Perfume Can Go Bad, But Here's How To Prevent Your Favorite Fragrance From Turning

Using your favorite fragrance super sparingly to make it last longer might not be a good idea. According to Refinery29, it turns out perfume can go bad! Ain't that just the saddest, smelliest news you've heard all day? Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help prevent your fragrance from turning anytime soon.

Generally speaking, the most obvious way to know a perfume has gone bad is the smell itself. Céline Barel, perfumer at International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), broke it down pretty simply and said, "If you smell it, you’ll know. It will smell old." Case in point.

Lucky for perfume lovers everywhere, unless you're intentionally trying to keep a bottle around for decades, you should be in the clear. Alex Gilman, editor at LuckyScent, shared, “Run-of-the-mill quality fragrances or higher quality natural fragrances can be expected to last between three to five years if properly cared for. For high-end fragrances made carefully with best quality materials, and stored or used extremely cautiously, the sky is the limit.” Phew.

To help your favorite fragrance last as long as possible, where you keep it matters most. Even though the bottle is probably beautiful, make sure to store it in a cool and dry dark place. Barel even suggests placing "fragrances in the fridge, in their box, as high temperature and light are the two worst enemies. If not in the fridge, put them in a cabinet away from heat. And always keep them in their box.” Now I really want to confuse my boyfriend and say I'm adding perfume to dinner when he notices it. Mwahaha.

Did you just have to toss an old perfume? No worries. Check out these 10 fragrances that will make you smell pretty, how to layer perfumes for a whole new scent, and even learn how to make your own perfume!

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