Perfume Problems Questions & Answers

Do perfume’s go off or stale?

Yes, they do!  When a perfume goes off they get an ‘old lady perfume’ smell.  This is due to the alcohol in the formulation reacting with the perfume oil, forming ingredients which change the perfume.  You may guess from this that oil based perfumes, without alcohol, last longer.   Perfumes sometimes contain UV absorbers and Anti-oxidants, and these ingredients are very good at protecting the perfume.  However, any perfume, if left long enough, or stored badly, will go off eventually.   Most perfumes are fine for at least a year.

Key for protecting perfume is to store it out of direct sunlight (the UV light from the sun speeds up reactions).  Sometimes it can be useful to keep the perfume in the original box.

Can Skin Type affect how Perfume Smells?

Yes, it can!  Normal pH of healthy skin is slightly acidic at around pH 4- 6.4 (neutral pH is 7).  The acidity of your skin is useful as it offers protection against micro-organisms, i.e. germs!

The biggest changes in the smell of a perfume occurs if your skin is alkaline, with a pH above 7, which often can adversely affect the smell of the perfume, or at least alter it.  Under these circumstances it is even more important to test the perfume on your skin to make sure it is still liked.

The most common non-medical reason for alkaline skin pH is using alkaline detergents.  Common medical reasons include eczema, dermatitis and diabetes.

Can the Food We Eat affect how Perfume smells?

Yes it can!  The skin is the biggest organ of the body, with millions of pores, or tiny holes that allow moisture and odour to escape.  Odours associated with food that we eat can be secreted through our skin.  Of course the strongest odours and largest food groups will be the most likely to be smelled on our skin.  Garlic and spicy foods are amongst the most common food related skin odours, but others include milk and dairy products.  Any food smells coming through the skin will mix with perfume and smell a little different, often not bad, but different! 

If you eat a lot of spicy food, it can be helpful to wear fragrances which also have some spicy elements as it is much less likely there will be a perfume personality clash.  Oriental style fragrances often contain spices.

Did you know that people who don’t eat dairy product can sometimes smell sour milk on their dairy eating friends?

What about Perfume Allergy?

Dermatologists believe around 1% of the population could be, or become allergic to perfume.  All allergies are dependent on exposure to the allergen, and how much allergic potential it has.  Also, the more you come into contact with an allergen, the worst the allergy is likely to become. This is why nut allergy sufferers are advised to avoid all nuts as soon as an allergy is identified.

Fragrances are complex mixtures of ingredients, often containing allergens.  This includes natural perfumes, and essential oils.  In Europe 26 perfume ingredients have been identified as common Fragrance allergens and they have to be identified on the product label of perfumes, cosmetics, toiletries and detergents.  Some of these allergens are synthetic, others are found naturally, some are weak allergens and others stronger.  In addition there are other fragrance ingredients with the potential to cause allergy.

If you suspect you are becoming allergic to fragrance, but still want to enjoy perfumed products, try hypoallergenic versions of cosmetics and toiletries.  Please note that there is no universal rule for what constitutes hypoallergenic, and usually individual companies have their own policy.  If you choose a respected brand, it is likely to be well thought out and researched with an appropriate policy on ingredient use in perfumes.

For more information about perfumes or to contact me about designing perfumes which meet special requirements, please visit

www.orchadia.org

www.perfume-training.com