Cologne Shelf Life

How long do perfumes and colognes last before their fragrance begins to break down?
I have some bottles from several year ago that smell just dandy, but also remember finding bottles of my father's that definately we past their prime. I just wanted to know if there was an approximate age in which these frangrances would either lose their potency or begin to take on a vinegar character (as my father's did) or smell plain awful.

Thanks all

Environmental conditions like extreme tempertures, temperature fluctuations, and exposure to light can accellerate the breakdown of perfumes. Best to keep them in a dark, stable environment.

TimmyBoston said:

<snip> I just wanted to know if there was an approximate age in which these frangrances would either lose their potency or begin to take on a vinegar character (as my father's did) or smell plain awful.

Thanks all

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LOL! Dude what was your father using? I can't remember mine having his cologne turn to vinegar.

LOL!

I can't get over this. Great stuff.

jduffy said:

LOL! Dude what was your father using? I can't remember mine having his cologne turn to vinegar.

LOL!

I can't get over this. Great stuff.

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Late 80s to Early 90s Calvin Klein. This was 3 years ago or so, it actually turn to vinegar, but if you ever smells some booze that's been open a few years too long how it develops that vinegar smell, that's what happened, the whole bottle just turned sour. Yuck!

Howard said:

Environmental conditions like extreme tempertures, temperature fluctuations, and exposure to light can accellerate the breakdown of perfumes. Best to keep them in a dark, stable environment.

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I agree. I have a two bottles that are 10 years old and still smell new.

I have bottle of Banana Republic Classic and a Bottle of Burberry Weekend from about 4 years ago that still smell great....just don't have as much staying power. They literly wear off within the hour when they used to last much longer.

I have a large bottle of Atkinson's Gold Medal that I just opened, as I finished off another bottle. I bought it about 5 or 6 years ago, but I think it may have been on the store shelf for quite some time (I bought two, because the storekeeper said he probably wasn't going to stock it any more). Still smells nice, but has virtually no staying power -- despite the fact that it has been sitting inside its original box and in the dark, cool confines under the bathroom sink all this time.

Being a "yard sale connoisseur", I took a whiff of the contents of an old Avon After Shave splash on that was being displayed for a prompt sale. The item in question was Bravo after shave. It was discontinued back in the 70's and it still had retained all of its floral, sandal, vetivert qualities. It did not smell rancid at all. However, not willing to expose my age with an aroma, I negated the purchase

I have a bottle of Paco Rabanne that I know I bought in 1990 and it is still fine.

But, I have a bottle of Pinaud Lilac Vegetal that is about the same age and it smells awful. Maybe it always smelled awful, but I used to like it.

Tim

ratcheer said:

I have a bottle of Paco Rabanne that I know I bought in 1990 and it is still fine.
Tim

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Paco Rabbanne has a great scent. Too bad it only lasts for about 20 minutes after applying.