Isn’t it essential to know the longevity of the fragrances you use as an avid perfume enthusiast?
It would have been a blessing if our perfumes lasted forever. Unfortunately, however, every good thing eventually comes to an end.
It is essential to know your way around perfumes to take proper care of them, so keep reading to learn important facts I gathered for you.
How Long Do Perfumes Last?
Our perfumes do not fall under the same sense of expiration as beauty products or foods. However, manufacturers say that our fragrances only stay good for a year or two. But if you take proper care and follow a few rules, you can actually increase your perfumes’ longevity.
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How Can Perfume Last Longer?
The ingredients in a perfume play a vital role in maintaining its lifespan. And among those ingredients, alcohol plays a critical role.
Well, the fragrances that last longer have a lot of chemical stability. So, perfumes with high content of alcohol tend to have more longevity.
Alcohols prevent perfumes from evaporating quicker. Hence as low the concentration is, the more lasting the fragrance is.
Even though alcohol helps preserve the perfume, some prefer non-alcoholic ones, and its longevity is still a concern.
However, regardless of what is in a perfume, you still need to take a step or two to make sure your fragrances don’t have a short life. Here are some tips for that:
Step-1# keep in the shadows.
Keep your perfumes far away from the lights. Sunlight is one of the biggest enemies of fragrances because light can have a chemical reaction with the scent and break its molecules. It disrupts the composition making perfumes more vulnerable to oxidation.
Step-2# Storage is the key.
Storing your perfumes in a closed cupboard is always a great option to ensure their integrity. Also, since closets are dry and dark, that helps the fragrance to stay good.
Step-3# Keep away from heat.
High temperature is not suitable for perfumes because it spoils them. Instead, experts say that fragrance should be kept in a chill environment below 15 degrees Celsius or 59 degrees Fahrenheit. So, freezers are an excellent option to keep perfumes lasting.
Step-4# Don’t leave your perfumes half empty.
When perfume bottles are half empty, they become more prone to oxidizing and so go bad quicker. Hence, you should only move on to another fragrance after finishing one.
You must take care of your fragrance because only then can you preserve its longevity. Also, applying it on damp skin will help to lock in the scent longer.
How Long Should Perfume Last?
Few factors determine how long your fragrance can last. However, perfumes can last 4 to 6 hours or even more.
When you apply your perfume, you initially smell the top notes lasting around 5-15 minutes.
However, you get to smell the main essence of the fragrance when the middle notes kick in and last for 4 hours or more.
Moreover, after the middle notes, the base notes settle down, and you can have that smell for 6 hours or more.
The characteristics of a perfume determine how long it can last. Here are some factors about perfumes:
The strength of your fragrance.
Strong fragrances have more strength, so they last longer. Because their heavier structure evaporates way more slowly, try to look for strong perfumes for long-lasting use.
Moisturize your skin.
You can put lotions on your body or if your body is moist, then apply perfumes. It will help to lock the scent and enhance the performance of your fragrance. Because in a dry environment, fragrance evaporates quicker.
Spray it on your clothes.
In winter, you don’t get enough opportunity to moisturize properly. So, try spraying on parts of your clothes to keep the fragrance smell for longer.
Don’t rub your fragrances.
Whenever you put fragrance on your skin, don’t rub it because it mixes the scent and destroys the top notes. So, it makes your fragrance less long-lasting.
Perfumes are beautiful themselves, but we can enhance their performance and make them worthwhile with our extra efforts.
How To Know If Your Fragrance Is Long Lasting or Not?
Though fragrances are just not meant to last all day, some still last longer than others.
The type of perfume you use will tell a lot about its performance. Here’s how you can tell:
Concentration
Check if your fragrance is Eau De Toilette, Eau De Parfum, Eau De Cologne or pure extracts. Parfum has the highest concentration; hence it is more potent. Therefore, parfum will last longer on your body.
Look at the fragrance structure
If you see a perfume consisting of vanilla, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, and tobacco, you can be sure that it will last longer than the ones with hints of fruits or flowers. So, sweet-spicy fragrances generally last longer.
Test your fragrance
Use different concentrated perfumes and spray them separately on both of your hands. Then, at the end of the day, you will be the judge of which fragrance lasted longer on your skin.
Watch reviews
Reviews can help you out in knowing the user experience of any specific fragrance. More than the store employees, the ones who used the scent can tell you better how long-lasting perfume is.
Moreover, fragrances often leave a lingering effect, so even if the smell is gone, the essence remains.
Do Perfumes Go Bad?
Yes, perfumes can go bad if they are not stored properly. Fragrances don’t expire, and you can use them for many years. However, many issues cause perfumes to lose their integrity. Therefore, you must keep them in proper condition to use them for years.
As your perfume collection will keep growing, your work for your fragrance will increase as well.
Honestly, there’s nothing to worry about because that little extra care will be fruitful in the end. Here are places where keeping your perfume will make them go bad:
In the bathroom
The moist, damp environment will disrupt the perfume structure and lose its color and smell due to oxidation.
