The popular notion of fragrances going bad and a shelf life of only a few years is largely a myth, given reasonable storage. Experience proves that. I display my frags on my walls in climate controlled rooms, not in a 24 hours a day dark closet, and they are all fine. Just keep away from direct constant daily sunlight and extreme heat.
I have only had a few go bad over the years, but I always hear that they’re only supposed to last for 2-3 years. If that were actually true, though, it would be a disaster for the industry. No one would have a fragrance collection, if that was the case.
I had a Chanel "Allure" perfume for 23 years. Never changed since I bought it in 1999. Always the original fresh scent. I kept it in the original box. Only took it out to spray. Then back in. I guess it was protected from light. It was an excellent perfume, and I had it for so long. Finished it a week ago. 💜
I disagree with most things people say about how you should store your perfumes. The perfume is already mostly in a controlled environment in its little bottle. If you ever touch a perfume bottle, they will almost always feel cold even if your room is super hot. Aslong as you keep your perfumes away from direct sunlight there are super small chances environmental factors will hurt it.
@@hatnis the original box gives an extra protection, my mother owns 20 year old perfumes and they still smell just as good, they are all kept inside the original box.
I never store them in a cool place, but I keep them in their box and in a dry, dark place and no issues so far and I have really old perfumes, some 50 yo. Thanks for the tips Sebastian!!!
I feel like perfume expiration is a great reason to buy smaller bottles. If you own 5+ bottles you should only purchase a 2oz size (unless your positive you will use it). I rarely repurchase frags because I have enough frags that "overlap", 2 oz is generally enough for me for years
Problem is for only 20 more bucks you get twice the amount. When most you cologne is $70 to 100. That makes a difference. It still smells good just lose how long it last. No one is going to be able to tell the "freshness"
I've heard of people I personally know throwing away their fragrances because the expiration date on the box 🙄 My 18 year old Kouros bottle smells amazing still! Perfect infact.
Sebastian, great topic to cover. It’s not great to keep fragrances for long periods with say 10 - 20ml remaining as you get much more rapid oxidation due to the large quantity of air in the bottle, it will cause them to spoil faster. Once you get low, don’t use slow!
✔️ cool ✔️ dry ✔️ no heat ✔️ no direct sunlight ✔️ once sprayed, oxygen enters the bottle and the change begins. try to keep that in rotation and wear them regularly. ✔️ if not yet sprayed, store them properly and in their boxes and you can keep them forever.
Hi Sebastian, you last point about sensitive skin I can agree with. A few years ago I got a vintage bottle of Faberge Brut from the mid 70s. Never opened. I peeled away the silver paper on the bottle tip. It didn’t smell good. I applied a dab onto the top of my hand and it began to get irritated. I’ve since dumped the juice but kept the bottle !
My uncle worked in the perfume industry in the south of France and passed along these tips to me that I still use to this day. First, keep the fragrance in a dark place so I keep it in the original box or wrapped up in aluminum foil. I then store all my fragrances in the door of my freezer. Fragrance does not freeze. If you have the pour type then as the volume goes down, place the tiny gravel (natural color) into the bottle. This will raise the perfume volume up to the top which will eliminate the air gap. Air is a perfume killer. As you use up the perfume, just pour in more gravel. I have the original Egoist in the pour bottles from the 1990s and it still smells just as good as the day I bought it. I keep putting the gravel in the bottle. I also have a stash of 12 of those bottles in the freezer.
Vintage fragrances had different ingredients, half of them are now banned, hence constant reformulations. People always refer to vintage fragrances and say all fragrances never expire - it's a wrong comparison just for the ingredients reason
the oldest perfume I own is about 8 years old and smells exactly like it did when I bought it. I went to the store to test the current version of the same perfume and it was almost identical. I have, however, had perfumes ruined when back when I lived in a hot country and left my collection out in an un-airconditioned room in over 35 degree weather for several days.
I keep my perfume in the box, in a cool dark place. I have fragrances from 20 years ago, that still smell good.Example, Nu by Yves Saint Lauren, Tom Ford Black Orchid ( the original blend), still smells great.
I keep my fragrances in a closet and I have bottles 20 years old that smell as good as they did brand new. Thank you for the info. It's always good to know.
I keep my fragrance in plastic boxes inside a cabinet with temperatures averaging 25 Deg C year round. So far all of them smell alright except some of the lighter, citrus smelling ones where they do seem to lose some of the notes. The heavier or darker fragrances do not seem to be affected all. Keeping my fingers cross.
