[mirandaugh]

I have a bottle of Guess Gold I purchased about 3 years ago. Lately when I open it the smell is overpowering. It doesn't seem to smell the same - it smells like highly concentrated old lady perfume. The color looks a bit yellow now too (though I can't remember what its original color was). Has it gone bad? How can I tell? Is it possible I've just "grown out of" the smell and don't like it anymore? It seems a shame to throw it away, but why wear it when I don't really like how it smells now? I'm also afraid if I repurchase, it will turn out that it is just my sense of smell that's changed and I'll waste $. I'd like to hear other experiences, and would love to hear if anyone else has experienced this with Guess Gold. Thanks!

[<Helen>]

I've had this experience with Cacharel's anais anais some people say the best way to keep your perfumes true to their scent is to keep them in your fridge; lipstick and nailpolish too.

[Rebbierae]

I remember where I worked, a tester bottle of Guess Gold seemed to have turned and gone bad. Can you go to a store and smell it there and see if it smells different than the one you have at home?
They DONT last forever, unfortunately and I have had one or two that just don't smell right after a few years. And where I worked we've had a couple that have seemed to go absolutely rancid.

[Dalylah]

I haven't had problems with that perfume as I don't own it but I have had the same problem with other fragrances. It's like they mutate over time. It's very annoying, especially if it was expensive. Helen's advice sounds about right. Maybe the fridge is the best place to keep them for longevity.

[Rebbierae]

I've heard that too, but the thought of spritzing on perfume out of the fridge on a cold morning when I already can't warm up....ugh--I think that would keep me from putting on perfume!
I've heard to just store it in a cool, dark place, and NOT in a place that changes temperatures often--the biggest culprit of that is the bathroom, where I used to keep mine. The change in temperature and humidity from using the shower can wreak havoc on the chemicals in the perfume. So I now store mine in my dresser drawer in my bedroom--it is fairly cool in my room, and being in a drawer it is obviously dark. Plus that is less to dust on my dresser too...

[Orangeeyecrayon]

i have never had one seem "rancid" to my nose. but i used to have the burberry Britt parfume and after a few years it just seemed to lose all scent so i got rid of it.

[Camden Lennox]

As off i dont have any experience in this, but i feel if the perfume smells the same and does not cause any kind of rashes or allergies, then i think you can very well continue using it.
then it is best that you store your future perfumes in a fridge to avoid such issues.

[magosienne]

Happened to me before, i think it's because of the high percentage of alcohol in it (it was a middle priced perfume, thinking back, maybe it's a quality problem too). It smelled great but the alcohol made it too overpowering and i used to store the bottle in more or less direct sunlight, so it turned rancid.

Also after a while i've noticed the fragrance looses of its power, i don't know why but that's usually why i only own one bottle of perfume, so i'm sure i still have the scent i bought.

I think in stores they turn bad because of the light, especially at Sephora you have neon lights everywhere.

[honeymomo]

Yes, perfume can go bad due to age and temperature. I used to work at DFS, and you can smell the difference with our old testers we have in storage. Don't wear it because it might give you a rash.. besides, why would you want to if it doesn't smell good anymore!?

[lolaB]

Yeah, I'm like Aude, only it happened with multiple bottles. I used to store my perfume bottles on my windowsill (smart, right? ), and pretty much ruined all of them. But yeah, just toss it and store your future frangrances where the lighting and temperature are consistent.

[~Angela~]

Man I have had my bottles of perfume forever some over 8 or 9 years!