Do perfumes have expiration date?

Unlike milk, body lotion or drivers license, perfumes and scents do not have short or strictly specified expiration date. One scent could be changed in 6 months period and some other could last more than 10 years keeping equal quality.

Perfumes with stronger and dominant notes last longer and could get enriched with time. Oriental and strong wooden notes like patchouli or bunchgrass are great examples of scents that are improved with years. Soft versions of perfumes with citrus, floral or green notes perspire much faster and it is recommended to buy them in smaller packaging and spending them faster.

Direct exposure to solar irradiance influences the scents. Actually, lots of materials and objects are not immune to Sun and they loose qualities and wear-out under the exposure. The best place to keep perfumes is away from natural light and high temperatures. Keeping perfumes in drawer, closet or even refrigerator will slow down evaporation and loss of characteristics. (If You choose the refrigerator to keep perfumes, be careful and protect all groceries that could soak up the scent, like butter.)

There is one more „enemy” of perfumes – air. Contaminated compounds oxidize and loose qualities. It is necessary to close the bottles carefully and properly, especially when traveling. If You are buying a new perfume, choose the one You liked at first, try it on skin and just walk around 15 minutes to test it properly. Still have the same opinion about it?! Than that is the one! When You get perfume as a gift and it’s not by Your taste, read advices about how to combine different scents to make Your own – perfect and unique.