One of the most common questions we get asked is, “Have you changed the formula?” This is of course in reference to a particular LeRêve Perfume, usually asked by a customer who has just purchased a bottle of their favourite fragrance and their astute sense of smell tells them it’s different from the previous bottle they owned.
Yes, it’s true – Perfume changes over time.
But does it improve or worsen? The answer to this question isn’t so straight-forward and requires some explanation. So here goes…
To create your sweet-smelling bottle of LeRêve Parfum, we first dilute the raw perfume essence with cosmetic alcohol. As you probably already know, LeRêve uses far more perfume essence and far less alcohol than you’ll find with most other brands, hence why our Parfums smell more vivid and last much longer. While the odourless alcohol component doesn’t contribute anything to the perfume’s scent, it’s still important as it carries the scent through the air. In fact, without the cosmetic alcohol component, most people wouldn’t be able to smell your perfume at all.
Once these two liquids are mixed together into a single solution, it goes through a process called maceration. The mixture is left to stand for four weeks in a large vat with a lid and no headspace (to prevent oxidation), allowing the elements to marry and morph into the beautiful substance we call Parfum. After the maceration period, the Parfum is chilled to 2 degrees centigrade at which temperature any impurities fall out as solids which are then removed by filtration. The liquid is then bottled.
Once a new LeRêve Parfum is bottled, it continues to mature. Perfume is dynamic – an evolving creation that slowly ripens over time. For this reason, a brand new bottle of LeRêve Parfum can smell somewhat different to an older bottle. The longer it sits, the more it changes. This is where perfume lovers can sometimes wonder if LeRêve has changed the formula (note – we haven’t)!
Perfume historian and writer, Elena Vosnaki, wrote about this phenomenon… “The perfume changes in the bottle, indeed. People who go at a leisurely pace with their fragrances often come up with a subtle change. By the time you're through half of your bottle, this might already be happening. This is maturing. This means that when you finish up your bottle and come back to the store, you might notice the change compared to the newer bottle, even if there is no change in the production batch, no reformulation!”
Some people prefer the freshly made bottle while others like their older matured bottle. It’s totally subjective and down to personal preference. But it’s more common for people to like the older bottle because it would have changed slowly over time without them noticing, whereas a new bottle could smell noticeably different leading to a negative first impression.
There can also be variations with the perfume essence itself, though this is less noticeable. Because the essence contains natural ingredients, there can be slight variations in the scent of those ingredients. Think of how a strawberry picked one year might taste different to a strawberry picked the following year. The soil, weather and other natural conditions produce a variation in the taste. This effect can impact a perfume with strong natural notes, such as LeRêve Parfums.
So, letting a fragrance mature could actually improve the scent, at least in your opinion. A word of caution however… Much like wine, or cheese, with perfume there is that fine point between beneficial ageing and spoiling. And although perfumes do not carry an expiry date, they can expire – particularly if they are not well stored.
The main enemies of perfume are sunlight, strong electrical light, oxygen, heat and humidity. Exposing your Parfum to these elements will speed up the ageing/spoiling process. Frequent fluctuations in temperature can also cause the volatile components inside the Parfum to react and change its chemical makeup.
Store bought eau de toilette fragrances tend to degrade faster than purer LeRêve Parfum since they have a larger concentration of alcohol. Light and fresh scents with lots of citrus top notes are most vulnerable to time and conditions. Perfumes with heavy base notes that are nutty or woody last longer than floral scents. Natural vanilla deepens to the point of colouring the fragrance dark brown. That’s why most of the queries LeRêve receives about formulation changes are for Parfums with strong vanilla notes such as Vanillatrope Intense and Narcotic Vanille.
To assist your precious LeRêve Parfum to mature but not spoil, store them carefully in a cool, dark place with the lid on. You can even keep them in the fridge – that’s much better than on the windowsill in your steamy bathroom!
Of course, perfume is intended to be worn, adored and loved – so don’t ration your favourite fragrances. Wear them every day and you’ll be re-ordering regularly enough to avoid any issues with spoiling.
