How Can You Preserve The Fragrance In Your Cologne?

Have you ever noticed that the fragrance in your cologne gets depleted with time? This article will help you to preserve the scents in your cologne bottle for long time.

Cologne, like many other bathroom and makeup products such as perfumed soap, lotions and body creams have a shelf life. In most cases, the manufacturers indicate the expiry date of the products once it is opened. Although the cologne might have an expiry date indicated on the label, you will notice that after some time of use, your cologne slowly continues to lose the strength of its scents.

Actually, after some time, some colognes for men may end up flat. Without the right methods of storage and use, you can easily find that your most treasured cologne does not have any fragrance at all. Worst still, some of the colognes may go bad and smell bad if you do not take the effort to preserve the fragrance in them. Below, you will learn the best ways to preserve fragrance in your cologne and make it last longer.

Preservation of Fragrances in Cologne Bottles

The fragrances and scents in most colognes are essential oils. Perfumes and colognes are normally preserved using alcohol and other chemical mechanisms. Alcohols normally evaporate easily and lead to the fragrances in the perfumes getting lost. While using the products, it is easy not to pay attention to preserving the fragrances in your cologne. In order to keep your product smelling enjoyable for long, here is a simple guide to follow.

1.Store Away from Direct Light

Some of the cologne bottles are superbly designed and can be tempting to display in the open. Direct light, especially from the sun quickly degrades the quality of cologne. If your cologne is packaged in a clear bottle, it is crucial that you avoid exposing it to direct light. Light breaks down the molecules in the cologne while accelerating the evaporation of alcohol preservatives that are added in the bottle. Leaving your cologne bottle exposed to direct light will make its fragrances degrade quickly.

To avoid this problem, ensure that you store your cologne in its original box packaging to prevent it from being hit by direct light. If you are used to leaving your cologne in the bathroom, try to ensure that it is in a cabinet that does not receive direct light. Another alternative is to store the bottle in a shelf to prevent direct light from reaching it. The darker the storage area, the better the fragrance, will be retained.

The darker the storage area, the better the fragrance, will be retained.

Store your cologne in a dark place away from direct light.

2.Reduce Exposure to Heat

Just like direct light, heat disintegrates the molecules in your cologne. The bonds that make the scent you like in your cologne will be quickly broken when it is exposed to heat. In the end, it loses its fragrance faster than it would be natural.

The preferred temperature under which you should store your cologne is 12 to 14 degrees Celsius. However, if the cologne does have citrus notes or scents, it is preferred that you preserve the fragrance at much lower temperatures, around 4 degrees Celsius to avoid disintegration of the fragrance. Another important tip to preserve the fragrance in your cologne bottle is to avoid storing it near radiators and heat vents in the house.

3.Keep Your Cologne in a Dry Place

Most people do not know that humidity will also hasten the fading of fragrance in a cologne bottle. It is for this reason that many don’t mind storing their bottles of cologne in the bathroom where they use them frequently. Like any other makeup, excess humidity will accelerate the loss of fragrance.

Although you can store your cologne in the bathroom, ensure that you put it in a bathroom cabinet to keep it safe and protected from steam. If you are not sure whether or not the cologne is safe from humidity, you can put it in a dry room, cabinet or drawer specifically designed to preserve cologne. The best drawers and cabinets for storing cologne are lined with linen to prevent light and unnecessary humidity.

4.Avoid Excessive Opening and Closing of the Bottle

How many times do you use your cologne? The more times you open and close the bottle, the faster the fragrance is going to fade. Alcohol that is used as a preservative in your cologne readily evaporates, causing the fragrance to be lost quickly. In order to prevent this loss of fragrance, ensure that you only open the bottle a few necessary times.

If possible, choose colognes that are packaged in bottles designed not to be opened. A bottle that has a mechanism of dispensing the cologne without having to be opened will preserve the fragrance much longer. An example of such men colognes is Hugo Boss. However, if you need to open the bottle several times a day, ensure that you seal the cap tightly after use to avoid any leakage of the fragrance.

However, if you need to open the bottle several times a day, ensure that you seal the cap tightly after use to avoid any leakage of the fragrance.

A cologne that dispenses without opening the bottle preserves the fragrance much longer.

5.Don’t Shake the Bottle

Do you shake your cologne bottle before applying it? Well, shaking cologne bottles before using them is a myth that only works to degrade the product. Most people shake the bottles with the assumption that they are mixing the ingredients to get the best scent. Contrary to this thought, colognes are designed in a way that they remain evenly mixed – but only if they are stored properly.

When you shake the bottle contents, you incorporate air and accelerate the breakdown of the fragrance. To preserve the cologne, ensure that you apply it without shaking. Avoid disturbing the contents of the bottle as much as possible to ensure the scents last longer.

12 comments… add one
  • Christopher James Aug 16, 2013 @ 5:33

    To preserve the fragrance of my cologne or make the fragrance last, I make sure to buy affordable but quality cologne.

    • Marisa Sep 24, 2013 @ 13:01

      Hey Christopher, that is a really great tip. Thanks for sharing!

  • John Fisher Oct 6, 2013 @ 5:42

    Very good advice. I always store all my after shaves and colognes in a dark-dry place, in the original box. I only take them out when I am using them, and doing this allows them to last much longer. This especially important if you have a precious cologne, perfume, aftershave, etc. that is expensive or hard-to-find. My favorite scent for myself was given to me by my wife and she bought it in Russia. I have not found anywhere in America where I can buy it, so I want to make sure that it lasts as long as possible.

    • Marisa Oct 6, 2013 @ 16:28

      Hi, Great Tip. Never thought of it until now, until you mentioned your favorite scent from Russia, but these suggestions can be super important to follow if you want your hard to replace/find and or expensive cologne to last as long as possible. Thanks for sharing!

  • Julieane Jan 29, 2015 @ 19:46

    Awesome tips! I really learned a lot from these tips especially number 5 wherein I thought shaking the cologne before applying is a must, but this is just a myth that only works to degrade the product.

  • Eau De Online Jan 31, 2015 @ 5:49

    Hi, great tips! Will share it on my page.

    Regards,
    George

  • Julieane Hernandez May 19, 2015 @ 0:15

    Put a lotion first to your skin then spray the perfume, that helps to make the fragrance last longer. I learned new things from this article. Thanks for sharing!

    • Deborah Jul 25, 2015 @ 21:59

      Great idea, Julieane! Thanks for the tip with the “lotion first!” I’m going to try that 😉

  • Sharon Dec 24, 2016 @ 10:53

    Thanks for all the great tips and information given. Somewhere during my travels, and living in Europe for seven years. I was told that putting cologon/perfumes in the frigrator would extend the life of their scents. As some people would buy five or six at a time. I haven’t tried this as I use one at a timne myself.

    • Deborah Apr 7, 2017 @ 1:02

      Hi, Sharon. I have heard that, as well. I believe I even did it, too. To my knowledge, it certainly didn’t hurt the cologne/perfume. It is helpful when you have more than one, as you mentioned and especially the small purse sized versions that you want to keep “fresh” until the next adventure. I’m with you, I only use the one at a time.

  • Darin Bible May 7, 2017 @ 20:37

    Wow! Great tips. Thank you for sharing this informative post. I learned a lot from this.

  • Karl Lee May 27, 2017 @ 4:34

    Wow! I never knew these things would work. I tried it and it is really effective. Great post!

Leave a Reply to SharonCancel reply

Your email address will not be published.