By the window
Light comes through the window, which heats the fragrance and makes it evaporate quicker. Plus, the ingredients of perfumes go worst in hot temperatures.
In a place where the temperature fluctuates a lot
The hot to cold environment breaks the molecules in the perfumes quicker, making them lose their characteristics a lot faster.
Perfumes can stay suitable for even decades if they are correctly stored. Because they don’t expire like other products, but they have raw materials that can go off.
However, perfumes with just essential oils generally last longer than others.
But after you open your perfume bottle, its fate is up to you. Here are few places where you should store them:
- Closet
- Basement
- Wine cooler
- Keep them in their packages
You must keep your fragrances out of light in a chill and consistent temperature environment.
What Happens When Your Fragrance Expires?
Fragrance doesn’t typically expire, but they do go off. How long a perfume lasts generally depends on its composition.
Though it is said that fragrances have a shelf life of 1-3 years, as they don’t expire, with proper care, they can even last for more than 10 years.
Experts say that heavier base notes last the longest, like oriental scents such as oud and amber.
However, lighter base notes, like citrus and floral, mean the fragrance is more volatile and doesn’t last long.
Nevertheless, you can always tell if your perfume has gone bad. Here’s how you can do that:
Smell
Some perfumes have fats like vegetable oil in them, and that can go off. The smell of your scent will completely change if it expires and become more vinegarish, or you can even smell chemicals.
Appearance
Fragrances that are no longer good will lose their original color. As a result, the shade gets darker, and evaporation can cause your perfumes to become more concentrated.
Expiration date
If you haven’t stored your perfume correctly, you can always check its expiry date by manufacturers to deduce if your fragrances are past the shelf life or not.
You can follow our guide to know Where To Apply Perfume?
Does Perfume Expire Unopened?
According to the expiration date on the perfume packaging, perfumes do expire if they are opened or not. However, that doesn’t determine if you can continue using your fragrances or not. When a scent goes off, only then can you no longer use it.
Manufacturers put the expiration dates to finish the fragrances within the time limit and then just get a new one.
But if you store your perfumes properly, you can keep them in excellent condition.
However, if you don’t store your fragrances correctly, then it doesn’t matter if they are opened or not, they will become unusable.
Heat, direct sunlight, and oxygen exposure can cause both the color and smell of your fragrance to deteriorate.
Thankfully, there are simple storing solutions that will help you increase your fragrances’ longevity.
What Happens If You Use Expired Perfume?
If a perfume is expired, it doesn’t mean that you cannot use them or harm yourself.
It is not very common to have an adverse reaction to expired perfume. However, when a scent oxidizes, its compound changes, and that can irritate certain skin types.
Especially when a perfume goes bad, it changes its color and smell, which can even cause an allergic reaction for many.
However, to stay on the safe side, it is better to test it out if you have an aging perfume before using it.
So unless your perfume is no longer suitable to use, you don’t have to worry about the expiration date.
How Often Should You Change Your Perfume?
All perfumes are not the same because they are made differently as some have a higher concentration and some less.
So, it is always best to wear perfumes according to the season, day, or purpose.
You should always change fragrances according to the changing temperatures. Here’s what you should do:
For hot and warm weather
When the temperature is high, go for lighter perfumes. Our body gives off more sweat in hot weather, so more delicate scents get enough moisture to lock into our skin and enhance its smell.
The more potent perfumes in warm weather will come off as too strong and just become unpleasant to smell.
For cold weather
When you are in a chilly environment, apply stronger and striking notes because you want to keep the smell visible without any help of moisture.
However, even if you have a signature scent, still opt to give a break to that scent. It will help to keep your fragrance alive.
Also, it is always better to stay updated with the trend and try new perfumes. Here’s why you should go for new fragrances?
1. Don’t be boring.
When you keep wearing perfume for exceptionally long, it can lose its charm. Moreover, you may no longer feel that freshness, and your senses will start ignoring it.
2. Don’t waste away your fragrance.
When you wear fragrances that are not suitable for the season, they evaporate quickly and are just a waste to wear.
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Care to Wear
Perfumes are an essential part of our everyday lifestyle. And our fragrances tell a lot about who we are.
Since perfumes play such an important role, it’s only fair to treat them right. And treating them right will just be as beneficial for us.
Moreover, the perfume’s longevity is an essential issue because you’d want to savor them naturally.
However, the perfumes don’t necessarily expire like food or beauty products, but they do go bad.
To ensure your fragrances stay fine, you need to store them properly, like keeping them away from sunlight, heat, or a damp environment.
Manufacturers say shelf life is 3 years, but proper storage like keeping fragrances in cold dark places can increase its longevity to more than 10 years.
However, it’s always best to test old perfumes before using them if you have sensitive skin. And fragrances show distinct changes in color and smell when they go off.
Also, it’s always best to wear perfumes according to the season or occasion because that brings out their features nicely.
I hope you had a good productive read to help you understand your way around perfumes.
Now, do share your thoughts and queries in the comment section below.
