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Is artificial light bad for fragrances?

post #1 of 22
3/9/13 at 1:49pm
Thread Starter 
I just got a new storage tiered glass tower from IKEA, and I was wondering if having my fragrances exposed to non UV light is bad for them? I see YouTube videos with huge collections displayed in rooms away from windows. Is that okay? I want my fragrances displayed, but I don't want them to perish in a few years. I can keep them at 65F year-round, so temperature isn't an issue. Thanks for any advice. I've just heard in the past to store them completely in the dark.

EDIT:

It seems apparent that all light is bad from them from the posts above, perhaps a better question is does it matter? Will they still keep for the life of the fragrance without worry if I am exposing them to a little light each day? I have a hard time believing that a few years of non-sunlight style lighting would ruin fragrances. I wouldn't see why Marc or Cody or any major youtuber would do so.

EDIT 2.0:

Thanks for everyone's help. I ended up having to put the glass tower in my closet anyway, since there was no conceivable way to get it to fit in my room without removing too much stuff. Here's a picture if you are interested (excuse the clutter):
Attachment 19550
LL
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post #2 of 22
3/9/13 at 2:00pm
  • lpp
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I think that any sort of light is unhelpful.
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post #3 of 22
3/9/13 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lpp View Post

I think that any sort of light is unhelpful.

Yep. Same thing with alcohol that you drink. There's probably something on wiki about why they started putting beer in brown bottles and I'm pretty sure it'll explain it.
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post #4 of 22
3/9/13 at 2:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lpp View Post

I think that any sort of light is unhelpful.

Absolutely.
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post #5 of 22
3/9/13 at 3:08pm
Definitely makes me wonder why any fragrance would ever come in a clear glass bottle, really. It's nice to see how much juice you have left, so the dark glass that the likes of the l'occitane scents come in makes perfect sense.
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post #6 of 22
3/9/13 at 3:10pm
Definitely. I've seen tester bottles that have gone very bad at Spehora. The sales lady said that since they are directly under the display lights that they don't last long at all; so artificial light can be just as bad if not worse than sunlight depending on the strength/proximity to your fragrances.
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post #7 of 22
3/9/13 at 8:00pm
I am no expert, but I think indirect light is also somewhat of an issue, but not too much, so if you really want to display them, I guess that's a reasonable tradeoff. But do keep them away from sunlight and possibly from direct lights, in the darkest area of your room.

The big problem at Sephora (and regrettably at most other perfume chain stores, which have adopted that display system) is the heat produced by those lights, which are both hot and close to the bottles. Many of the cosmetic testers are rancid - another reason, apart from the disapproval of the way the main owner has let his perfume get ruined, why I don't buy creams there. Your display, I will assume does not have those lights.

cacio
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post #8 of 22
3/9/13 at 8:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cacio View Post

I am no expert, but I think indirect light is also somewhat of an issue, but not too much, so if you really want to display them, I guess that's a reasonable tradeoff. But do keep them away from sunlight and possibly from direct lights, in the darkest area of your room.

The big problem at Sephora (and regrettably at most other perfume chain stores, which have adopted that display system) is the heat produced by those lights, which are both hot and close to the bottles. Many of the cosmetic testers are rancid - another reason, apart from the disapproval of the way the main owner has let his perfume get ruined, why I don't buy creams there. Your display, I will assume does not have those lights.

cacio

Yeah, my plan is to keep it in a darker corner of my room and get blackout curtains for my window. My house has central air, so we can keep it temperate year round. Also probably worth mentioning the display is not lit, so the only lights would be from my TV and from the overhead light when I need it at light, and that actually has a cover over it.
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post #9 of 22
3/9/13 at 8:39pm
I think any light is a risk. If you want to display your collection in the open, I would suggest you keep your room as dark as possible most of the time. Your plan sounds reasonable.

My setup uses closed cabinets because I wanted them in total darkness as much as possible, but that may be overkill.
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post #10 of 22
3/9/13 at 9:10pm
All light is bad for them.
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post #11 of 22
3/9/13 at 9:21pm
Thread Starter 
It seems apparent that all light is bad from them from the posts above, perhaps a better question is does it matter? Will they still keep for the life of the fragrance without worry if I am exposing them to a little light each day? I have a hard time believing that a few years of non-sunlight style lighting would ruin fragrances. I wouldn't see why Marc or Cody or any major youtuber would do so.
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post #12 of 22
3/9/13 at 10:27pm
I've had Cartier Declaration and Armani Code (just two examples) in my room on a book shelf for years (probably 5-6, at least) and they get some light on a daily basis from when I turn on the lights in my room. No direct sunlight though. And all this time later they smell perfectly fine.
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post #13 of 22
3/9/13 at 10:40pm
Not as bad as sunlight/heat. Just to be safe, you should keep them away from any form of light.
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post #14 of 22
3/9/13 at 11:10pm
A few years is one thing, decades is another. If you are planning to use the perfumes within 5 years, say, there will certainly be no problem. 20-30 years down the road, who knows. The osmotheque, who is supposed to go for the longest possible horizon, keeps the frags in a refrigerator in the dark.

cacio
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post #15 of 22
3/10/13 at 6:39am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for everyone's help. I ended up having to put the glass tower in my closet anyway, since there was no conceivable way to get it to fit in my room without removing too much stuff. I'll update the OP with a picture I posted in the scents thread in MFD.
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post #16 of 22
3/12/13 at 2:38pm
I'd just say that it's not "bad" per se. Keeping them away from light will help conserve them just like it will help keep prints from fading.
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post #17 of 22
3/12/13 at 8:23pm
  • kbe
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Damn straight it is. I.e plants grow from the energy gained from artificial light. It has power to create or destroy.
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post #18 of 22
3/12/13 at 8:37pm
Yup all light is bad.
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post #19 of 22
3/12/13 at 9:06pm
Actually, just about everything is bad.

Since perfumes are solutions of many chemicals, and chemicals are prone to break down, anything that increases the energy within the solution makes the chemicals prone to react with other chemicals in the solution or in the air above the solution. Light, heat, x-rays, gamma rays, whatever, will have that potential. Fortunately, most scent chemicals are pretty stable and can tolerate a fair amount of radiant energy exposure for a pretty long time before you would have enough chemical change to notice it, but the less the better. Exposure to air can also increase evaporation and chemical decomposition.

So, you might think that keeping fragrances in a cold dark place would then be ideal? Perhaps, pumping all the air out of the area and replacing it with a very inert gas like argon? Maybe. Of course if the solution gets cold enough certain ingredients may precipitate out of solution, or the moisture in the area will condense, and these too can ruin a fragrance.

I dunno. It seems that there are 100 year old vintage fragrances here and there that have mostly been kept in cool dark places and have held up okay, so that's what I would go with, nothing too fancy. Even then I've noticed an occasional fragrance to get a bit skunky, despite good care.
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post #20 of 22
3/18/13 at 8:17pm
Any light is bad.

I've seen a few perfumes go bad in a year or so. Namely Chergui went from its rich amber to vomit-green color in a span of 9 moths or so.
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post #21 of 22
3/19/13 at 3:07am
I had an aquarium and I used artificial light to grow plants. So I am pretty sure artificial light is damaging to perfume.
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post #22 of 22
3/20/13 at 12:59am
I always have visions of putting some LED's in my perfume cupboard to illuminate & show off my little pretties, but I would never do it because I think it wouldn't be very good for them.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › Is artificial light bad for fragrances?