When I went looking for new solid perfumes to review for this blog, I never expected to find them (or any perfumes, really) at the place where I bought my dining room table a few years ago. But sure enough, Cost Plus World Market came up on the first page of a Google Shopping search. I was pleased as punch to find some more affordable solid fragrances (just under $10 each) that can be purchased at a brick-and-mortar retailer in the United States.
There are four solid perfume sticks available under the brand name “Addison & Gates,” abbreviated as “A&G” by the Cost Plus World Market website. (And dudes need not despair: the store also sells a Bourbon Cedar Solid Cologne from Olivina Men’s.) A&G appears to be a house bath and body brand, with around 60 products available on the World Market website, including soaps, lotions, lip gloss and liquid perfumes. All feature beautifully-printed packaging in bright colors and most of the products, including the solids I purchased, have high ratings on the site.
I did a little research and learned that A&G is produced by The Somerset Toiletry Company, a UK-based manufacturer who market under their own name as well as several private labels, of which A&G is one. If you’re in the United States, you may have seen their products at stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx and they also have an Amazon shop. Their brands are not well-known here (UK friends, do you know this brand?), but they make nice stuff, always in crowd-pleaser scents and with lovely gift-worthy packaging.
Addison & Gates Solid Roll-On Perfumes Review
Size: 0.16 oz./4.8 g.
Packaging: All are in beautifully decorated paperboard tubes, with a plastic tube holding the scent stick and a plastic cap to protect the top of the stick. Tubes are recyclable. Plastic is probably recyclable.
Base: The print is extremely tiny and the ingredients list is long. I can make out petrolatum, coconut oil, ceresin, a whole bunch of chemicals, beeswax, silica, dimethicone–anything skin-safe that’s also spreadable appears to be in these!
Vegan-friendly: No, due to the beeswax. Vegans may want to look at the liquid fragrances instead.
Color and Texture: All three solids are white, with a good oil/wax ratio that spreads easily on skin without leaving a greasy streak.
Natural perfume or mixed media: The generic “parfum” and several natural isolates–Geraniol, Linalool, Coumarin, Citronellol–are noted in the ingredients lists on all three. These are presumably mixed media.
Fragrance description and notes: From the World Market website: “Our delightful solid perfume is crafted with layered floral and herbal scents, for a subtle but complex fragrance that blends with every person’s natural body chemistry. Available in Vanilla, Jasmine Ylang, Citrus Anise and Ginger Floral fragrances – all in fresh, bright packaging – just rub a bit on your pulse points and breathe in the sweet, floral notes.” The names of the fragrances are the only “notes” listed for each fragrance but they’re pretty accurate descriptions.
Longevity: Surprisingly good! Each last six hours or more.
Sillage: All three go on very strong, but are largely skin scents within two to three hours.
The experience: I love the packaging on all three (I’m a sucker for bold and cheerful colors and patterns) and I’ll admit, that is what attracted me, along with the price. I figured they’d be “nice, but nothing special” at worst and at least I’d have some Instagram-friendly fragrances for photo shoots. Fortunately, they’re better than expected and have been a delight each time I wear them.
The sillage on all is average for a solid, but the longevity is up there with far more expensive solid (and liquid) fragrances. All are simple blends but they’re highly wearable for day or night and easily blendable with each other and your other liquid and solid fragrances.
Citrus Anise is the sweetest of the bunch, and the anise is not especially strong in this one. It’s a pleasant fruity cocktail of a scent with a hint of sugar and spice, bordering on gourmand. Sweet but hearty enough that my husband opted to give it a try, too.
Ginger Flower is a spicy tropical floral that has been perfect for the warm, humid days that straddle late Summer/early Autumn in Philadelphia. There was a slight waxy aroma to this one that was not unpleasant, plus it faded over time. It’s my least favorite of the three I tried, but it’s still a good strong like.
Jasmine Ylang combines two of my favorite floral aromas, but I had set my expectations low on this one, given the price point. Once you have smelled true jasmine, by which I mean Jasminum grandiflorum or Jasminum sambac in absolute form, and true ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata), whether it’s inexpensive ylang-ylang III essential oil or precious ylang-ylang extra, you’ll recognize the “fake” stuff whenever you smell it, and you’ll also know you have to pay more if you want the good stuff. At just $9.99 a tube, this one is unlikely to have any significant quantity of either floral essence, if any at all, but the aroma of Jasmine Ylang is a pleasant, generic white floral bouquet that is perfect for office and casual occasions.
The fragrances also blend well with one another. Layering Citrus Anise over Ginger Flower gave me a nice, creamy gourmand. Jasmine Ylang over Ginger Flower amplified the floral notes of both scents and canceled some of the waxy effects of the Ginger Flower. Citrus Anise over Jasmine Ylang produced a sweet floral-amber with a slight coconut aspect.
A&G also offers a Vanilla stick that I opted not to buy at the time, but I’m reconsidering now. Vanilla aromas are generally predictable, so I skipped this one, but I’ve been very impressed with the quality offered by the other A&G perfumes. If it’s anything like the others, their Vanilla might be a solid choice (pun intended) for both solo wear and blending with other fragrances in my collection.
Where to buy: All three scents, plus that fourth Vanilla perfume that I did not buy yet, are available in Cost Plus World Market stores and the store’s official website for just $9.99 each. Found a few on Ebay as well.
Additional notes: All three tubes bear the “36M” period-after-opening symbol, which means they should be used up within 36 months of opening the product. (Fun fact: I had seen this symbol on other products but never bothered to look up what it actually means until just now. The more you know…)
All photos by me.
Solidly Scented 
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