How do you store your fragrances?

[Alriyah]

In an attempt to learn how to pronounce Phtaloblue (LOL), I watched a few perfume reviews on YouTube today. I was completely shocked to see every reviewer filming in front of a large collection of perfume bottles just sitting on the shelves behind them. I keep all my perfumes stored in their original boxes in order to protect them from light exposure. My reasoning is that I own more perfumes than I could possibly go through in a lifetime, so I want to preserve them as much as possible so they're still wearable after I die. Am I weird for doing this? Do you keep your perfumes in their boxes, or do you toss the boxes and enjoy the beautiful bottles?

 

[Quay Limey]

I want to preserve them as much as possible so they're still wearable after I die

Whu…

You’re a Pharaoh, right…?

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

In an attempt to learn how to pronounce Phtaloblue (LOL), I watched a few perfume reviews on YouTube today. I was completely shocked to see every reviewer filming in front of a large collection of perfume bottles just sitting on the shelves behind them. I keep all my perfumes stored in their original boxes in order to protect them from light exposure. My reasoning is that I own more perfumes than I could possibly go through in a lifetime, so I want to preserve them as much as possible so they're still wearable after I die. Am I weird for doing this? Do you keep your perfumes in their boxes, or do you toss the boxes and enjoy the beautiful bottles?

I keep the perfumes not currently being worn in storage file boxes in the closet, in their original boxes so they can be stacked in the larger box without banging into each other.

Those perfumes currently being worn are out on a tray unboxed but away from direct light or heat. Been doing this for decades with no issues of any kind (except I have too much perfume)!

 

[L'Aventurier]

Sadly, I have bad news for most of these fragrance reviewers: many fragrances will turn after just a few weeks in the sun.

It blows my mind that they are unaware of this, and makes me question their competency as reviewers.

I keep most of my fragrances that don't get a lot of wear, in their original boxes, in a cabinet or in big plastic bins, away from the sun and fluctuating temperatures. The ones I wear a lot are kept in a drawer. I've never had anything turn, except for a few bottles that I used to display on my dresser in my early 20s. They lasted a few weeks to a few months before they went weird from sun exposure, but I didn't notice in time to salvage them.

 

[Bonnette]

I imagine that some YT reviewers display their bottles as props to give their videos more credibility, and then store them somewhere else between videos. Luca Turin has said that even a few hours' exposure of perfume to direct sunlight will start a deterioration process. All of my bottles are in their original boxes (except for some vintages that no longer had them) and kept in a closed wooden cabinet.

 

[metanoia]

All my perfumes are in the closet. The ones that are currently out of favour/ season are in their boxes, the ones I wear most are placed on a tray.

 

[Dr B1414]

I use a large wine cooler. Keep everything at a temperature between 50 - 65 F. I keep my vintage perfumes (20 years +) in the 50 range, the indie/artisanal stuff (very high in naturals) at around 55-60, and the niche, attars, and oud oils at around 65(least sensitive).

I'm thinking of making a room just for storing my perfumes, as I have a large collection, and I have trouble reaching in the back of the cooler for bottles. Besides, I would like to expose them. So, I'm thinking of getting AC and set it for that specific room at around 50F constantly, and display them as it is. Or maybe get more coolers). But yeah, away from UV, and heat.

 

[cazaubon]

I have a walk-in closet with shelves where I display all my perfumes out of their boxes. It allows me to see and access everything I have without exposing them to light and heat. If I can’t see something, I won’t reach for it. I also have no room to keep all the boxes.

 

[classics4me]

With the exception of several I keep on my dresser (out of direct sunlight), I store them in a wooden cabinet far away from any sunlight. I don't keep the boxes. Never had a fragrance turn, and own several bottles between 20 and 40 years old.

 

[hednic]

As stated many times before in previous threads like this one, in a very large walk-in light, temperature, humidity and dust controlled basement vault.

 

[classics4me]

As stated many times before in previous threads like this one, in a very large walk-in light, temperature, humidity and dust controlled basement vault.

Would love to walk through there! Would be like a museum.

