Here's How Long You Should Expect Your Perfume To Last (And How To Know If It Has Expired)

Due to its many benefits, perfume has been considered a luxury product for thousands of years. Perfume can enhance your mood and even help you sleep better. The bottom line is that smelling good makes you feel good. As does finding a scent that best embodies your spirit and personality. So how do you find the right signature perfume? Consider the aura you want your perfume to capture and the various notes within a scent, such as floral, fruity, wood, and more. Likewise, experts note that you should take into consideration your body chemistry. Simply put, perfumes can smell different on other people. To determine if a scent will work for you, your wrist or elbow is the best place to spray perfume. 

Some love perfume so much that they collect them. At the time of writing, #perfumecollection has over 480 million views on TikTok. However, this is a costly hobby to have. Rare ingredients and opulent packaging mean that certain perfumes can easily set you back hundreds of dollars. In fact, the value of the perfume market in 2022 was over $50 billion and will likely continue to grow in the next few years (via Grand View Research). But unlike diamonds and other heirlooms, perfume does not last forever.

While most cosmetics goods have expiration dates, some perfume bottles do not. On average, fragrance manufacturers note that a perfume bottle can last one to three years. But this number is only an estimate. Perfumer Jacques Huclier told InStyle, "There's no cardinal rule, each fragrance has a different lifespan." Nevertheless, the truth is that once you open a perfume bottle, the clock is ticking. When you spray perfume, oxygen gets inside it, which changes the fragrance over time. Despite this, you can prolong the longevity of your perfume by adequately storing it away from heat and sunlight.

Experts suggest placing perfumes in a dark place or a fridge. Perfume creator Clement Gavarry expressed to InStyle that "If the fragrance is kept in warm temperatures, the juice will turn faster, and it will only have a shelf-life of three to six months." If you store your perfumes correctly, you can enjoy your perfume for longer, thanks to measures taken during production. Fragrance expert Timothy Han explained to Bustle that "When a fragrance is created there is a process called maceration where it needs to sit in alcohol for a time before it is considered ready to sell." Ultimately, this guarantees that your perfume will last for years under favorable conditions.

Unfortunately, some scents, including citrus and white floral, are known to have a shorter lifespan. The same is true for clean or alcohol-free fragrances. On the other hand, spicy, wood, and vanilla scents will last longer because they are less likely to oxidize. Having said that, an expired perfume will be easy to spot. Because of oxidation, it will change in color to a dark brown or yellow hue. Moreover, the scent will also change. Amandine Pallez, senior creative director at Bulgari Parfums, told Byrdie, "In my experience, perfumes do not fade in intensity, but the scent tends to become oxidized, sour, sometimes acidic or metallic or with notes of plastic."

Some experts note that certain scents, such as patchouli and sandalwood, will still smell fresh after decades. However, if you are unsure if your perfume has expired, spray it on paper and smell it. If the scent is off, more likely than not, it's no longer good. You can also ask a friend or loved one for their opinion on the smell.

If your perfume has expired and you continue to use it, there's little to worry about. Perfumer Gabriela Chelariu explained to InStyle that "It's not very common for a person to have an adverse reaction to an expired perfume." Other experts note that wearing an expired perfume is a personal choice and depends on whether you love the changed scent or not.