Women Travelers - shelf life for cologne?

Im not a huge fan of Eau de Toilette, but I do use some occasionally. My favorite is probably Egoiste by Chanel. Now, I wonder how long do these things last without going bad.... can any of your ladyships please give me a little help? I dont have the original box of the thing with me so I cant read the best-by stamp (I assume these things have one?). Thanks.

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Gaucho100K

I don't think they have a shelf live. If they're tighly sealed they should last a very long time.

The worst case I can imagine is a loosely closed bottle having some evaporation.

I have some bottles that are at least 5-10 years old & they smell just fine.

Mary

I have old bottles too..and they sell a discounted perfum I love online which I will get soon (was discontinued in 1999), but I learned from a friend (responsible for european wide marketing of perfum), that from production date if stored cool and dark a maximum of 4-5 years is considered. For some scents less as they have more sensible perfume oils in them.

Gee, I had a clerk tell me 6 months on a bottle of Shalimar I was buying for my Mom..... you think they were trying to get me to buy more often????

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Gaucho100K:
Im not a huge fan of Eau de Toilette, but I do use some occasionally. My favorite is probably Egoiste by Chanel. Now, I wonder how long do these things last without going bad.... can any of your ladyships please give me a little help? I dont have the original box of the thing with me so I cant read the best-by stamp (I assume these things have one?). Thanks.

</font>
Use the bottles of cologne decoratively in a guest bathroom or powder room. They look pretty and no-one ever uses them.

I'm far fro being any kind of "expert" in this area, but I have bottles of perfumes like Obsession, Opium, Chanel No. 5, etc. that are quite a few years old and they are still fine for wear. The important thing is keeping the bottle well closed and out of exposure to light. Either store bottles in the original box or in a cabinet. I keep mine on a shelf in my closet behind doors. I always buy the smallest size bottle, if you have several choices they will last for years even in a small size.

Wonderful for travel: the tiny sample sizes given out at the perfume counters in department stores. Often if you "try on" a scent and say that you want to think about it, the salesperson will give you a sample. I keep my samples in little jars and throw a few into my makeup bag for trips.

Some cologne/purfume seems to be expired from the first time it's worn http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif

On a related note:

"Lovely fragrance, but must you marinate in it?"

I've always wondered about that....thanks for asking and the answers too!

Some helpful information here... many thanks!!