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The best way to keep perfume fresh for a long time is by hiding it away in a closed, dry box. However, that method only works if you don’t plan to use your perfume frequently and if you haven’t cracked the seal. As perfumes dilute and lose their allure over time, you’re working against the clock, but you can slow down the process if you store your perfume correctly.

Use these 8 Tips to Store Expensive Perfume Properly

1. Perfumes Prefer Dark, Dry Places

The essential oils and alcohol within perfume are delicate and susceptible to sunlight. As perfumes often come in beautiful crystalline containers, they are left out as centerpieces or on display, but the elements can quickly break down the scented liquid’s makeup. Humidity can severely manipulate perfumes by causing chemical reactions in the product, causing damage.

2. Open the Bottle on the First Spritz

Perfumes are expensive and shouldn’t be wasted, so don’t open your new perfume bottle until its first use. The fragrance in the bottle will stay pristine until it’s open. After that, the scent will begin to dilute due to oxidation, which is the same process that creates rust on cars. Although your perfume won’t rust, it will lose its potency and will eventually smell more like alcohol. 

3. Don’t Remove Throw Out the Box

Luxury perfume manufacturers put a lot of effort into their box art, and it isn’t just for marketing purposes. For example, Rouge Eau de Parfum from Comme des Garcons comes in a gorgeous thick red box that blocks out light. Perfume boxes are made to hold the elixir within its walls, blocking out the sun and other elements that could age the perfume prematurely.

4. Keep the Bottle Sealed

Most perfume bottles have a cap that you can place over the top of the spritzer when not in use. This is another part of the perfume that’s often thrown away or lost, but keep it close by. Leaving the bottle unhinged for a couple of hours can catalyze its evaporation and ruin the mixture’s balance. Yes, oxidation can happen that quickly. Avoid wasting your money and use the cap.

5. Store Perfume on a Low Shelf

It’s essential to store your perfume on a low shelf for two reasons. For one, you’re more likely to knock the bottle off the shelf, which can break the chemical bond of the perfume. Secondly, heat rises and pools near the top of the ceiling, and heat isn’t good for the perfume. It’s best to keep your perfume in a low cupboard so you don’t accidentally spill a whole bottle of fragrance.

6. Never Shake a Perfume Bottle

Treat your perfume like a can of soda: never shake it. Although perfume won’t fizz up and blow up in your face, it will cause the oxygen within the bottle to disrupt the fragrance. Essential oil mixtures have a delicate balance that is easily broken by shaking, so handle with care. When picking up your perfume bottle, do it gently, or you run the risk of damaging the scent.

7. Avoid Removing the Perfume From its Bottle

There are plenty of extravagant bottles you can purchase that may look better than the bottle the fragrance came in. Although it’s tempting to pour your perfume into these bottles, doing so will put your fragrance on the fast track to becoming sour. In the 5 seconds you need to transfer your perfume from one container to another, you’ve already oxidized the liquid beyond repair.

8. Use a Smaller Version When Traveling

Since you already know that knocking, shacking, temperature, sunlight, and humidity will negatively affect your perfume; you can guess that air travel will destroy the fragrance. Buy a more petite perfume for traveling, and don’t open it until you reach the hotel. This way, you can still travel with a tiny version of your perfume without disrupting your main bottle.