Let’s face it – fragrances don’t come cheap, and there’s no bigger let down than reaching for that favourite bottle at the back of the shelf, only to discover it’s gone off. Never happened to you? Consider yourself lucky. Most fragrances only last between three and five years, and if you notice a discolouration (particularly if the liquid darkens), or an unpleasant smell, it’s expired, and it’s time to let it go.
Here’s what you can do to help prevent your scents from going off:
Store them in a cool and dark place
Heat and humidity can have an effect on some of the ingredients – such as essential oils – in your fragrance, which changes the actual scent. Keep them in a cupboard, or even the fridge, but avoid storing them in the bathroom as the steam from the shower can change their physical properties.
Keep the cap on
We know it’s easier to leave the cap off and just spray when you’re on the run, but this allows air to enter the container, which can oxidize the fragrance and change its smell.
Keep them away from the sun
Beautiful bottles are perfect for display on your dresser, but if the morning (or afternoon, for that matter), sun beams into the room and the bottles are exposed to it, some chemical changes are going to take place.
Don’t save your fresh scents for a rainy day
Citrus-based fragrances go off first, because they contain a high percentage of citrus oils, which are highly sensitive. These fresh notes also tend to evaporate faster than their floral and Oriental counterparts. So don’t store these for “one day” – rather use them now, and give your more resilient woody and floral scents a break.
Other articles you may be interested in:
Eight feminine scents on our wish list
Five fragrances that won’t break the bank
Fragrance bottles we adore
Fragrance myths
How to: Decant a fragrance
21 Responses
I always save my favourite perfume, I was not aware they go off. Interest
Never knew that perfumes could go off. Mine never last that long!
thank you for the tips
I love to keep my perfume in the box. A pain to remove every morning and open, but it does last longer as it is not exposed to sunlight and kept cool in the cupboard. Nothing worse than wearing a perfume that has gone off and smells terrible on you the entire day!
I get a lot of perfumes as gifts so this article comes in handy.
I love my perfumes, and love having my bottles on display, fortunately they are out of direct sunlight so all my babies are safe :)
Thanks for all the helpful tips, I constantly leave the top of my spray off – but not anymore.
I do the above! And my perfumes last years! Only had a Hugo boss that discolored, the rest are as good as new.
This is interesting. I was too scared to finish my perfumes but now I will have utilize and purchase a new scent.
Wow. I had no idea they could go off although I had a few aerosol perfumes which I had saved for “one day” and were fine. I don’t have any old perfumes at the moment to test the theory of EDP vs aerosol perfumes