In my experience, I do not think perfume expires. I do think they can last longer than our own lives, which is a good thing because if we lasted longer and our perfumes had gone down the tubes, what would we perfume additcts have to live for?😊
I just started my fragrance journey and already I am paranoid about them! I keep them in an unused guest bathroom, dark, cool and humidity controlled. Plus, I use thread tape on all my samples and my off-season bottles to minimize exposing them to air. If that is not enough, I don’t want to know😂😂😂
my 13-year-old bottle of Versace Eau fresh smells the same as the day I bought it, i keep all my EDTs in a mini fridge. Even when all the physical evidence of a fragrance going bad is apparent, the scent remains the same. for example, I have a YSL l'homme bottle that's 11 years old according to check fresh, the juice turned from a nearly clear liquid to a very dark yellow but still smells the same
I had Beyond Love by Killian, I stored it in a dark cool place, but my ac went out and I replaced it, but it got very hot in my house. When I next smelled it, the fragrance had gone off. 😢
I keep my fragrances out of sunlight and humidity. I plan on using my fragrances even if they're way beyond their expiration date. I have a few bottles with leaky collars, so I plan to keep those in sealed plastic storage bags.
I disagree with that urban legend of « don’t store you fragrances in your bathroom » : I have a locker in my bathroom where I store my fragrances. Away from sun. And it’s not the humidity of a shower that will ruin your fragrances. Store my juices like that for years. Never any of my fragrances turn bad. If there is a good ventilation in your bathroom and you keep your frags away from the sun, don’t be afraid. BTW thanks for your content.
Every “expert” online says 3-5 years, but I’ve never heard one person having a fragrance expire. Gee, I wonder if it would benefit the manufacturer to put a short expiration date on them…
Great video Sebastian! I probably have thousands of fragrances and some of them are ancient, and yet I have only had one fragrance go bad on me, and it wasn’t even half as old as some of my vintage fragraces!
Very informative. I have a citrusy fragrance from 2006 that’s still going strong. L’Eau D’Issey by Issey Miyake. A beast mode version due to how I’ve stored it
I've kept my substantial collection on 4 shelves in my closet for years and couldn't take it anymore! I have bottles I couldn't get to and forgot I had! So I just purchased shelving for my bedroom which is in the back of the house which gets no light at all. Fingers crossed, at least I can get to them.
Great point though. I always am concerned about transportation in the height of summer. The vans are not airconed so absolutely can get stinky hot in there.
Most people store perfumes wrong. It should not be stored on the countertop or vanity table but in drawers away from sunlight. Think of perfume like bottles of wine. They are stored away in cellars not on display.
I have vintage bottles of Polo Green, Drakkar, Mennen Millionaire, Chaz and a couple others from the 80s- all smell wonderful( Back up bottles too)- I have about 100 bottles in collection and only one went bad- I actually bought a Shulton bottle of old spice( the big ship) that was already bad- I will replace the juice, though... I sure hope keeping them dark and cool works - as I bought far too many, this year.
Have 250 fragances, at least 100 have more than 15 years and I do not notice any difference on smell. I keep them in a dark closet as you mentioned Sebastian.
I’ve a couple of fragrances that still have the same scent years.. Polo blue - from 2011 Gucci by Gucci - 2012 The Dreamer by Versace - 2017 CK Reveal - 2018
This info is really useful. Thanks Sebastian. However, I've also heard that certain fragrances smell even better a few years after purchase, as the fragrance has matured in a way., to its optimal age. Anyway, thanks again.
great topic Sebastian, I love these kinds of videos. Too funny like you I have some citrus scents from 90s that I store away in cool dry dark spots and still smells great. But I have something from mid 2000s not a citrus it's turned. Crazy but yes the cool dry and dark works perfect.
Great video. My M7 is also a good example. It only has 20% left, and the opening is now harsh and alcoholic, but after that it seems ok. My Basala, 80% full, seems ok, although it also seems heavier, more overpowering. I don't remember it as such a heavy fragrance.
@@zaqwanbadli9697 I have no idea how dark it used to be, but the liquid part is almost as clear as the empty glass part, so I dont think it darkened that much.
AWESOME VIDEO THIS IS WHY ONLINE DISCOUNT STORES ARE ABLE TO SALE BOND AND CREED AT THE PRICES THEY DO PROB BECAUSE THOSE BATCHES ARE OLDER ALREADY TAKEN FROM SACKS, NEIMAN MARCUS ECT ECT .
Cool and dark is good advice but why dry? How could humidity (water vapour) in the surrounding air possibly affect the juice inside the bottle? Gas diffusion through seals and the pump valve mechanism is (evidently) minimal. Sorry but this is just one of those myths reiterated by almost everybody without even trying to rationalize how it might work in physical or chemical terms- just like the "rule" that says rubbing fragrance sprayed on your skin would "destroy the molecules"...
Omg! Sebastian thank you for this video. It makes a lot of sense now because I always noticed my citrusy fragrances went bad quicker than the rest of my perfumes. So, I better use them in a 3-year window.
