Do Perfumes Expire?

Introduction

For anyone who loves fragrance there are many things to consider when choosing the right perfume for you. One of the questions that people frequently ask is do perfumes expire? After all, if you have spent a
small fortune on a beautiful scent, you’re going to want it to last.
In this article, we are going to be exploring whether perfumes expire and if so, after how long. We will also be looking at how to take good care of your perfume so that you can get the most out of it.

How Is Fragrance Made Up?

When perfume is made, it is not simply a case of throwing a bunch of scents together and hoping for the best. Fragrances are made up from three components: top notes, middle notes and the base notes.

You might think that these layers do not have much to do with how long a perfume will last, but in reality they do! The three components are required in order to make a much more full bodied perfume which will
last longer.
Usually top notes will be fruity and fresh, this is what you smell when you first spray the perfume. After about three minutes, the top notes tail off. Next you will begin to notice the middle notes coming through
which tend to last from around five minutes after spraying to half an hour after the initial spray. Finally the base notes will emerge, this is what will make the perfume last throughout the day and what you will smell
whilst wearing the perfume.

Cheap vs Expensive Perfumes

Different perfumes are made up in different ways, with some less expensive ones featuring mostly top notes. This will mean that the scent will not last as long and you will likely find yourself using it multiple
times throughout the day. A more expensive perfume will be made up of more base notes, giving it better longevity each time you wear it.

How Do I Know When My Perfume Is Going Bad?

Most perfumes will last for between one and three years, and there are some giveaway signs that your perfume may be nearing the end of its life. Let’s imagine we are trying out a perfume that has been open for twelve months, what are we going to look for to determine whether it has gone bad? One of the first things that you may notice is a sourer smell to the top notes when the fragrance is sprayed. You may also see that the contents of the bottle have begun to take on a cloudy tinge, this happens as the oils and the alcohol start to separate.

Let’s Demonstrate

I would like to show you how the oils can separate within the fragrance. I created a mixture using oils of a high quality and added it to the perfume bottle. You will notice the clarity of this bottle, but it is important to
wait in order to allow the oil to mix properly.
Next, I made up a mixture using a much lower quality oil. This will allow me to show you what your perfume may look like once it has been opened for some time.
You will see a difference between the two bottles. The first one has a layer of oil which has settled at the bottom of the bottle, but when we compare that to the second bottle we see that this one appears cloudy.
If we shake the first bottle, we will see that it too becomes cloudy but when we pay attention to it, we then notice how the oil will fall back to the bottom of the bottle once again.
This is a great way of seeing how over time, the ingredients within the perfume will break down when lower quality oils are used.

Conclusion

Perfume does have a shelf life, but how long this is will highly depend on the quality of the oils used within the perfume. If a low quality oil has been used, the perfume will separate over time and will not last as long as one which has been made using higher quality oil.
Another thing to consider is the notes of the perfume, top notes, middle notes and base notes. If a perfume is made up from mostly top note, the fragrance will not last as long as one that is made up from more base notes. This means that you will likely have to spray it more frequently.