 

[ScentSensei]

It seems like this topic comes up quarterly. I tend to find any advice or knowledge from Luca to be worthy of consideration. I have my collection in a dark room with blackout curtains on trays on my dresser. If you have treasured scents, especially vintage ones it's probably a good idea to store them inside something without light or temp variations. Obviously direct UV exposure is not good for most things, including chemicals and organics. Do not expose fragrance bottle to excess heat, humidity, or UV light.

Having said all of that I think the drama over fragrances 'turning' seems overblown. I can't imagine that thousands of vintage bottles that have been sold on ebay, here, etsy or wherever have been magically stored in perfect conditions over the decades. Modern fragrances or modern reformulations sitting on a table, dresser, or tray in room temperature without direct sunlight are not going to 'turn'.

So if you store your bottles on your sun-porch...stop. If you have that bottle of Nautica Voyage in your glove box or gym bag in your car hopefully you aren't worried about it but don't keep your designer or niche bottles there.

 

[metanoia]

It seems like this topic comes up quarterly. I tend to find any advice or knowledge from Luca to be worthy of consideration. I have my collection in a dark room with blackout curtains on trays on my dresser. If you have treasured scents, especially vintage ones it's probably a good idea to store them inside something without light or temp variations. Obviously direct UV exposure is not good for most things, including chemicals and organics. Do not expose fragrance bottle to excess heat, humidity, or UV light.

Having said all of that I think the drama over fragrances 'turning' seems overblown. I can't imagine that thousands of vintage bottles that have been sold on ebay, here, etsy or wherever have been magically stored in perfect conditions over the decades. Modern fragrances or modern reformulations sitting on a table, dresser, or tray in room temperature without direct sunlight are not going to 'turn'.

So if you store your bottles on your sun-porch...stop. If you have that bottle of Nautica Voyage in your glove box or gym bag in your car hopefully you aren't worried about it but don't keep your designer or niche bottles there.

I sometimes wonder about this. There’s an old and heavily abused bottle of Chanel no.5 edp in my ownership that I know for a fact spent a few years on a bathroom windowsill. You can do the math. However, aside from a bit of fading in the top notes, it smells great, if not better than a bottle I could buy new. Now I’m not going to conclude that it’s fine to store perfume like that. NO. But I’m thinking: I also own a bottle of Cuir Pleine Fleur which has about 20ml left and it’s definitely turning. (Comparing with my other bottle it smells slightly different and the top notes are messed up or completely gone.) It’s certainly 10+ years younger than the Chanel and certainly wasn’t doing as much sunbathing. SO: Are some brands doing something to make their perfumes endure better, be more stable…? Is that even a thing? Or does it always come down to particular aromachems/ molecules used and some will deteriorate in the bottle after a certain amount of time, no matter what and others will last 40 years just fine?

 

[Ken_Russell]

From a personal viewpoint alone, no problem-happening to do pretty much the same.

Even if no (other) additional precautions are taken with any scent owned, still storing each and everyone of them in their original boxes if possible, in a cool but no refrigerated, dark, well aired but not air conditioned, quite dry cabinet.

Especially considering the personal goal of keeping them all unspoiled in the long run, ideally with no given, specific time frame.

 

[classics4me]

It seems like this topic comes up quarterly. I tend to find any advice or knowledge from Luca to be worthy of consideration. I have my collection in a dark room with blackout curtains on trays on my dresser. If you have treasured scents, especially vintage ones it's probably a good idea to store them inside something without light or temp variations. Obviously direct UV exposure is not good for most things, including chemicals and organics. Do not expose fragrance bottle to excess heat, humidity, or UV light.

Having said all of that I think the drama over fragrances 'turning' seems overblown. I can't imagine that thousands of vintage bottles that have been sold on ebay, here, etsy or wherever have been magically stored in perfect conditions over the decades. Modern fragrances or modern reformulations sitting on a table, dresser, or tray in room temperature without direct sunlight are not going to 'turn'.

So if you store your bottles on your sun-porch...stop. If you have that bottle of Nautica Voyage in your glove box or gym bag in your car hopefully you aren't worried about it but don't keep your designer or niche bottles there.

I wonder if some of the worry about frags turning is the result of marketing--perceived built in obsolescence.

 

[Goliath]

I keep mine on a shelf in my walk-in closet away from light and heat. I’ve read about issues of keeping them in direct sunlight throughout the years here on Basenotes. Just grab and spray the scent of the day when choosing my clothes for the day.

