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Does perfume go bad? How long does it last?

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Kelli

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I figured some of you might know the answer to this. I have so much perfume, along with Bath and Body Works products that even though I use it every day, I will never go through all of it. I love it and I get it as presents all the time being a teacher, but how long can I keep the same stuff? I get paranoid thinking maybe the smell is changing because I''ve had it so long, but that''s probably mostly in my head. How long do you guys keep that kind of stuff?
 

Lorelei

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Date: 9/17/2008 3:06:35 PM
Author:Kelli
I figured some of you might know the answer to this. I have so much perfume, along with Bath and Body Works products that even though I use it every day, I will never go through all of it. I love it and I get it as presents all the time being a teacher, but how long can I keep the same stuff? I get paranoid thinking maybe the smell is changing because I've had it so long, but that's probably mostly in my head. How long do you guys keep that kind of stuff?
Some perfumes can be preserved for many years Kelli, sometimes the top notes can alter, but then the middle and basenotes can be fine. Some general advice, store your perfumes in a dark cool place, avoid sunlight and heat as this can be harmful. The bathroom is not the best place to store perfume due to the humidity. If a dab bottle, keep the cap on tightly. Some perfume can change or evolve over time, I find this happens with some of mine, so I wouldn't worry too much. I have some perfumes that are over 10 years old, stored carefully they are still in excellent condition and smell wonderful.
 

starsapphire

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I have always heard to keep perfume out of the sun, in a cool dark place. Really, the only way to tell if it is going bad is if it starts smelling bad, or if the color changes or something....I remember I used to have a bottle of Magie Noir (Lancome). I had it for years, and did not wear it very often, even tho I loved it. I just don''t wear the same perfume every day, sometimes I like to rotate. I went to the Lancome counter recently, and sprayed on some Magie and it smelled yukky!!!! I don''t know if my perfume had gotten old, or if they changed the perfume? I did not like the "new" one, and I think I thew out my old bottle because I realized I really was not into heavy scents anymore. So maybe mine being old changed the scent? I dunno. But, I don''t have very many anymore. I sold them all on Ebay. Even tho they were used, people still bought them!!! I used to have a perfume fetish!
 

Kelli

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Thanks for the replies! I do have a little bit of a perfume fetish! But I think I have an "all things girly" fetish. It''s funny because I''m not all that girly in real life at all, but I''m obsessed with perfume, purses, diamonds, sparkly things in general. It''s my fun guilty pleasure I guess!
 

beau13

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Being a former Estee Lauder girl, I told my customers that once opened (to air), it should be used within 2-2.5 years. Storage plays a key factor for sure..keep out of the bathroom..out of direct sunlight and direct heat is best. You will know by the change in smell, that it has started to go bad.
 

Rhea

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Good information Lorelei, thank you.
 

Lorelei

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Date: 9/17/2008 4:42:50 PM
Author: Addy
Good information Lorelei, thank you.
You are very welcome Addy!

Out of interest, due to some fragrances being reformulated in recent years, some perfume fans spend a great deal of time and money pursuing vintage fragrance, some of which are many years old dating to the sixties and seventies even. It can be risky as to what you actually end up with due to methods of storage and how the perfume has matured, but it seems some do this quite often with very good results.

Personally I always keep a bottle of Chanel No 5 EDP in reserve as I like it to mature a bit before I use it, this seems to enrich the fragrance! I did have a bottle of No 5 eau de cologne which was over 20 years old and it still smelled as lovely as when it was new.
 

Sabine

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I''m ashamed to admit this, but I also get tons of bath and body works stuff as gifts that I never use but hate throwing out, so I have actually had lotion go bad. It changes color. It never smelled bad, but the scent did change, and it started taking on a "rubbery" smell of the bottle. I''ve never had any sprays or perfumes go bad though.
 

jcrow

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the last time i went to get a refill on my favorite perfume (bond no.9 chelsea flowers) the perfume was actually spoiled at the store
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. it was much darker than it is suppose to be. i still have yet to fill my bottle.
 

elle_chris

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Date: 9/17/2008 3:19:01 PM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 9/17/2008 3:06:35 PM
Author:Kelli
I figured some of you might know the answer to this. I have so much perfume, along with Bath and Body Works products that even though I use it every day, I will never go through all of it. I love it and I get it as presents all the time being a teacher, but how long can I keep the same stuff? I get paranoid thinking maybe the smell is changing because I''ve had it so long, but that''s probably mostly in my head. How long do you guys keep that kind of stuff?
Some perfumes can be preserved for many years Kelli, sometimes the top notes can alter, but then the middle and basenotes can be fine. Some general advice, store your perfumes in a dark cool place, avoid sunlight and heat as this can be harmful. The bathroom is not the best place to store perfume due to the humidity. If a dab bottle, keep the cap on tightly. Some perfume can change or evolve over time, I find this happens with some of mine, so I wouldn''t worry too much. I have some perfumes that are over 10 years old, stored carefully they are still in excellent condition and smell wonderful.
Ditto.
I wouldn''t try it with Bath and Body Works products though. I find their products to be very, very strong (in the scent department) and can see them going bad faster than a true Perfume or even EDP.
 

onedrop

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Kelli: you''ve obviously received an answer to your question, but I just had to add a comment. I never knew perfume went bad myself until I sprayed from a bottle of Annick Goutal ''Mandragore'' I''d had for maybe a year and noticed that it smelled "off." I did a little research and found that in fact, perfumes do have a shelf life. At the time I had been keeping my perfume bottles on my dresser. After the Mandragore turned on me, I moved my bottles into a wooden box in a dark corner of my closet. Rarely do they see the light of day now! I''ve found that has helped a lot with preserving the juice.

The other issue I have noticed is when my body chemistry changes and scents I used to LOVE, now smell totally different (and not in a good way) on my skin! But I guess that give me an excuse to go in search of a new "holy grail" of fragrances.
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somehowcollide

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Great info Lorelei, thanks! And a unique perspective onedrop. I''m always learning something new on PS!
 

Kelli

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Thanks for the replies everyone! You can learn pretty much anything on PS! I keep mine in a bathroom, but it doesn''t happen to be the bathroom that ever gets used for showers, so I wonder if that''s ok since the humidity wouldn''t be a problem. I LOVE perfumey stuff, especially bath and body works sprays and lotions, but there''s like a never-ending supply of it!
 
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