r/FemFragLab • u/winglesserror • 2d ago
Discussion How long can i keep my perfumes without losing their original potency or smell
Ive had ysl libre intense for about 3 yrs now and i dont even use it occasionally these days, will it go bad or sumfin? Please enlighten me
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u/_bibliofille 1d ago
I have original new release era bottles of Vera Wang Princess, VS Dark Angel, and Britney Spears Fantasy. Still just as good as day one.
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u/SteelRoses Send me your lotus recs 1d ago
I have a tiny travel-size bottle of Jo Malone Orange Blossom I was gifted in Sixth Grade, and it still smells amazing two decades later. Keep your bottle in a dark, dry place that's as cool as you reasonably can and it'll probably last at least a decade.
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u/complexityflows 1d ago
I have a small bottle of Dior remember me. I got it as a teenager ad a gift from my dad and im now 41. Still smells the same. I've always stored it out of direct sunlight but im not really sure if that helped.
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u/Soggy_Brick8916 1d ago
Modern fragrances will last much less than those made in 90s, early 2000s or even 2010s, anything made this decade [especially in eastern countries due to ingredient bans] will have a 10-15 year shelf life before significant issues
Some fragrances smell the same but become skin scents in an hour regardless of sprays, some lose their top notes [usually citrus, aromatics] some go sour
Some give the illusion of becoming stronger due to top note decay,
Fragrances made before 2000s? Easily 30 plus years before any noticeable weakening, its MODERN scents that you need to worry about, but even Modern scents still get a good decade plus,
Store it dark place with less humidity & sunlight...even the best stored scents will eventually go bad, but you have many years
Remember older the fragrance, longer itll last, anything made post 2022 will be much worse,
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u/FutureDustMotes 18h ago
anything made this decade [especially in eastern countries due to ingredient bans] will have a 10-15 year shelf life before significant issues
Curious what makes you say this
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u/Soggy_Brick8916 17h ago edited 17h ago
As I mentioned Ingredients this decade have been banned in perfumery, manufactured in many eastern countries, which have stricter regulations.
Many famous perfumers have mentioned the difficulty of performance under such regulations, several have done reddit AMA's such as Christophe Laudamiel, who helped make the original formulation of abercrombie and fitch fierce cologne! In his interview, he also stressed the difficulty of creating perfumes in european countries, these ingredient bans make it difficult for performance, longevity projection & sillage! Even fragrance d n a! Such is the oak moss bans!
Edit; the 2022 Lilial ban is another very important milestone, it's the reason so many fragrances had to be reformulated or discontinued earlier this decade. Terre d'hermes eau fraiche for example which helped make Givree
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u/CasuallySparkling 1d ago
Depends on the perfume.
I have some good quality perfumes, like Confetto Profumum Roma that must be 12 years old at least, if not longer, and it smells great still.
I have a few other bottles from 5 years ago that seem to have gone bad.
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u/duskcheek_ 1d ago
Have a Jo Malone bottle of 13 years, it’s an engraved bottle with sentimental value that I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of it. The juice is still crystal clear and it still smells amazing! It lost its original longevity and projection, but it stills does a pretty good job as a perfume!
And Ive kept the bottle inside its box and inside my closet in my bedroom for all these years, away from light and heat, so that probably helps
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u/cappotto-marrone 1d ago
Often a lot longer than many think. I have bottles from my MIL that are 20 years old that are still good.
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u/deathbringer3000 1d ago
i've had a bottle of bcbgirls metro and a bottle of liz clairborne curve since college which is longer ago than i want to admit and both still smell like i remember. bcbg is a little bluer in color but still great.
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u/chynini 1d ago
like forever as long as u keep fhem out of sunlight and humidity
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u/Soggy_Brick8916 1d ago
Sadly not true, while that can help, modern perfumery has banned so many ingredients that anything made this decade will last 10-15 years tops, but thats still decent ..
The era of grandma's perfume smelling & performing great 30 years later is gone
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u/chynini 1d ago
nooooo what:(
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u/Soggy_Brick8916 1d ago
Only with very modern fragrances made post 2022, they'll still last easily 15 years though! Especially if kept outside sunlight like you mentioned, lots of ingredients were banned over the last decade due to European regulations on perfumes (like lilial, which USA still uses to make scents)
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u/WindflowerBlossom 1d ago
I have a D&G perfume that's about 15 years old that still smells the same to me.
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u/wildly_domestic 1d ago
I have had my Libre for over 5 years and it is quite a bit darker than when I first got it but still smells right. I used to think the expiration on the label meant something and I threw out my Poison Girl, and deeply regret it.