 

[growly]

I keep mine in a temperature and humidity controlled vault with exceptionally low lighting levels, because they’re being buried with me when I die.

 

[Zenwannabee]

I try to keep my colognes out of direct sunlight and away from heat. But I have the majority of them out of boxes and on top of my dressers and on my side of the bathroom counter—all of which makes my wife shake her head, but makes me happy.

And I agree, my oldest scents are still very wearable and they’ve gone through an adult lifetime of numerous moves and a variety of climates. My motto mainly is Carpe Diem and Carpe Unguentum (or whatever the Latin for perfume/cologne may be).

 

[DoctorM81]

Always try to keep the original boxes and store the bottles in them, although I own many that (for a variety of reasons) are without boxes.

 

[thrilledchilled]

I store them in boxes if I have them. I store them in air conditioning around 22.5C. If they have no box, I store them in covered shelves.

 

[GoldWineMemories]

Usually upright. I'll sometimes yell at them like a drill sargent if they start to slouch that way the juice doesn't turn.

 

[Alriyah]

Thanks, everyone, for the responses! It seems I am not overly anal-retentive in keeping my perfumes in their original boxes. I do like the idea of leaving in-use ones out, though! I admit that it does get tedious unboxing a perfume every time I want to put something on. Especially when I don't know what I want to wear and I have to sniff several to figure it out! I'll think about easing up a little and leaving seasonal ones open and on the bedroom dresser (although it's giving me anxiety just thinking about it! ).

 

[classics4me]

Thanks, everyone, for the responses! It seems I am not overly anal-retentive in keeping my perfumes in their original boxes. I do like the idea of leaving in-use ones out, though! I admit that it does get tedious unboxing a perfume every time I want to put something on. Especially when I don't know what I want to wear and I have to sniff several to figure it out! I'll think about easing up a little and leaving seasonal ones open and on the bedroom dresser (although it's giving me anxiety just thinking about it! ).

Sounds like a reasonable compromise.

 

[speckmann0706]

Dark room temperature controlled in shipping boxes easy access.

 

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

I keep my bottles in their boxes, if they came with them. They're stored at room temperature.

 

[lfc1892]

Room temperature. No sunlight.

 

[Monsieur Montana]

Just keep your bottles in shade and more or less stable temperature.
I also keep the boxes.
But when you take photos of your collection you need to take them out of their boxes

 

[mr. reasonable]

I've got a dozen or so 'CD Boxes' that I bought 15 years ago - more or less one for each house + a few taller storage boxes for the bigger bottles.

 

[Lomaniac]

A bunch in a closet for no reason other than to keep them out of the way. My rotation is on a baker's rack by a door so I can pick on the way out.

As the bottles are sealed and literally filled with water and alcohol, I couldn't physically find the means to care less about humidity. The temperature is whatever the house temp is, which isn't any worse than the buildings the bottles sat in, some for decades, before I got them. My house happens to have walls, ceiling, and even a roof, so sunlight isn't hitting much of anything I own other than my curtains.

I have more than I can wear, and it'll all be trash in the future. As it's all just depleting consumer products, it doesn't matter how long they last beyond my own use for them.

 

[Airegin]

I keep all my bottles in the original box in a closet. No air conditioning here, room temperature has been between 25-29C° (77-85F) in the past month. I wonder if that can cause any damage? When I take out a bottle it doesn't feel warm but not cold either so it doesn't seem that the original box + closed closet does all that much to shield it from the heat.

 

[AZsmells]

I was keeping all my bottles in their original boxes in my closet but recently I got an armoire and took them out of all their boxes so I could display them. I kept the boxes in case I ever decide to sell any. The armoir has doors so everything is kept away from light except when I open the doors.
There are pictures in the picture of your collection thread.

 

[Schubertian]

Mine are usually on a designated shelf in my wardrobe (not walk-in) so they are stored in the dark at room temperature. I don't store them in their boxes ( a couple of precious vintages excepted) because I like to see the bottles and I find it a faff to unbox them everytime I want to use them. My collection isn't that large anyway.

Right now, because my apartment doesn't have air-conditioning, all my perfumes are spending the summer in my basement.