Do you love to have a collection of perfumes? Having a variety of fragrances can be a good thing and it means that you have a perfume for every occasion. When you are going out with the girls, you have a fun and energetic perfume. Then, when you are going on a day, you can enjoy feeling confident and attractive with an alluring one.
But, one thing you do have to be careful of is that your perfume does not expire. When a fragrance is opened, it can lose its scent over time. So, you have to ensure that you are going to use it. Have you had a perfume for a while and are not sure whether it has expired? Here are some signs you should look out for.
There are Light Base Notes
If you have had a perfume for a while and you know it contains light base notes, it could have expired. This is because light base notes are more fragile, which can mean that they do not last as long as heavier base notes. Thus, if your perfume is citrus or floral, this may apply to you.
Alternatively, if you have heavier base notes in your perfume, you may be able to keep it for longer. For instance, oriental scents are thought to have a long life. Look out for ingredients such as amber. For instance, Emporio Armani Diamonds is an Eau De Parfum that contains amber as a base note. You can view this fragrance here. This might have a longer life than other perfumes that have more volatile ingredients. So, the perfume you buy can affect when they expire too.
There is a Sour Scent
First of all, you are going to know if your perfume has expired if it does not smell like it used to. It might seem less fresh and you might struggle to smell the top notes that you did before when you use it. In addition, there is going to be a slightly sour scent to the perfume. This often happens because oxygen gets into the fragrance. In particular, the top notes can be sensitive to this oxidisation.
So, spray the perfume onto a piece of paper and smell it. This is going to be a very helpful test to know if it has expired. If there is something strange about the perfume and you know it has been open for a while, it might be time to put it in the bin.
The perfume Has Changed Colour
Some bottles of perfume are transparent. In other words, you can see the liquid itself in the bottle. This can be a good thing and it is going to be useful when you are trying to see if the perfume is off. Indeed, the perfume can change colour and it may go darker than it was before. In addition, there might be a yellow tint to the liquid. These are signs that the perfume has oxidized and it is not going to be at its best. The safest thing you can do is throw away the perfume.
When you are shopping for perfume, there may be some that are going to last longer than others. According to experts, those with base notes such as vanilla may have a less volatile formula. In particular, it could mean that the perfume will not oxidise quickly.
It has Been Open Longer than the PAO Number
If you still have the original box or packaging of the perfume, this can indicate whether it has expired. In particular, look out for a period after opening or PAO number. This demonstrates how long you can have this product open before it starts to expire. Often, this is found on a lot of cosmetic product packaging.
If you cannot find this number or you do not have the original packaging, you do not have to worry. Think about when you opened the perfume. Was it more than 18 months ago? This is when you should start to test the perfume and see if it is still the same quality as when you bought it.
Ask One of Your Friends
The truth is, if you are used to a fragrance, you might not know if it smells off. You can become used to it over time. But, perhaps your friend is going to be able to help you out. They can be impartial if they do not own the scent and they are going to be able to tell you if something does not smell right. So, ask one of your friends to help you. You can spray the perfume onto a piece of paper, as well as letting them see the bottom and liquid.