A TikToker has gone viral after sharing a video of themselves using a device to siphon perfume from a sample bottle, asking viewers if what they are doing is “illegal.”
In a video with over 2.3 million views, TikToker @themini_capsule shows themselves using a handheld device to move perfume from the tester bottle into their own capsule, spraying it to show that it works.
@themini_capsule’s page is devoted to videos like this. In some, they claim that they had permission from the store’s owners in order to get a sample. In others, acting out a potential theft seems to be part of the appeal. Text overlay on one of the videos reads, “Imagine Considering Actually Paying.”
The product is available from a retailer called NearMoon, which advertises that customers can “sample different scents without having to worry about wasting money,” according to its website.
However, @themini_capsule claims the practice is “legal” in several videos.
@themini_capsule The best money investment is this mini capsule – 0 money on perfumes in 3 months🤩 #refillableperfumebottle #tiktokmademebuyit #portableperfumerefill ♬ original sound – Mini Capsule
Viewers had their own thoughts regarding whether using the device is illegal.
“I mean, yeah? And now they’re locking them up. So thanks,” one user wrote.
“You’re not sampling.. you’re just taking and that is theft. So id say yea it’s illegal,” another added. “When they give you a sample that’s different than taking it.”
“I used to work at a perfume counter and yes it’s considered theft,” a third claimed.
Others felt differently, saying that taking product out of dedicated samples shouldn’t be illegal.
“Not if it’s a sample bottle,” one commenter said.
“Some stores have little sample bottles like this and they’ll fill them for free,” a second noted.
“I saw a girl do this in Sephora the other day as I was looking at a bottle next to her and she was like shhhh,” a third wrote. “LOL I was like girl im not a cop.”
The Daily Dot reached out to NearMoon via website contact form.
