How To Store Perfume: 5 Tips To Make It Last Longer
Follow these cues to keep your perfume fresh, even during hot summer months
Ever wondered why your favourite scents don’t last long, although brands sell them without an expiration date? Believe it or not, the way you store perfume has a significant influence on its shelf life. According to experts, storage has a great impact on the life of fragrances—and a dark, cool, dry place is the most feasible choice.
Scents elicit emotions and offer a sense of comfort; and nobody wants to ruin them because of improper storage. Most of us prefer vanity tables, bathrooms, or cars to keep our perfume bottles. But these are not ideal for storage and can significantly reduce the potency of your scent over time.
If you have a collection of colognes, then these questions might cross your mind frequently:
- How should I store perfume?
- When will it expire?
- How can I prolong its durability?
If you’re unsure about how and where to store perfumes, we have you covered. Read along for our top tips to make your favourite fragrance last longer.
Choose a storage place away from direct sunlight. You must store fragrances like wine—in dark, cool places because ultraviolet light can harm the delicate composition of the liquid. Closets, drawers, and even refrigerators are some safe locations to store it out of light, keeping the original aroma intact.
The most common area of display—your vanity table—no doubt, looks insta-worthy with all those fancy perfume bottles. But you may want to reconsider this decision because it can degrade the perfume’s smell.
Some perfumes come in coloured bottles to limit the impact of light. It is not worth taking the risk, and we always recommend finding a dark storage place to store perfume and keep it fresh.
A consistent and moderate temperature is a standard condition for preserving colognes. Keep fragrances away from areas susceptible to dramatic temperature variations.
Several people use bathroom shelves for storage as they prefer applying it right after a shower. Don’t make this mistake! Bathrooms can make a perfect perfume graveyard. The blend of temperature fluctuations and excessive humidity can break the molecular integrity of perfumes and deteriorate them swiftly.
Be mindful of escaping any other areas undergoing extreme temperature changes. Keeping your scent handy in the car might sound like a great option, but it is not advisable. Excessive heat inside the car can break down the chemical bonds that produce aroma and turn it sour.
It may sound weird, but you can consider storing scents in a refrigerator with a stable and not-so-cool temperature to prevent oxidation and chemical degradation. However, this notion is debatable. It broadly depends on the types of perfume you are using.
Delicate perfumes with the most concentrated formula like parfum and eau de parfum are highly sensitive to extreme temperatures and stay best if kept away from the fridge. Whereas commonly used fragrances, such as eau de toilette, colognes, and eaux fraîchesare comparatively robust with lower concentrations, and refrigerators can be a great place to store these perfumes.
Perfume bottles are designed with tight-fitting caps to prevent oxidation, which can otherwise corrode the scent. You should not keep the cap off after application. Never. A tight lid will keep it better with minimal exposure to open air. Also, avoid shaking your perfumes before use—this exposes it to excess air.
Similarly, decanting colognes into new elegant containers can trigger oxidation and ruin them faster. Make sure to use original bottles and replace them after use. You can also store perfume in their boxes for extra protection.
Keeping fragile glass bottles on high shelves is generally a risky idea as you might end up breaking them. Always choose a lower shelf or the floor of a closet to store perfume.
Perfume enthusiasts can’t go on a trip or vacation without a spritz of their signature perfume, but travelling with a glass bottle can be a nightmare. Our suggestion? Carefully funnel perfume into a travel-sized plastic container with an atomiser to save space in your luggage and minimize any damage.
Follow these simple rules to store perfume and get the most out of your treasured fragrances. Enjoy your scents for a longer time!
