If you own many fragrances, chances are you’ve kept some of them for years. This naturally raises the question: does a fragrance formula change over time, and if so, after how many years?
Christina Bonde
Meet Christina Bonde, the perfumer behind Bonde Atelier, where the art of perfumery becomes an immersive journey of passion, self-care, and empowerment. Her romance with fragrances began as a young teenager, when at the age of 13 she was gifted her first bottle of Chanel no. 5 from her brother – a moment that sparked a lifelong love affair with scents.
If you own many fragrances, chances are you’ve kept some of them for years. This naturally raises the question: does a fragrance formula change over time, and if so, after how many years?
Legally, Perfumes Do Expire
In the EU and most other markets, perfumes that stay stable for more than 30 months don’t require a strict expiration date. Instead, they are marked with a period-after-opening (PAO) symbol, such as “24 M,” which shows how many months the scent is expected to stay good after opening.
Contradicting opinions
Many collectors swear their vintage bottles still smell wonderful even after decades, while others find that a favorite fragrance turned sour within just a year. The main reason for these different experiences is that expiration depends on a combination of quality, storage conditions, and the type of ingredients used.
The Ingredients of a Perfume
- Water & trace additives (0-5%): Adjust strength; stabilisers, anti-oxidants, UV filters
- Aroma compounds (5-25%): Provide scent; include terpenes, aldehydes, esters, ketones
- Ethanol (70-90%): Solvent, antimicrobial preservative
Most odor molecules are unsaturated, making them prone to oxidation and reactions triggered by light. Ingredients like citrus terpenes (such as limonene and linalool) are particularly fragile.
The Chemistry of Ageing
Oxidation
Oxidation is one thing that definitely happens over time. Oxygen enters through the atomizer or fills the headspace, attacking double bonds. Linalool, a common floral and citrus note, forms metallic-smelling compounds that can trigger allergies. Temperature swings speed up the process.
Light
UV light energizes molecules, causing bonds to break and triggering radical chain reactions. As a result, top notes fade first, and the perfume’s color often darkens over time.
Temperature
Heat makes the ingredients in a perfume break down and react faster. In extreme cases, like when a bottle is left in a hot car glovebox during summer, the scent can change and lose its original character within just a few weeks.
Storing perfumes in your bathroom makes them sour
Tiny amounts of moisture (from high-humidity bathrooms or loose caps) can seep into the bottle, causing esters to hydrolyze into acidic, often sour-smelling compounds.
Technical expiration time
| Scenario | Expected Quality Window* |
|---|---|
| Unopened, stored well | 5-10y (some bottles survive decades) |
| Opened, properly stored | 2-5y |
| Citrus/floral-heavy naturals | 1-3y |
| High-alcohol synthetic blends | 5y+ |
When Does Aging Make a Fragrance Better?
Not all aging is bad. Some perfumes actually improve over time as the ingredients blend and mellow. Certain notes are known to age especially well, developing a deeper, richer scent as they mature:
- Vanilla becomes warmer and creamier
- Amber gets smoother and more rounded
- Tonka bean deepens and softens
One-Sentence Rule of Thumb:
Treat perfume like a fine wine—cool, dark, upright, and rarely disturbed.
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