Sometimes, you don’t know when your lovely perfume has outlived its lifetime. So, you don’t know whether to keep it or hold on to it. Considering how pricey perfumes can be, it can be hard to make the decision to toss out that perfume except you’re really sure that the perfume has expired.
Some perfume packages do not have sufficient information for you to know when they expire. So, you need a way to know when to toss out an expired perfume.
Factors that affect when a perfume expires
Usually, most perfumes stay pristine until they are opened. However, certain conditions that can hasten their expiry. They are:
A. Opening: Clement Gavarry is a senior perfumer at Firmenich who has worked on perfumes for Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford and Calvin Klein. He says that spraying a perfume allows air into the perfume bottle. This air that is introduced into the bottle will make the perfume oxidize over time. According to Clement, after opening, “you’ll notice a severely reduced signature of the fragrance itself. It will not smell sparkling.”
Most perfumes take an average of two years from opening before expiring.
B. Storage: How a perfume is stored affects the perfume’s longevity. When a perfume is properly stored, it is likely to stay fresh and last longer. Once the perfume is exposed to humidity, sunlight, and high temperatures, its shelf life will not exceed three to six months.
RELATED: How To Store Perfumes: 9 Tips for Perfume Storage
How to know your perfume’s expiry date
Usually it is best to stick to the expiry date that the manufacturer stated on the package of the perfume.
However, if the manufacturer did not state any date on the package, it’s possible that the perfume may last much longer than you can imagine.
Jacques Huclier is a fragrance expert who has created formulas for Gucci, Thierry Mugler and Hugo Boss. He said that he recently evaluated a never-before opened bottle of perfume from the 80s and it smelled brand new.
So, there’s no rule written in stone; each fragrance has a different lifespan.
Signs that your perfume has expired
A. Change in smell: Oxygen getting into your perfume can change the way many notes in the perfume smell. Top notes are usually the most sensitive to oxidization. Notes like citrus, patchouli, fruits aromatic and green notes will be noticeably different once oxidizing begins. For instance, you may notice that the perfume may smell slightly sour or metallic.
That’s the top note telling you that it’s time to let go. Also note that the more oxygen in the bottle, the faster the perfume is going to get spoilt. So, Amandine Pallez who is a senior creative director at Bvlgari Parfums is of the opinion that saving the last drops of your favorite perfume is a bad idea. She says it is much better to decant into a travel spray once your original bottle contains more air than it contains perfume.
B. Discoloration: once you see a color change from the initial colour of the perfume when it was new, it is best to dispose that perfume.
Are there perfume notes that are more resistant to expiration?
Generally, oriental perfumes with spicy, woody and vanilla notes tend to last longer than other families of perfumes. This is because the natural ingredients in those oriental fragrances are more structurally stable, less volatile and more resistant to oxidization.
Goodnews is that many perfume brands now seek ways to extend the lifetime of their perfumes. They use UV Filters and stabilizers to make the perfumes more resistant to sunlight and oxidization.
What if my perfume has expired and I unknowingly used it?
Usually, you may not experience any dangerous symptoms when you use an expired perfume. However, it could give off a very unpleasant scent, stain your clothes and irritate your skin. In extreme cases, you may experience an allergic reaction.
RELATED: Perfume Allergy: Symptoms And What You Need To know
