Why Does My Favourite Perfume Smell Different?

If you’ve ever bought a new bottle of your favorite fragrance only to be taken aback by the smell, you’re not alone. There could be a bunch of reasons why it might smell different. Some differences in a scent are red flags that you should return the stuff immediately, and some of them more likely mean that the version of the scent you liked has actually been eliminated by its maker. To see the ways you can figure out what’s up, and the reasons fragrances change, just keep reading.

1. It’s been reformulated.

This is one of the fragrance industry’s best-kept secrets. Most fragrances that have been around a while (even classics like Shalimar or Chanel No. 5) get reformulated every decade or so. This means that although it’s supposed to be the same fragrance, it isn’t. So if you happened to love the 2000-2010 version of your perfume, but there’s something different about the 2017 version, this could very well be it. Unfortunately, if you can’t learn to love the new formulation, your only recourse is to try and find a bottle of the previous version.

2. It’s an eau de toilette, eau de parfum or eau de cologne

This is another one most people never find out about. Not only is an EDT or “pure parfum” a different strength than the usual eau de parfum, they’re sometimes actually separate fragrances. Famously, several Hermès scents’ formulas are different in their EDP and EDT forms, so if you decided to try a lighter or more concentrated version of your perfume, you may have wound up with another one altogether. Learn more by reading our fragrance concentration guide.

3. You’ve previously bought your perfume from another country or region

Yup, the same fragrances are altered for sale in different areas of the world. So if you bought your last bottle in Dubai or Shanghai, the European version is unlikely to be the same perfume, and you’ll have to hit up a duty-free store the next time you’re traveling in the area if you want your precise scent back.

4. Your body or the environment you are in has changed

Changes in pressure/elevation, temperature, humidity (due to travel or change of seasons), diet, sleep habits/location or work location, age, the body’s pH level can all change how you perceive perfumes. Even fatigue and mood can affect how a perfume smells to you!

5. Sunlight, heat and time can drastically affect the way a perfume smells

Perfumes can last for, on average, five years. You need to keep perfumes stored in a dry, dark and cool, but not cold, place. Sunlight and heat can alter the smell. If you see any brown thickening, the perfume is going bad. But don’t get rid of your perfumes until you really notice their smells changing. As we get older, our sense of smell changes, so recognize that your own sense of smell can make the perfume’s scent change over time. Once you open a perfume bottle, it starts to “age.”

The best way to narrow down the “why” is by doing a product comparison test. When doing a perfume product comparison, the best way to do it is by blind tasting. Take your bottle of perfume to a perfume store and spray on neutral paper, compare 2 identical perfumes, ask 2-3 people to assist you and remember that an EDT perfume last 3-4 hours and a EDP perfume last 6-8 hours, on neutral paper the endurance of perfume is reduced.

My Perfume Shop’s perfumes are all 100% original & authentic. We offer the service to test if a perfume is faulty, a refund or exchange is decided buy the customer. If a perfume is found to not be faulty a courier fee x 2 and a surcharge of 20% will be levied. You can view our full exchange and return policy here.