Given the life expectancy, what do you do with your large collection as the fragrances age passed the 3 year mark? I also have a large collection and have considered selling a large portion to avoid loss due to spoilage.
Thanks for sharing this. I store my perfumes in their original box in a dark cool closet. And I dont need 50, 100 or 200+ perfumes since I don't buy them discounted, I can wear but so much perfume during the week. Happy Holidays!
Thank you for this video, that is very informative. I have stored my perfumes in a cool and dry place, but haven't thought about the light - now I know :)
Only had one bottle go “Bad” on me- Creed Original Santal. All my fragrances are stored well- but for some reason it went south. I had a sinus cold the day I brought it out to wear so I couldn’t smell it but when I went into the office a secretary made a huge deal about it- saying someone smells like a dead body! Formaldehyde! 😳
I've got several that are 20+ years. I store them in their boxes in a cool dark closet in a cabinet. They still smell fantastic. I also tend to stay away from larger sizes in citrus frags because I know those notes will expire so much faster. Vanillas and jasmines seem to get better with age.
I do the same, yet I have certain ones that has gone rancid or evaporated. I live in Norway, so less humidity, det air, and cooler temperatures except in summer, still dry air. My D&G The One was the one that surprised me the most as that one just evaporated and all could smell was the alcohol🤣🤣🤣
I've had few turn.. like paco robanne eau de sport because of the citrus turned, had it since 1990 . But I've got a pour monsieur from the 70s still boxed that's in amazing condition.
They'll definitely last longer if they've never been sprayed. Once those first few air bubbles go into the bottle, the changes begin. But here's an interesting question - does non-ionizing wifi radiation at < 3 feet from the source accelerate degradation? 🤔 Has anyone tested it? Thoughts?
My fragrances do not receive any sunlight, but like most homes with central aircon, the temperature fluctuates from 68 in winter to 76 in summer. Will this fluctuation affect the fragrances?
Sebastián thank u for this post ..I really want to see how you spray your fragrance if you are going out ..just a short videos maybe on Instagram..please do...
Hi Sebastian, You made a brief comment that is absolutely explosive. The high street stores pass on their old stock to the discounters. I always thought the discount houses were making their savings, and passing on the savings to us, bacuse they were operating on line without a physical presence. In fact you are suggesting they make their savings by taking old stock in the knowledge that their shelf life is shortened. Do you recommend therefore buying from the high street rather than the on line discounters?
Do quote on quote niche fragrances last longer or less? Initios, xerjoffs, nishanes, bdks, pdms, anouages. I typically buy from discounters. I’m assuming that’s not the greatest strategy as a collector?
I had close association w/Florasynth..a frargrance and flavour creating company..which was subsequently sold to a large conglomerate...Alsol worked with a Revson relative(Revlon) . and Lauder relative ... being iln touch w/them and their in house perfumer/flavor creator...he told me that as you say fragrance in general "turns" in 2/3 yrs..it also depends on the dilution of the fragrance..for instance...perfume has the longest "life" then down the line in a cascade of less essential oils/synthetics.. etc...the weakest ones turn fastest.
Lots of useful information in this video. Can you, if you haven’t already, do a video on purchasing vintage fragrances? I’m tempted to get into vintage collecting but I’m not terribly knowledgeable. Any recommendations on where to buy them?
I liked fragrances in high school, and now 20 years later I bought like $800 for wife and I. Unfortunately my mature brain is now worrying about health risks of cologne... lots of info online but don't know what is legit.. what can you say about fragrance safety especially using daily?
I checked my versace homme bottle the other day and the juice turned greenish-blue-grey it looked scary I thought I would give it a try and oh my what a nasty smell it was it smelled like bad alcohol that bottle was easily 13 years old
This explains why my Polo Ralph Lauren still smells good in spite of picking up the tester bottle in 2018. I actually paid more for the cap than the bottle.
I read that Chanel reuses batch codes. I looked up a code on my bottle of Antaeus and it stated a fairly recent date. I know my bottle is older that the date stated. It read that they use a 7 year rotation. Will try the site you suggested.
Hi. thanks for the video. I wonder how old perfumes we actually buy. how long they stay in the warehouse before they come to us. especially the fragrances launched in 2010 For example.
I always remember Malcom Forbes showing off a vintage bottle of wine and when the television lights focused on the bottle the wine precipitated out before your very eyes. Heat and light destroyed a wine hundreds of years old.
I've got some Chanel fragrances (no 19 extrait from 1984 and Égoïste from 1997) and they're still great.. the No 19 is a bit better than the Égoïste, which merely lost a TINY bit of its top-note sparkle...
I was literally thinking about this today! Cause I’ve got some one million intense that I’ve had for like 12 years and it’s fine but I’ve got a stronger with you that I’ve had for 4 years and it smells weird!
