What is the lifespan of 1ml glass sample vials?

[BlackForest]

So for those of you with a lot of samples and decants, there is always a risk of evaporation, even if you store them in a cool and dark place.

Based off of what I've read so far, it seems that plastic ones with atomizers are the most susceptible to evaporation. The glass ones with atomizers aren't safe either. Even when you use the painter's tape.

But I wanted to know specifically about the lifespan of the small 1ml/0.75ml glass sample vials with the plastic cap that snaps in, with a little wand dabber. No atomizer. These seem to last much longer because without an atomizer or a cap to screw on, it's much more airtight.

I wanted to create a little sample library where I can put on a small dab and smell pretty much any fragrance I want to, but I don't want the stress of worrying about them evaporating within a year or so.

TLDR:
Those of you with those 1ml sample vial dabbers, how long do they last? How are they looking after 1 year? 2? 5 years? A decade? Is that even possible?

 

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

It depends on how it is kept. Well secured vials can last a long time while those that aren't may evaporate or turn in a short period of time.

 

[RedRaider430]

Those of you with those 1ml sample vial dabbers, how long do they last? How are they looking after 1 year? 2? 5 years? A decade? Is that even possible?

As far as longevity, the 0.7 & 1 ml glass sample vials that you describe are the best. I've never noticed any evaporation from them, and I've had some of them nearly 12 years. <----(When you have them that long, you might as well throw them away, but you know how things go. You think, "I might want to try that again someday," so you wind up keeping it for years on end, and of course, you rarely ever do.)

I will say, however, that just because they don't noticeably evaporate, that's not to say the the smell of the juice inside might not change somewhat over many years/decades.

 

[BlackForest]

As far as longevity, the 0.7 & 1 ml glass sample vials that you describe are the best. I've never noticed any evaporation from them, and I've had some of them nearly 12 years. <----(When you have them that long, you might as well throw them away, but you know how things go. You think, "I might want to try that again someday," so you wind up keeping it for years on end, and of course, you rarely ever do.)

I will say, however, that just because they don't noticeably evaporate, that's not to say the the smell of the juice inside might not change somewhat over many years/decades.

Great to hear.

Sometimes its nice to just revisit a scent by dabbing the smallest bit on yourself - not necessarily "wearing" it for others, but just for you to remember. This allows me to have anytime access to 200+ different scents that I couldn't afford otherwise. I'm glad that you've found that these sample vials tend to keep decently well through the years.

 

[BlackForest]

It depends on how it is kept. Well secured vials can last a long time while those that aren't may evaporate or turn in a short period of time.

These would be the types of vials purchased from the sites such as Fragranceline, Microperfumes, Decantx, Perfumed Court, etc.

I have no idea how to grade or judge them for quality. I'm sure they're not "lab approved" but they seem to snap on pretty tightly and they are advertised as glass vials.

I'm sure many of you have purchased these as well

 

[Diamondflame]

> 10 years easily, preferably in sealed glass vials stored upright. Like tiny time capsules it’s a great way to preserve ‘scent-associated memories’.

 

[StylinLA]

Yeah I must admit, the little stopper vials seem to be close to evaporation proof. I dislike them myself for sampling, but they do last.

The little spritzer decants vary in quality and I've had some rude surprises with some 8ml and 10ml decants.

 

[strangelight]

They will almost certainly longer than a year. I have probably over 100 little samples (both plastic and glass) that are over a year old and only one seems to have evaporated in that time.

Sometimes its nice to just revisit a scent by dabbing the smallest bit on yourself - not necessarily "wearing" it for others, but just for you to remember. This allows me to have anytime access to 200+ different scents that I couldn't afford otherwise. I'm glad that you've found that these sample vials tend to keep decently well through the years.

I feel the same! I also like them for the sake of comparison, to be able to compare them side by side and pinpoint exact differences.
Maybe eventually my nose will stop "maturing" but in the few years I've been into fragrance I'm still noticing changes in how fragrances when I come back to them after a while. There are many that seem well made but not to my tastes - but that could change, as it already has for a few scents.
I'm only tempted to get rid of the ones I don't like and find poorly made.

 

[hednic]

If it's stored properly, a very long time.

 

[Ken_Russell]

Depending on many variables, however tending to second that if stored properly (any cool, dark storage space will suffice) 10 plus years of unaltered lifespan are NOT a rarity, exception but rather quite common.

 

[Redneck Perfumisto]

My estimate is that they will last for DECADES, at the least.

I receives some glass vials with clear plastic stoppers that were already rather old when I started this hobby, 15 years ago. They're still perfect with no change and no evaporation.

That kind of plastic (polyalkylene) typically doesn't degrade as quickly as some of the harder ones that become brittle in 50-60 years. So if some of these samples lasted a century or more, kept cool and in the dark, I would not be surprised.

 

[BlackForest]

I think the biggest thing to be mindful of would then be your skin itself, and what sort of natural oils may get onto the dabber and follow back into the vial. If you observe general cleanliness and don't apply straight after a run or something, it should be pretty minimal.

That's one drawback of these sample types vs atomizers, where nothing would ever get in.

 

[RedRaider430]

Sometimes its nice to just revisit a scent by dabbing the smallest bit on yourself - not necessarily "wearing" it for others, but just for you to remember.

Exactly. It's nice to "revisit" smells sometimes, just like a pleasant memory.

For sampling, all I really need is to dab a bit from the vial on the back of my hand. That at least allows me to rule it in or out. If I do like it, then I arrange for a more normal wearing.

 

[Hothamwater]

Since 2017 I’ve had a 1ml vial with a plastic dabber similar to those used by luckyscent, with Pure Incense attar in it. I have only used a few swipes - and it’s well over half evaporated. It’s been kept in a cool, dark place the entire time and it still creeped up out the vial

 

[BlackForest]

Since 2017 I’ve had a 1ml vial with a plastic dabber similar to those used by luckyscent, with Pure Incense attar in it. I have only used a few swipes - and it’s well over half evaporated. It’s been kept in a cool, dark place the entire time and it still creeped up out the vial

And there we have the first bad example of longevity of these 1ml vials!
Thanks for posting, looks they might not be as invulnerable as what the discussion has been suggesting so far.

Though 2017 being 6 years ago, I would say losing 0.5ml is not disastrous. Does it still smell the same?
And if you have other samples that you store next to this one, how are those faring?