How long do you keep your bottles of cologne for before you throw it out?

[Kevin Peters 1]

So I recently found out that cologne actually expires after reading this: https://www.groomjournal.com/how-long-does-cologne-last-and-does-it-expire/

I am not one to use cologne very frequently. I'll spray on a bit on special occasions or on a date night. So naturally, I have bottles of cologne lying around in my cupboard for years. Do you guys have the same thing? Do you throw them out after they expire?

 

[Reggs]

The scents do change after time, but that doesn't mean they smell bad or offensive. I rarely throw any out. Lots of online communities where people trade cologne they no longer use.

 

[RSS]

I have a 20 year old bottle of Creed Vetiver. It's not "Original Vetiver" ... but the fragrance that preceded it and is no longer available. It still smells wonderful and is perhaps my favorite.

 

[Sisyphus]

If stored properly (out of heat and direct sunlight) most fragrances can be kept for decades easily. Some fragrance notes will hold up better than others (citruses are tricky in my experience), but I have quite a few bottles older than 20yrs that are still great. Most of the time only the top notes will be diminished a bit, but the heart and base is still there. Many people even swear by vintage (mostly because of modern regulations banning/restricting lots of ingredients) and you will see vintage Guerlains for example often going for hundreds of euros on sites like Ebay.

I'm not mad at this widely believed myth though that fragrances only have a storage life of a few years, as it got me many desired vintage fragrances for just some pocket money.

 

[ultravisitor]

I have a bottle of Chanel Egoiste from 1990 that is still perfectly wearable. I'm not going to throw out a bottle of perfume after a few years because someone who wants to make sure we keep buying perfume says it will expire. I'll just keep the old ones around while I continue to buy new ones.

 

[Maylan]

I’ve got a few old colognes kicking around too. I mostly use them for special occasions, so they sit in my cupboard for ages. I’ve kept some that still smell fine, but I’ve had to toss a couple that went a bit off. If it starts smelling weird, I just get rid of it.

 

[AJD70_HNL]

I like to collect and have scores of bottles. Original Chanel Antaeus's with real castoreum, 1980s bottles of Chanel Pour Monsieur with oakmoss, vintage Yves Saint Laurents. They all still smell wonderful. My prized YSL M7 collection. Just love fragrances!

Keep them out of the sun, I don't necessarily think you have to keep cold, as I live in Honolulu and they are kept in 3 dresser drawers..

 

[Nyarlathotep]

I've never thrown out a bottle, the vintage ones I've gotten have also been ok.

 

[Gfedsa]

I like to collect and have scores of bottles. Original Chanel Antaeus's with real castoreum, 1980s bottles of Chanel Pour Monsieur with oakmoss, vintage Yves Saint Laurents. They all still smell wonderful. My prized YSL M7 collection. Just love fragrances!

Keep them out of the sun, I don't necessarily think you have to keep cold, as I live in Honolulu and they are kept in 3 dresser drawers..

The main thing to store in a temperature not more than 25 degrees (and I, for example, now in the apartment 29 degrees ) and in a dark place where there is no sunlight.