Just like the rest of the items in the vicinity of your vanity, body spray can go bad, and has a shorter shelf life once it is opened. Most experts agree that the average shelf life of body sprays is 3-5 years. However, there are reports of Victoria’s Secret Body Sprays going bad in one year. Others claim that they have had the same body sprays for multiple years, and the body spray has not changed. Unfortunately, there is no set rule like there is for most other things.
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How To Tell If Your Body Spray Is Expired
While there might not be a hard and fast rule to tell you when to toss your beloved body spray, there are a few tell tale signs that you need to watch out for. Keep a close eye on perfumes for these signs. If you notice any of them, it’s time to replace them.
It Smells Differently
As the ingredients start to break down, you’ll notice that your perfume has a different smell. This is a similar thing that happens when lipstick goes bad. Most of the time, it’s a rather unpleasant smell. Your body spray may begin to smell sour when it begins to go bad, or it might just smell a little off. A difference in smell means that you need to replace it.
The Color May Change
If you started out with one color, and you notice that you now have a different color, there’s a chance it could be because your body spray has gone bad. The change in color is due to the molecules in the body spray breaking down, which is what happens when you have an expired body spray on your hands.
Expired Body Spray May Evaporate
When your body spray has a high content of alcohol, it might begin to evaporate. If you notice that your bottle is slowly looking as though it has less and less perfume even though you haven’t been using it, it’s a sign that the alcohol is evaporating. Then, there will be fewer preservatives in the bottle, and your perfume will go bad rather quickly.
How To Store Perfume So It Lasts Longer
There are several factors that contribute to how soon your body spray goes bad. Certain ingredients will expire before others, for example. One major factor that contributes to how quickly bod spray expires is how it’s stored.
When a body spray or perfume is stored correctly, you can get as much as five years out of your fragrance. On the other hand, there are reports of people getting significantly longer than that out of their body sprays because they were stored a certain way.
Store Body Spray At The House To Prolong Shelf Life
Keeping fragrances and body sprays in your purse is known to decrease the shelf life of them. This is particularly common in roller balls and travel size body sprays that are meant to be on-the-go with you. Body sprays stored in your bag tend to expire soon because they are consistently exposed to environmental changes while in your purse, such as going outside on a freezing cold day or hot, humid environments during warmer months.
Body Sprays Should Be Stored In A Dark Place
I know it’s hard to resist putting your body spray collection or that gorgeous perfume bottle on your dresser for display. However, all of the light isn’t good for your fragrance. Both sunlight and man made light can slowly impact the DNA of your favorite fragrances. Make sure that your body spray is exposed to the least amount of light possible to make it last longer.
Keep The Bottle Closed
As soon as you open that beautiful bottle of perfume, oxygen slowly enters the bottle. This leads to the scent becoming oxidized, which can make your body spray go bad over time. Avoid opening perfumes and body sprays until you’re ready to use them. After that, keep the cap on them to help oxidation happen later instead of sooner.
Low Humidity Environments Are Preferred For Storing Body Sprays
Perfumes and body sprays don’t hold up as well in humid environments. Just like the rest of your beauty products they need to be stored in a dry environment. That means not keeping them in the bathroom, basement, attic or other areas that have a high humidity. If your house has high humidity levels, store your fragrances in a box when their not use for additional protection.
Consider Keeping It In The Box
While it might seem like nothing more than a cardboard box, that little box is a great way to make sure that light doesn’t hit your perfume bottle. This is a great way to store perfume bottles, or stack them on your dresser.
Avoid Areas With A Lot Of Temperature Fluctuations
It’s common to store perfume and body spray in the bathroom. A lot of people toss it into their purse to take it with them on the go so that they always smell good. However, those are easy ways to make your body spray expire sooner. The constant temperature fluctuations aren’t good for any beauty product, including a fragrance. Instead, keep it stored in an area with a more stable temperature.
Use The Bottom Shelf
When storing your perfume, use it on the lowest shelf possible. This applies to storing it in the closet, bedroom, etc. When your body spray is stored on a lower shelf, it’s less likely to be exposed to as much light. On top of that, it’s important to remember that heat rises, resulting in more temperature fluctuations on higher shelves, and making the bottom portion of a room colder, which is ideal for body sprays.
Does The Type Of Fragrance Matter?
When it comes to price, most people swear that luxury items are overpriced, and it’s pointless to buy them. However, there are quite a few differences, especially concerning perfumes. Luxurious fragrances are often made with more oils. This helps the scent last longer when you wear it. It also means that fragrances have a lower alcohol content. Overall, more oils and less alcohol will help a fragrance keep longer.
That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with body sprays. I have my own collection of Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works body sprays! However, it’s worth noting when you’re out shopping. If your fragrance will sit on a shelf for a long time, you might get to enjoy the benefits of paying a higher price tag.
Can You Use Expired Body Spray
You can, but you shouldn’t. First of all, the smell will change. You don’t want to walk around smelling like vinegar or something else horrible all day. Second, you can wind with irritated skin. Instead, toss expired body sprays and rotate your stock.
Instead of risking it, pick up some new body spray if you’re concerned that yours has gone bad.
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