I prefer the overall effect of a more traditional spray bottle, but I love how travel-friendly rollerballs are. It’s also a nice way to have a scent on hand that you might not finish quickly, so they aren’t as expensive to acquire.
— Christine
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I wish someone would make a refillable one. If someone does (and it doesn’t leak and is easy to refill), I’d sure like to know where to buy some. The disposable ones are convenient, but they’re expensive for the amount of fragrance included and not all fragrances offer rollerballs.
There are empty refillable rollerballs available because I have purchased many and transfer my bottled fragrances into them to carry with me. Three months ago or so I purchased 24 Vivaplex, 10 ml Brown Glass Roll-on Bottles with Stainless Steel Roller Balls for $18.70 with free shipping from a seller on eBay who is located in the U.S. They were packaged extremely well and arrived in perfect condition. They are very easy to fill and are reusable. Hope this helps!
Thank you!!!
I do the same! What if you don’t use it very often, like you stash them in your travel bag and forget until the next trip? MUCH cheaper to buy the refillable minis and fill them with a couple of teaspoons of fragrance than to spend $25-28 per scent.
I’m not a big fan of roller balls! I find they don’t last very long on my skin. But like Christine said, I don’t mind how long the actual amount lasts.
I just prefer spray type kinds. They last longer on my skin!
Rave: great for travel.
Rant: limited choice (I have yet to find one in my daily scent or even one I like on me enough to purchase)
They’re great for “touching up” after work, gym, etc…, as I don’t personally appreciate others spraying products in a public space, and I like to afford the same respect.
I love them because I never use a whole bottle of perfume, so this allows me to save money and to use as many as I like without a large financial obligation. I love that I can pack in my work tote about 5 of these so I can reapply a new fragrance later in the day if I like. I have nothing negative to say about fragrance rollerballs.
RAVE: Easy to carry in my purse, easy to use, and they’re an inexpensive way to try scents. I find they’re not as prone to leakage as small spray bottles.
RANT: Not every scent comes in a roller ball.
Pacifica’s rollerballs are the bomb, very mixable for custom combos.
Rollerballs collect dead skin at the bottom which really grosses me out. I prefer travel bottles with the spray nozzle. Those can be hard to find. I had a Travelo but it would always leak. I ended up wasting a lot of perfume that way, so I just get by with brands that make the travel bottles with spray nozzles.
This is my gripe, too. Ugh.
Love: Can bring them ANYWHERE! Perfect for travel and overnight venues.
Hate: Nothing! If fact, I would love to get them in my 2 favorite fragrences if at all possible!
I love them for convenience when I am at work, but most of them don’t last as long as spritz ons.
I have never purchased one of these but I can see a use for putting one in a handbag.
I like how they are easy to travel with and how you can sample a scent without a big commitment. When you but full size, sometimes, you get bored or grow out of love with the scent. Then you are stuck with perfume that you don’t want or won’t use up. With a rollerball, I can use up a scent quicker and don’t have to spend as much and I’m not wasting my money as much.
I’m not a frequent fragrance user and have a small budget, so roller balls are really the only perfume format I ever buy!
I love rollerballs as they allow me to better control the amount of fragrance dispensed. I usually get many times more fragrance than I want out of a spray. Therefore rollerballs are a good option to have in a product line. I’d like to see every fragrance have a rollerball option. Rollerballs are also great for travel, handbag, trying a new fragrance after having a sample but before investing in a big bottle, for little gifts, and for stocking stuffers during the winter holidays.
Rollerball fragrances are good for the fragrance manufacturer in that rollerballs allow more people to access a fragrance so more possibility for it to become well-known and popular, which in turn is good for business and the fragrance industry as a whole as well as the stores and etailers that sell them. And rollerballs are good for the customer as a portable, controllable option at a lower cost. I view rollerballs as a multiple-win situation! (WildDove on fragrantica)
Really not a fan of them, I always preferred spray pens or mini bottles, idk why companies don’t make those as much.
I like rollerballs because they let me get a fragrance at a lower price. I don’t use up perfumes that fast, so they’re actually a good size for me. On the other hand, the pretty bottles are a part of why I enjoy perfumes. So I tend to get rollerballs only of perfumes that have bottles I’m not particularly attracted to.
I don’t own any fragrance rollerballs as I prefer traditional bottles – so no raves for me.
I like them for travel or as something to throw in my bag, but otherwise I prefer regular bottles at home. I have some Travalo rollerballs for some of my favorite scents that I throw in my bag if I want to up the scent later in the day. I also prefer rollerballs on the go to travel sprays as they don’t get everywhere or on anyone else.
Great to try out a ‘new’ scent without the financial obligation of buying a full sized bottle. Great for travel — no need to worry about breakage or spillage of a large bottle. Refillable ones would be great.
I have never had any trouble with a roller ball or one of the spay to leak. Travalo makes an automatizer that is wonderful. The only downside to it is that once you put a perfume in it you and that one runs out you can’t refill it with another perfume. They’re not that expensive and I’ve not had any trouble with those leaking either. The Travalo is easy to fill.
I prefer sprays as well. I may be making things up but I swear the same scent smells different.
I love that they’re so easy to carry around & travel with. Also the fact that some can come in smaller sizes. I really love that you can test out a scent more with them, or if you just don’t want to commit to a full-size.
I do dislike that sometimes you get a faulty one that just leaks or the roller releases too much fragrance or not enough.
Sidenote, someone else mentioned up above, but yes to the idea of refillable rollerballs. That would be great!
I do sometimes pour fragrance samples into any rollerballs of that scent I have, it’s a hassle but I have less samples.
I love them. I love them for targeted application (I can’t tell you the # of times I’ve accidentally got fragrance in my MOUTH because I’m rushing!) and for their smallness and portability. Also, I often tire of fragrance, except for my “signature” scents, so it’s nice to have a small format that won’t be hanging around for years after I’m sick of it. I do wish they were more readily refillable (in reality, it should be an easy matter to just twist off the whole rollerball and refill, but the companies make sure it’s not!) And I think most of them don’t offer value for money on an ounce for ounce basis compared to larger sized bottles of the product.
Love the portability. But here’s the catch: I find they go ‘off’ quickly so I do not buy. Maybe it is the rollerball contact with skin. I also agree with Shannon in that longevity is not always there. So I tend to buy small bottles of spray instead. Not as portable or the most cost efficient, but I’ve learned at least not to size up to the big bottles (usually double the size for about a 1/3 more in price) as I like variety, but never come close to finishing before I’ve had them for far too long and the scent is compromised.
I don’t own any roller balls and am picky about perfumes. Someone spraying in public something too strong for my German Sheperd acute nose skills i find as rude as sneezing real loud. Lol! I love sprays and the teeny sample bottles. Will look into thode, but not much into the wrong perfume (find too many offensive) and the right one is uhhhh! Pricey! ?
Travel friendly and a great way to try a scent to see if it agrees with your chemistry. I don’t like the lack of profusion or often sublimation of top notes in a rollerball.