How Long Does Perfume Keep?

You have a bottle of the original Ambush stuck in your drawer and you used to love it. Because Dana changed the original scent sometime in the 1990s and the new scent smells nothing like the one you wore with your miniskirt and go-go boots, you'd like to use it but you're afraid. You might be in luck, however. Just read further.

Types

See whether your perfume contains a strong fixative. There are a number of ingredients in perfume. Finer, older perfumes may contain musk from the civet called civetone. The musk is a secretion from the perineal gland, located next to the civet's anus. Other older perfumes contain musk from other animals or ambergris, whale vomit. These fixatives are intended to make the perfume scent last longer. Sometimes the other ingredients lose their potency and the smell of the fixative remains. This changes the smell of the perfume.

Geography

Store the perfume at room temperature. Where you keep the perfume is important. If the area is too hot or the perfume is exposed to sunlight, it can change the scent. Perfumes in spray bottles tend to last longer because the air doesn't hit it when you spray, unlike the type you dab onto your skin. Store your favorite perfume wrapped in plastic in a drawer. Perfume in the original container that's kept in a dark area at room temperature can last more than 40 years. If your skin oil gets into the perfume upon applying, the sun hits the bottle or it sits in a hot area for a long time, prepare for a different scent within as short a time as a year.

Identification

Watch out for a color change. The first sign that a perfume is spoiled is that it's become darker and much thicker. The smell is often bad. When you open a bottle of perfume that you haven't used for awhile, wipe the opening with alcohol and let it dry. Don't spill any into the bottle. Once the alcohol dries and the residue on the bottle is gone, smell the contents. If it still smells bad, discard the bottle.

Considerations

Use a natural perfume and see whether the carrier oil spoils. Carrier oils, including coconut, jojoba and sweet almond oils, are from the fatty part of a plant and are produced by cold pressing. They don't lose their scent like essential oils do, but they can become rancid. When the manufacturers add vitamin E to the carrier oil, it lasts longer. Carrier oils such as fractionated coconut, jojoba, meadowfoam seed oil and watermelon seed oil last indefinitely. Others, like evening primrose, grapeseed and rose hip oils go rancid within six month to a year. The vast majority last between a year or two.

Effects

If you worry about how long your perfume keeps, then it may mean that you don't wear it that often. Get use out of it before it goes bad. Put a few drops in your shampoo and conditioner or mix some up in an inexpensive body lotion. Keep the perfume out of the bathroom and in a cooler area, even if you use it daily.

Resources

• Perfume Originals Frequently Asked Questions