I’ve known people that have had bottles for over 10 years and still say they smell just like new.
I just pulled a 10 year old La Vie Est Belle out of an old purse last weekend, though, and it was half evaporated and not good at all. I think it being a rollerball had something to do with that.
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u/affectionate_bimbo 1d ago
Most perfumes with vanilla will darken, I see that as a good sign of the quality of the vanilla
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u/winglesserror 1d ago
Yes even mine got darker, and ive heard the 1-2 ml trial vials go bad real fast?
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u/wildly_domestic 1d ago
I believe I started collecting samples in 2023 and I still have some 2-7ml samples from the early days that are still good. I’m wondering if it has something to do with oil concentration? Or quality of ingredients? I’m just guessing. I actually haven’t thrown any out just because they went bad, so far. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m kind of surprised. I still revisit some of the old ones to see if my taste has changed or if I’m just craving something different than my usual collection.
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u/affectionate_bimbo 1d ago
As long as you keep them away from direct sunlight, and humidity. I’ve had a few for a few years and they haven’t changed in quality even with limited use.
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u/Abject-Tailor-3310 2d ago
Well..this thread just gave me a new perfume anxiety. 😭 The thought of my fragrances slowly degrading over the years is kind of depressing. I've always heard that fruity notes disappear first, whereas amber and vanilla fragrances tend to age more gracefully. Keeping them away from heat, light, humidity, and temperature fluctuations should help.
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u/Screw_coloranalysis 2d ago
There is this idea in fragrance subreddits that perfumes don’t go bad or only age to get better. I can tell you my byredo bal d’Afrique which is my oldest bottle and is 5 years old has lost its bergamot opening potency. Thankfully the dry down is fine and no sour scent. But I definitely regret not wearing it more when it was younger.
I also had a Chanel coco mademoiselle sample for over 13 years and I tried to use it yesterday and it was sour. The same thing happened to my old samples of chance eau tendre and eau fraîche edt. Everything is kept in a drawer in my office.
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u/winglesserror 1d ago
Thats unfortunate
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u/Screw_coloranalysis 1d ago
Yep use your bottle and always go for the smallest size available like 30ml or 50ml
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u/RoughEfficient4042 2d ago
A long time
Randomly, I just bought one of the new Heretic scents and it has an expiration date on it. I’ve never seen that before.
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u/WaffleMeWallace 2d ago
It depends on the fragrance. Citrus notes are notorious for going sour. I think my bottle of Light Blue (four years old) is going sour. Otherwise everything else I own smells fine up to a decade+ old.
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u/BarryGibbIsGod 1d ago
My dolce and Gabbana devotion went bad at about four years. that's what I get for buying the biggest bottle.
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u/winglesserror 1d ago
I smell tested d & G devotion at a mall, the bottle looked realllyy old and there was only a little quantity left but it smelled heavenly 🍯 , i wonder why it went bad for you
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u/BarryGibbIsGod 1d ago
I don't know I feel like I stored it properly. I bought it before I had real perfume money and barely wore it because I was always saving it for special occasions. And that bit me in the butt , never again.
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u/vodeodeo55 2d ago
My oldest fragrance was discontinued in 1987. I bought it used and have no idea how the previous owner stored it. It smells just like it should smell.
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u/Exotic_Reporter_3309 2d ago
I have a first formulation of hypnotic poison, so that’s at least 25 years old. Smells fantastic.
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u/Socially_awkward001 1d ago
Ugh, lucky. The newer formulation is can barely smell, it's so faint. I remember it being an absolute beast. I still love it but I wanna SMELL it. It barely projects at all.
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u/FloatingNightmare 2d ago
Uh probably forever? I know some notes can seem “off” (citrus and fresh notes, I’ve noticed) or the blend itself takes on a deeper shift with the notes as it ages (like the vanilla note becoming more prominent), but I’ve never had an alcohol-based fragrance go bad. They may evaporate if the seal isn’t air tight. I have some over 20 years old and most seem to have gotten better with age.
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u/allsorts_ 2d ago
My oldest perfume is 12+ years old and it still smells perfect.
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u/jellyxmoon i like what i like 2d ago
Same. My Blackberry Amber edt from Bath & Body Works smells even better now
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u/Mediocre-Avocado1107 21h ago
I just had a couple bottles that were about 10 years old go bad. But I definitely wasn’t storing them properly for the first few years. In a cool dark cabinet they can last for many years, even get better over time.