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Your oldest bottle

post #1 of 23
12/7/08 at 9:13pm
Thread Starter 
I read recently in an article in a men's health/grooming magazine (I forget the details!) where the writer stated that a fragrance should be used within 9 to 12 months, because it will "go off"'.

Well... that's got to be one of the most misleading statements I've ever come across. If it were true, then I'd have about 40 bottles of "off" perfume in my wardrobe!

I've got a bottle of Lagerfeld (original) that I've had for about 20 years. It only has a few ml left. And it's a dabber. And it's as good as it ever was! Ditto for a 20 year old bottle of VC&A PH (another dabber), which I gave away when I bought a new one. We often hear of people coming across old bottles of classics, like Jicky, through various sources and I assume there's nothing wrong with the contents after all this time.

So, my question is in two parts:
1. What is your oldest bottle?
2. Is it still OK?
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post #2 of 23
12/7/08 at 9:20pm
My 10 year old bottle of Fahrenheit is doing fine, on the other hand my 4-6 year old D & G Pour Homme seems to have "gone off".
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post #3 of 23
12/7/08 at 9:22pm
I've got 25-year-old bottles of Chanel Pour Monsieur edt, Eau Sauvage, Lagerfeld (also), and Grey Flannel. All still smell great.

I've got a small bunch of samples that old also. They smell great.

I too think the warnings about scents going off in a year are serious misinformation.

(For all new readers here worried about this all you need to do is make sure your scent bottles are out of sunlight and away from heat. Some people keep them in their boxes and some people get wine refrigerators to keep them slightly cool and in a controlled temperature. My quarter-century bottles have been fine just kept in their boxes and on or in dressers out of sunlight.)
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post #4 of 23
12/7/08 at 10:02pm
Gres pour monsieur(the light blue opal bottle) and Ted Lapidus pour homme(the dark brown bottle)both are near 30 years old but smell great..
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post #5 of 23
12/7/08 at 11:02pm
Thread Starter 
So far I'm comforted, except for jathanas. Sorry to hear about your D&G PH. What does "off" D&G smell like?
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post #6 of 23
12/8/08 at 12:14am
I have a bottle of vintage Antaeus stored in the dark of my dresser drawer that i'll say is 15. (not quite sure, it is 2nd hand, or 3rd or 4th...).

Still great after all this time.
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post #7 of 23
12/8/08 at 12:33am
I`ve got Cuir de Lancome from 40`s.
It is definitely different from the flowery juice - dusty and ambery feel.
Cuir et Ambre de Sauze is from 50`s, and it`s OK cologne.
Cravache by Piguet, Mousseline Rochas, Tabac Blonde Caron and a lot of others are from 60`s and 70`s - and all of them are OK.
Nombre Noir from 90`s is OK too.

I believe that the point is sun light and temperature changes, as always.
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post #8 of 23
12/8/08 at 1:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by moon_fish View Post

I believe that the point is sun light and temperature changes, as always.

That's certainly true. This is shaping up to be a good thread to point people to, when claims are made about how long fragrances last. I always keep mine in the wardrobe. Maybe those people who say they go off after a while leave theirs out in the open. Oh and I forgot to mention a bottle of Grey Flannel, replaced about two years ago, which lasted for at least ten years.
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post #9 of 23
12/8/08 at 1:32am
Farina GegenüberEdC Rosoli Falcon from the 1960s. It was sealed in its wooden box and is well preserved. I have a milord EdC by d'Orsay from the 1950s or 1960s, with the top notes off. Correct storage is the key indeed.
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post #10 of 23
12/8/08 at 2:56am
My grandfather has a bottle of Eau Savage from the late 60's and it still smells amazing , better than any of todays bottles
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post #11 of 23
12/8/08 at 4:45am
Yes, I had to say to my girlfriend that she really shouldn't be displaying her perfumes on the window ledge!!!

I don't think I've ever had a bottle go "off", although the oldest bottle currently in my possession is about 7 years old.
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post #12 of 23
12/8/08 at 8:15am
A 3.3 OZ splash bottle of Macassar, by Rochas, from 1980.

Edit I: an aprox 6 OZ bottle of unbranded EdC with cuir de russie top notes and gardenia base notes that really smells dated. Still works fine, did not loose any of the notes at all, and I love it even though my wife tells me it smells "old, really old".

Edit II: More on old time female perfumes -

http://www.basenotes.net/community/s...13#post1376813
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post #13 of 23
12/8/08 at 8:28am
I have a bottle of 1940s Chanel No.46 extait, but it's not open.

For open bottles, I have a 70s Moustache EdC (smells fine), 80s Derby (smells fine), 80s Equipage (smells fine) and 70s Eau Sauvage (smells better than today's if you ask me).
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post #14 of 23
12/8/08 at 9:02am
I've a vintage bottle of Eau de Vetyver by Le Galion from the 70's. THe top notes are gone and all that is left is this dirty, roaring, animalic base.
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post #15 of 23
12/8/08 at 9:07am
Jacomo Rouge - 3 years+ (im relatively new to scents) i always had the passion (used have deo's)..but didnt have access to perfumes...
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post #16 of 23
12/8/08 at 10:11am
My oldest bottle is about 10 months old...heh
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post #17 of 23
12/8/08 at 10:30am
14+ year old bottle of Polo original, it doesn't smell very good anymore.
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post #18 of 23
12/8/08 at 10:30am
All true, most scents last for many years, even decades, if properly stored. It does depend a bit on the ingredients though, natural citrus top notes do tend to go drop off irrespective of storage and certain formulae seem inherently less stable.
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post #19 of 23
12/8/08 at 10:38am
There's a bottle of "White Shoulders" in my downstairs basement. I'm pretty sure it's from the fifties. It hasn't gone bad though, it's been stored in the original pink frilly gift casing it came with.
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post #20 of 23
12/8/08 at 5:41pm
I've got a splash bottle of Halston Z-14 from 1982. It's always been stored in the dark but it spent several hot summers in an attic in California. It smells wonderful.
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post #21 of 23
12/8/08 at 6:20pm
Tsar After Shave-------100 ml................8 years (ending this month sure)
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post #22 of 23
12/8/08 at 7:58pm
I like keeping my bottles out in the open though :-( That's part of the fun to me!
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post #23 of 23
12/8/08 at 8:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trufflehunter View Post

So far I'm comforted, except for jathanas. Sorry to hear about your D&G PH. What does "off" D&G smell like?

It has lost all its strength - no matter how much I spray the smell is anaemic and it wont last for more than a few minutes.
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