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Vintage perfumes

post #1 of 16
9/20/10 at 9:34am
Thread Starter 
Should I be worried about the quality of the fragrance if I'm considering to buy a vintage bottle that is, lets say 35 years but never been open, completely sealed and everything?
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post #2 of 16
9/20/10 at 9:43am
Properly stored fragrances usually keep for many, many decades.
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post #3 of 16
9/20/10 at 10:32am
I'm also wondering the same thing, most people say that a fragrance should last 5-10 years if properly sealed, probably longer if stored in the right refrigerator, however doubt people bought refrigerators for fragrances 50 years ago.

While most vintage fragrances have more natural ingredients, some of which might "rot" quicker, some natural ingredients have a longer life as well, I'm guessing most animalic notes do.

Many people buy vintage bottles here and swear by them, but I'm wondering, when buying a vintage bottle that looks properly sealed, what are the odds the juice is still good?
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post #4 of 16
9/20/10 at 10:43am
Fragrances should ideally be kept cool and dark. This doesn't necessarily mean refrigeration. If you have something like a linen closet in your home, which stays relatively cool over the seasons, this could be a great place.

Vintage fragrances that have been kept out of the light (perhaps stored in their boxes) are more often than not amazing, even without refrigeration.
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post #5 of 16
9/20/10 at 11:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tott View Post

Vintage fragrances that have been kept out of the light (perhaps stored in their boxes) are more often than not amazing, even without refrigeration.

Hm... I didnt get that quite right. Do you mean that they're often NOT amazing or that they often ARE amazing? :P
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post #6 of 16
9/20/10 at 11:55am
tott meant that they are amazing more often than they are not amazing.
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post #7 of 16
9/20/10 at 11:57am
Thread Starter 
Ok ok. Thanks!
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post #8 of 16
9/20/10 at 12:53pm
I'm so tempted to get a vintage shalimar now. Not sure if I should settle with EdC, or pay a fortune for an EdT/EdP...I can only dream of a parfum.
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post #9 of 16
9/20/10 at 12:56pm
Thread Starter 
I just bought a Shalimar EDC.
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post #10 of 16
9/20/10 at 5:46pm
Whether vintage or not, the risk of getting a bad one is always there. It's really how the seller stored the perfume.
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post #11 of 16
9/20/10 at 5:56pm
Its always a game of chance.... if you have the expendable income to take a risk, then if you lose, you only lose the money. But if you win, you win BIG! I have purchased MANY vintage fragrances and have only been disappointed on 2 occasions (both times when bottles were purchased with the seals broken).
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post #12 of 16
9/20/10 at 11:26pm
Well, I've been pretty lucky too following my gut feeling. I have been slightly disappointed with two, but these were not parfum extrait. I tend to go for extraits only I'm telling myself. With regard to broken (there is of course a risk of fraud here) or unbroken seal... my most wonderful vintage find (condition of the extrait) was a broken seal and another one I got damn cheap - wrapped in its original paper - I ended up unwrapping and finding a bottle half evaporated and leaking with top-/middle notes somewhat gone and disintegrated. Well, it's gambling! You need to find the reputable sellers.
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post #13 of 16
9/20/10 at 11:49pm
If it's splash, think twice. If same but sealed and kept away from light and heat, take the plunge. If it's spary and kept in the conditions mentioned earlier and above, steal it if you don't have the *expendable income*
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post #14 of 16
9/21/10 at 3:59am
in my town there is perfume store, the owner is a man who s about 70 years old or more.. He still keeps the shop and he has still loads of stocks f.e. Azzaro pour homme, Jacomo, Alain Delon.. all the ORIGINAL power scents of the 70 ies and 80 ies...it s a gold mine but I m afraid to buy becouse of there age...
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post #15 of 16
9/21/10 at 1:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siifter View Post

I just bought a Shalimar EDC.

I got one of these last months and whoa. Whoa. It's a half full bottle from the 50s-60s and, while it definitely shows its age, it's one of the best things I own. I've had really good experiences with buying vintage perfume, even ones that have been opened/not specially stored. Even with the moderate loss of top notes the frags are so incredibly good that the are leaps and bounds ahead of modern releases.
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post #16 of 16
9/21/10 at 2:12pm
Shalimar generally seems to hold up well in vintage condition. I'm more wary when it's vintage Mitsouko because Mr. G has also said Mitsouko isn't quite as stable as vintage Shalimar. ( I have found that to be accurate as well )
I am always a bit wary on Ebay when I see the unsealed bottles especially minus the box ( could be adulterated and not stored properly) Even sealed bottles without the box is something I think three times over because I wonder how it's been stored.
Saying all that , the vintage I have bought on Ebay, have been fine so far....
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