How a deal earns a Pick.

What the numbers mean

Four words I use precisely.

Every price claim in an Issue rests on these four terms. Here is exactly what each one means, so you can decide for yourself whether a percentage is worth anything.

Typical price

The median of the daily lowest prices I have tracked for that size over the last 90 days. Sizes are grouped to the nearest standard bottle, so a 110ml listing sits with 100ml history — this is the median for a size group, not for one exact listing. It is what the bottle usually costs, not an MSRP or a retailer's list price. When I say a Pick is a given percentage off, that is the comparison I mean unless the Issue explicitly labels a retailer list price instead.

Tracked low

The single lowest daily price I recorded for that same size group inside the same 90-day window. It is the floor I have actually seen, not the lowest price that has ever existed anywhere — and where a retailer lists a bottle in ounces rather than millilitres I track that separately, so the floor is the floor of what I hold. I only call a price the lowest I have tracked when the current offer is at or under that floor and the floor sits below the typical price.

Observation window

The 90A size needs at least 14 separate days of tracked prices in that window before I will make any comparison claim about it. Below that, I show the price on its own and say nothing about whether it is a discount.

Reputable retailer

A seller I would order from myself, and one I hold price history for: an established fragrance or department retailer with real returns, real customer service, and a listing I can identify down to the exact bottle. Retailers reach that list one at a time, by review, and each listing is checked for identity before its price is shown. Marketplace resellers I cannot vouch for do not qualify. Most deep-discount fragrance retailers source outside a brand's own distribution network — that is a large part of why the price is lower — so treat the retailer name as the thing to judge, and check its returns policy before you buy.

Price and time

An archived price is a receipt, not a promise.

Fragrance prices and inventory move quickly. The price printed in an Issue is the price observed for that exact listing around publication. It remains on the archive so the editorial decision can be evaluated honestly later; it is not silently rewritten to make an old Pick look current.

A retailer button is a route to check the offer now, not a claim that the archived price is still live. The retailer controls the current price, stock, shipping, and terms. Unless an Issue explicitly says otherwise, quoted prices exclude tax and may exclude shipping.

Independence and funding

The retailer does not buy the Pick.

EauDeDeal does not accept paid placements or payment for favorable coverage. Retailer links may be affiliate links, which means EauDeDeal may earn a commission if you buy through one, at no added cost to you. Whether a link pays a commission never changes the selection gate or the order of Picks.

The standard is simple: the Pick should still deserve its place if the link earns nothing.

Corrections and boundaries

Preserve the record. Correct the facts.

A sent email is a historical edition and is not rewritten. If a material product, retailer, price, or attribution error is discovered, I correct the web edition without erasing what was known at publication. Ordinary price changes and sold-out inventory are not errors; they are the normal life of a deal.

EauDeDeal also stays in its lane. It is not a complete fragrance review database, a guarantee of authenticity or fulfillment, or a promise that one price is best for every buyer. It is a documented editorial judgment intended to make the next decision easier.