Most people don’t realise that a heatwave can jeopardise the freshness of fragrances. And given that on average people in the UK have at least five bottles of perfume or aftershave open at any one time, according to a poll by PerfumeDirect.com, not storing your current collection could be a costly error if you’ve spent around £50 or more on each bottle.
A top tip from PerfumeDirect.com is to treat your perfume like a fine wine …. keeping it in a consistent climate like a fridge. The company’s fragrance expert Jonny Webber also has this advice for storing your prized perfume collection when UK temperatures soar.
“Heat and sunlight can alter the composition and fragrance of your favourite perfumes and compromise the delicate balance of notes that create your signature scent. So if your perfume collection is currently taking pride of place on your bedroom table, windowsill or inside your bathroom cabinet then stop right there – you could be significantly reducing its shelf life.
“In fact, according to our recent survey, a massive 45 per cent of people store their perfumes or aftershave on show in the bedroom and 39 per cent in the bathroom, leaving only 16 per cent of people actually storing their scents correctly.
“So where is the best place in the home to keep fragrances fresh and prolong the ‘just opened’ scent of your perfume? My advice is to treat it like a fine wine and store it in the fridge! Here’s why heat, light and oxygen is not your fragrance’s friend – especially in the summer!
Our three top tips are:
- Keep your perfume out of sight
Exposing perfume to direct sunlight is a sure fire way for perfumes to lose their original aroma. Exposure to both natural and artificial light breaks down a scented liquids’ makeup, which over time can cause it to discolour and its chemical composition to change, altering its smell. Keeping perfume in a cupboard, drawer or wardrobe will keep exposure to light to a minimum and help to keep it in its original state for longer. Alternatively, it can be kept on view but store it in its boxed packaging (or a decorative box).
- Think of your perfume as a bottle of fine wine and store in the fridge!
Similar to the effect of light on scented liquids, perfume doesn’t like going from hot to cold and vice versa, either. Temperature fluctuations can alter the physical properties of a perfume’s ingredients. This means that humid environments like bathrooms, and bedrooms that might get hot in the summer and are kept warm with central heating in the winter, are actually the worst places to store scents. Keeping bottles of perfume at a consistent temperature of between 60 and 70 degrees is the best option. So pick a cool space that’s not prone to extreme temperature change to store your perfume – why not store it in the fridge.
- Don’t open a new bottle until you start using it
A perfume won’t begin to ‘age’ until it has been sprayed at least once. It’s the introduction of oxygen that begins the oxidation process – much like when foods are opened from airtight containers. Keep bottles unopened until you’re ready to use them every day, or once opened and used make sure you keep the lid on the bottle to help to seal it. In general, your perfume likes to be used fairly quickly and not sat in the bottle. This is because half-empty bottles leave room for oxygen to break down the scent.
So, how do I know if my perfume has gone off?
If stored correctly, perfume can last for two or even three years once opened. Some scents have a symbol on the bottom of the bottle that indicates how long the product should be open for. On average this is 24M (two years). You will be able to tell if your fragrance is past its best by the way it smells and looks. A perfume that has gone off will smell slightly sour – it may look a darker colour or more yellowish too. You may first start to notice this when you’re wearing – the smell might be off putting and not quite right. A good tip is to spray a piece of paper or item of clothing before you wear it to check if the smell is as it should be. Afterall, you don’t want to walk round with an unpleasant smell all day or night!
Jonny’s final tip …. Consider a travel sized fragrance
If you’re planning outdoor activities or trips, invest in a portable travel-sized perfume bottle. This way, you can enjoy your favourite scent on the go without subjecting the full-size bottle to potentially unfavourable conditions. Miniature size perfumes are perfect for popping in your handbag. The handy size bottles generally range from between 5ml and 10ml.
“Taking care of your perfume is easy if you follow a few simple rules. Store it in a cool, dark place, use it as soon as possible, and apply it sparingly to the pulse points. By doing this, you can ensure that your fragrance lasts longer and smells better, no matter what season it is.”
Don’t store perfume on a windowsill in direct sunlight. Do store perfume in a fridge.
Images supplied. Feature image courtesy of unsplash.com
