In a Perfume Bottle

We have promised you in an earlier post that we will talk in more in depth on how temperatures can affect fragrances and hence why you should consider changing your perfume in the Summer. Read on to find out how best to handle your perfume bottle. 

Perfume is one of life's pleasures. If selected well and worn moderately, it definitely lends itself to creating an aura of both beauty and wellbeing for the wearer, whist at the same time pleasing the senses of those around. Perfumes, if stored correctly, can retain their unique quality for years. So what is the main enemy of perfume? – Temperature. Too much heat will affect the perfume negatively.

Temperature can affect not only the fragrance of the perfume, but also the colour of the precious liquid. Perfumes are manufactured in many colours including clear, gold and brown colours and this colouration is determined by the natural or synthetic ingredients used to make the fragrance. Heat can change the colour of a perfume making the colour darker, and often cloudy or opaque.

When it comes to the affects of heat on the fragrance, this can be more noticeable, especially if you bought the fragrance because you love the smell. Like the colour of a fragrance, the “scent” is also volatile, and can be subjected to change with heat. Excessive heat can change the “top notes” of a fragrance, these are the initial notes that are perceived in the moment that the fragrance is sprayed. The affects can range from make the notes sharper, more sour, or less recognizable to being none existent with extreme heat exposure. Finally excessive heat can often make a fragrance smell musty.

The two factors of heat that have a directly effect on perfume are the ambient temperature around the fragrance and of cause sunlight. Your precious fragrances should never be stored in excessively warm environments so bathrooms are a no-go, or be exposed to places with direct sunlight as this, for sure, will mean that your favourite perfume will disappoint you, and possibly those around you too.

Skin type has a direct effect on a fragrance. Natural moisture in the skin will help to retain the fragrance for longer, so people with dry skin will find that fragrances will not tend to last as long as those with more moist skin,  which is often the case in the summer as our skin becomes drier due to the rise in temperatures.

For men in SUMMER you might like to bear in mind that heat intensifies any fragrance and already heavy fragrances are often stronger in the summer. For this reason try lighter fragrances with more grassy or citrus notes as they work best in the summer, and heavier fragrances with musky or more woodsy notes, which are warmer, are better for the winter.