Shelf life of perfumes and eau de toilette after opening

When a girl purchases perfume, she must check the expiration and storage dates of the perfume. This is important, because it is not advisable to buy bottles that have expired. In theory, they can be used even for 100 years, but what will change inside the fragrance is unknown. No perfumer will create a substance that will not be subject to change for decades. The ether and alcohol in the composition will begin to interact differently, the product will become thicker or the chemical formula of the consistency will be disrupted. Let's figure out how to check the production date and clarify how to find out the data, even if the packaging with the numbers has not been preserved.

perfume expiration date

  1. Do perfumes, cologne and perfume have an expiration date and how to check it
  2. What is controlled
  3. There are restrictions on the use of perfume
  4. Where is the expiration date of any perfume and eau de toilette from the date of production indicated?
  5. How to determine
  6. By special code
  7. By barcodes
  8. Checking the expiration date of perfumes: what is considered expired
  9. Signs of spoiled perfume
  10. How and under what conditions to store an opened bottle
  11. Can I use it after the expiration date?
  12. Is it possible to extend the shelf life?
  13. Conclusion
  14. Useful video

Does perfume have an expiration date?

It is traditionally believed that unopened colognes last for several years. In accordance with European standards - 5, according to Russian GOSTs - 3 years. But many fans of exquisite fragrances know that retro perfumes that have been around for 20-30 years are now much more expensive than new ones. This means that after the recommended period, the product does not always deteriorate. The only caveat is that storage conditions must be observed. To obtain vintage perfume, it is advisable not to open it after purchase.

Aromatic products vary in concentration: eau de toilette is considered the lightest. When answering the question of whether perfumes have an expiration date, it should be noted that the more saturated the base is used, the longer the scent is stored. Due to the tightness of the packaging, bacteria do not get inside the container, and the liquid does not spoil for a long time. But if the bottle has already been opened, with the cap closed it will last up to two years. When the lid is open or you constantly use toilet water - no more than one year.

Perfume with pheromones

Pheromones are something unusual and surprising in the world of perfumery. Such perfumes appeared in the 90s in the USA. And they got to us. But few people write and talk about how to store perfumes with pheromones.

There is no clear answer about the shelf life of perfumes containing pheromones. This product itself is quite specific, containing essential and aromatic oils. For example, citrus or fruit. But the main component of these perfumes is the products of external secretion, which are secreted by some species of animals. The composition of perfumes with pheromones does not include alcohol, because it can destroy pheromones.

As for the shelf life, we can safely say that it is the same as that of ordinary eau de toilette or perfume water. You can store it in an open bottle for about a year, or a little more. But the bottles themselves are sold in small volumes, about 10-30 ml. Therefore, it all depends on the frequency of use of perfume.

Where to look

All reputable brands include consumer-relevant information on the packaging. They should be located on the cologne itself or its box. There are many sites on the Internet that will help you check the expiration date of a perfume using the code of a specific cosmetic brand. Using an online calculator, you can find out for what period the selected colognes retain their original properties. For the convenience of customers, special applications have been developed for mobile devices that allow you to decipher the manufacturer’s code right in the store.

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How to determine

When going to the perfume department, carefully study the packaging. Foreign brands often use special codes that are deciphered using a standard algorithm. The appropriate analysis method is chosen based on the labeling and the specific manufacturer.

Manufacturers calculate the shelf life of eau de parfum and other cosmetic products in different ways:

  • from the moment of manufacture;
  • from the time the bottle is opened by the buyer;
  • indicate only the bottling date, without giving information about how long the perfume will begin to lose its quality;
  • Often European and American companies do not put dates if the product can be stored for more than two and a half years.
Children's perfumeWomen's perfumeCosmetics and careMan perfumes

By batch code

This is a set of numbers and letters that will give information about the recommended storage period and batch number. Unlike a barcode, it is not unified and varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. It is usually located next to the barcode on a sticker located on the bottle or side of the box. For example, the expiration date of perfumes according to the Christian Dior brand code is determined as follows: the first digit indicates the year of production. The following characters of the Latin alphabet correspond to the months of the year. In this case, “a” is January, “b” is the next month, and so on. To decrypt, you need to ask the store clerk for a table developed by the manufacturer. It can also be obtained on the official website of the brand or found on the Internet on resources dedicated to cosmetics. There are many online calculators on the Internet where you can enter a product code and find out how long your irresistible scent will last. But there is no single database where all manufacturers would be collected. The information is provided by private developers, so it cannot be called completely reliable.

Does perfume have an expiration date and what is indicated in GOST?

According to the classification adopted in the Russian Federation, perfume liquids include all alcohol, water-alcohol or water-alcohol solutions of multicomponent mixtures of fragrant substances.

