle into a beautiful oil burner to create a romantic mood.

Do it yourself:

Pull off the spray nozzle from the bottle, and pry the round metal piece off with a pair of pliers. Add your fragrance oil inside, insert a wick, and voila, you’ve got a scented oil burner!

4. Turn them into decor

With a little DIY, you can turn any perfume into tabletop decor. Paint them, cover them with lace, add imitation pearls or glitters inside. The choice is yours.

Do it yourself:

If your perfume bottle has a particularly unique shape, paint them with one solid color (preferably white or black) and you're end up with a miniature sculpture. You can also pry the cap open and add glitters, imitation pearls, and other sorts of colorful knickknacks inside. Display them on an end table, shelf, or as a centerpiece to your dining table.