There’s nothing like completing your carefully planned outfit with a few strategic sprays of your favorite body spray. We all love to stock up when they’re on sale, but this can lead to body spray sitting on a shelf for months or years. You’re bound to wonder does body spray go bad? We’ve got the answers you’re looking for.
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Does Body Spray Go Bad
Like the other items near your vanity, body spray can degrade and has a shorter shelf life once opened. Most experts agree that the average shelf life of body sprays is 3-5 years.
There are reports that Victoria’s Secret Body Sprays have gone bad in one year. Others claim they have used the same body spray for multiple years and that it has not changed. Unfortunately, there is no set rule like there is for most other things.
How To Tell If Your Body Spray Is Expired
While there might not be a hard and fast rule for when to toss your beloved body spray, there are a few telltale 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 break down, you’ll notice that your perfume smells different. This is similar to what happens when lipstick goes bad. Most of the time, it’s a rather unpleasant smell. Your body spray may begin to smell sour or slightly off when it starts to go bad. A difference in smell means that you need to replace it.
The Color May Change
If you started with one color and notice a different color, it could be because your body spray has gone bad. The color change is due to the molecules in the body spray breaking down, which happens when you have 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, the bottle will contain fewer preservatives, and your perfume will degrade more quickly.
How To Store Perfume So It Lasts Longer
Several factors affect how quickly your body spray expires. Certain ingredients will expire before others, for example. One major factor 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 more than that out of their body sprays because they were stored improperly.
At The House
Keeping fragrances and body sprays in your purse decreases their shelf life. This is particularly common in roller balls and travel-size body sprays meant to be on the go with you.
Body sprays stored in your bag tend to expire quickly because they are repeatedly exposed to environmental conditions in your bag, such as cold days or hot, humid conditions during the warmer months.
Store In A Dark Place
Sunlight and artificial light can gradually affect the DNA of your favorite fragrances. To prolong the life of your body spray, keep it out of direct sunlight.
Keep The Bottle Closed
As soon as you open that beautiful perfume bottle, oxygen slowly enters the bottle. This causes the scent to oxidize, which can make your body spray degrade over time. Avoid opening perfumes and body sprays until you’re ready to use them. After that, keep the caps on them to delay oxidation rather than accelerate it.
Low Humidity
Perfumes and body sprays don’t hold up as well in humid environments. Like the rest of your beauty products, they must be stored in a dry climate. That means not storing them in bathrooms, basements, attics, or other areas with high humidity. If your house has high humidity levels, store your fragrances in a box that is not used for additional protection.
Keep It In The Box
While it might seem like nothing more than a cardboard box, that little box is a great way to ensure light doesn’t hit your perfume bottle. This is a great way to store or stack perfume bottles on your dresser.
Avoid Temperature Fluctuations
It’s common to store perfume and body spray in the bathroom. Many people toss them into their purses to keep them fresh, so they always smell good. These are easy ways to make your body spray expire sooner.
The constant temperature fluctuations aren’t suitable 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 a closet, bedroom, or similar area. When your body spray is stored on a lower shelf, it’s less likely to be exposed to as much light.
It’s important to remember that heat rises, resulting in greater temperature fluctuations on upper shelves and making the lower 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 pointless to buy. However, there are several differences, particularly regarding perfumes.
Luxurious fragrances often contain more oils, which help the scent last longer when worn. This also means that fragrances have a lower alcohol content. Overall, more oils and less alcohol will help the fragrance last longer.
Can You Use Expired Body Spray
You can, but you shouldn’t. First, the smell will change. You don’t want to smell like vinegar or something horrible all day. Second, you may experience irritated skin. Instead, toss expired body sprays and rotate your stock.
If you’re concerned that yours has gone wrong, pick up some new body spray instead of risking it.
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