Also, the perfume may contain additional components - dyes, preservatives and other additives, the use of which does not contradict the standards adopted in the Russian Federation.

All perfume products have a limited shelf life, during which the manufacturer guarantees the preservation of the original qualities and properties of the product.

The requirements for perfume products are fixed at the legislative level:

  • GOST 31678-2012 , which describes the general technical conditions for the production and storage of liquid perfume products.
  • GOST 31677-2012 , which describes the requirements for perfume products in aerosol packaging.
  • GOST 31679-2012 , the provisions of which describe the general conditions for the production, storage and use of liquid cosmetic products.
  • GOST 32117-2013 , containing information for the consumer and general requirements for perfume products.

According to clause 7.2 of GOST 31678-2012, the maximum shelf life is indicated by the manufacturer for each perfume product separately and is recorded in the accompanying technical document.

Section 3.4.13 of GOST 32117-2013 states that the manufacturer is obliged to apply appropriate markings to their products that contain information about their shelf life. It can be applied in two ways:

  1. Date of production (month and year), as well as expiration date (in years or months).
  2. In the second case, the manufacturer uses the inscription “best before” and puts down the month and year, or “use by”, and also indicates the desired date.

Perfume products that contain more than 25% ethyl alcohol may have an expiration date on the product after the packaging is opened. The information is displayed graphically, in the form of a pictogram in the form of an open tin can and numbers inside (month, year).

Most often, the shelf life indicated by manufacturers is from three to five years . Specifying the limit to which the product's properties will be preserved allows manufacturers to absolve themselves of liability and avoid possible claims from consumers who store their perfumes improperly.

Unlike creams, lipsticks and other cosmetic products, perfumes are dominated by an alcohol base rather than a fat one, and alcohol is one of the best preservatives, allowing the liquid not to deteriorate for a long time.

The suitability of a perfume for use directly depends on the conditions in which the bottle is stored . “Vintage” perfumes are widely known, that is, those whose expiration date has long expired, but their aroma has not become worse, on the contrary, it has changed for the better. As a rule, light citrus notes disappear from such aromas, and other, heavier notes are revealed as much as possible. The price of such perfumes is high, and it is difficult to buy them - bottles are actively bought by collectors.

By barcode

Many people pay attention to the numbers depicted on the box, above which there are stripes of different lengths. But for an ordinary person it is extremely difficult to decipher a set of symbols and determine the freshness of an aromatic product from them. A regular barcode on a package carries almost complete information about the company that manufactured it and its characteristics. Using it you can find detailed product descriptions on special websites.

expiration date on perfume

The first digits in the encoding indicate the country of origin. For example, 46 is Russia, and Finland is 64. The barcode may not have numbers, and this does not mean that the product is fake. Unfortunately, it is impossible to check whether eau de toilette and perfume have an expiration date. But it is possible to find out the authenticity of the perfume, because this guarantees that it is of high quality and will be stored for a long time. To do this, just perform simple arithmetic calculations:

  1. Add up all the even numbers in the barcode.
  2. Multiply the resulting amount by three.
  3. Get the sum of all odd digits except the thirteenth.
  4. Sum up the two results obtained earlier.
  5. Cross out the first digit from the resulting number.
  6. Subtract the result from ten. It should be equal to the thirteenth digit. If everything matches, then the barcode is genuine.

What can be considered late

Fashionistas are often interested in how to find out the expiration date of perfumes and perfumes, but often a visual inspection is sufficient. One of the characteristic signs is sediment at the bottom of the container. Most often it has a brown or yellow tint. In such a situation, it is not always correct to conclude that perfume is unsuitable for use. If the product is fresh, sediment may indicate that it is based on synthetic oils.

The second symptom is that the liquid has become cloudy or changed color. In this scenario, it is better not to use cologne. The third sign is the appearance of an unpleasant odor due to the entry of components into a chemical reaction. Such a liquid will not please its owner, but on the contrary will cause rejection.

Often the information on the packaging leads to doubts about vintage scents. As a perfume ages, some notes may disappear. The light essential oils contained in the top chords evaporate first. But the rest of the pyramid is only revealed better and refined, like an elite wine. Therefore, perfumes with heavy aromatic ingredients that have a long period of use often become collectible objects.

expiration date of eau de parfum

Maintain the correct temperature

The ideal temperature for storing fragrance is 16-21 degrees. If the temperature is higher, then there is a risk that your perfume may change the aroma. Completely unnatural notes may appear that can spoil the smell.

In conclusion of the article, we would like to say that if you follow these main rules, then your perfume will remain unchanged much longer than indicated on the packaging. Finally, a bonus tip.

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