How long have you ever kept perfume, unopened, and had it still be fresh.

Perfumes, fragrances, colognes, after shaves and any of the aromatic scents we use today, usually start to degrade the moment they are opened. However, these fragrances are meant to have a relatively long shelf life when kept in a cool, dark place, and out of contact with sunlight or heat. When referring to a long shelf life, take into account the size of the bottle and gauge what you would have normally utilised, had the fragrance been used on a daily basis. The manufacturers would have ensured that the perfume would sustain the scent, colour and potency some months beyond the normal time it would take, to deplete the contents of the bottle. So, if you gauge for example, that your fragrance if used ever day, would have lasted you six months, add another six months to that figure and that would basically be your time line for the efficacy of your fragrance. If you fragrance has been retained in a cool, dark area, and in its original packaging, remove the packaging and check the contents for any noticeable change.

A definite indication is the change in color. Even though the color has no effect on the scent or aroma itself, the change in colour would be indicative of either oxygen having penetrated the bottle's seal, or sunlight or heat having had an affect on the product. Another indicator is a cloudy effect to the perfume, where chemical compounds have started to break down, creating the murky appearance. Fragrances will begin losing their top, middle and base note efficaciousness over time. As these fragrances are intended to be utilised on a regular basis, and the liquid is expected to be swirled around in the bottle during use, the stagnant liquid may unfortunately turn rancid over time and lose the desired effect.