How to store perfumes

You have already bought the perfect perfume, the one that truly reflects your identity. Or you have received a perfume as a gift. Either way, being happy with your new fragrance is not enough. Even though perfumes don’t have an expiration date, in order to preserve their smell and quality, you have to follow some simple steps:

• Keep the bottles away from direct light (especially sunlight) – we know that the bottles are actually designed to look very tempting, but you will have to resist the temptation to display the beautiful bottle close to direct sunlight, because it will degrade your perfume’s quality. Keeping your perfumes in a drawer will help you keep its quality over time.
• Keep the perfume at a consistent temperature. Heat breaks down the chemical bonds of the perfume, thus worsening its characteristics. Don’t think that if heat is bad for your perfume, then keeping it in the fridge will solve the problem. Removing the perfume from the fridge to use it and then putting it back there means you change the temperature it is stored in, which also destroys its characteristics. The rule – room temperature is best!
• Keep your perfume away from humidity – this means that the bathroom is not a good place to store your favourite scents (this applies to makeup as well)… The safest place to store your perfume remains the bedroom.
• Do not shake your perfume before use – it is a myth that shaking the perfume will better mix its ingredients. That’s simply not true. Perfumes are very sensitive to oxygen getting in their bottles, mixing with the perfume itself. That’s why we advise you to not shake your perfumes before use. You’d better buy a bigger bottle that will stay in a safe place in your home and carry a smaller bottle in your handbag if you need your perfume on the way.
• When possible, keep your fragrances in their original containers – remember that they are especially designed to protect them in the best possible way.

What if the perfume goes bad?

If you don’t take care of your perfume properly, you risk that it may go bad. If not properly stored, the perfume changes its chemical balance. This change may result in skin irritations and allergic reactions.

The good news is that there are signs showing this process has started.

• The first sign is the change of color. Sometimes, the perfume goes darker, and sometimes it takes a milky appearance (or a milky layer).
• Another obvious way to tell that the perfume has expired is the change of its smell. Some perfumes tend to smell like alcohol or just loose their strength. Either way, you will know when your perfume has changed the way it smells!

Unfortunately, if you have found out that your perfume has expired, there’s nothing you can do about it. So, our advice is, take good care of your perfumes, so that you can enjoy their best quality for many years!