Why does my perfume not "work" any more?

[AuldAlliance]

I've been wearing the same perfume - L'eau par Kenzo - for over 10 years. In the last 2 years, it's ceased "working". It smells very faint, and if I put more on it just smells odd, like mildly rank water with an alcoholic tinge, and has no staying power.
I thought it was because the old lot had gone off somehow, but a new bottle does exactly the same thing.

Have they changed the contents?
Is it my skin/me that has altered and no longer suits the perfume?

I'm really disappointed because I love it and it holds many happy memories. But I'm reluctant to buy yet another bottle and find the same thing is happening...

Any ideas?

It might be both reasons. Your chemistry probably changes as you get older and some manufacturers tinker with their perfumes all the time.

Next time you are doing a big shop perhaps you could go to a department store where they do samples and try either this perfume or have a sniff round others to see if there is something you fancy making your new signature.

You can become "anosmic" to a fragrance if you've used it for a long time; your nose literally stops picking up certain notes. This happened to me with L'Eau D'Issy, which was my 1990s fave - suddenly all I could smell was a faint ammonia-like sharp pong.

I assume you haven't left your bottle stewing in the sun, as perfume can also go off and lose its topnotes...?

It might be time to branch out and try something new. Have a look on www.fragrantica.com; if you look up your perfume you can see what notes it contains and view similar ones to try.

This happened to me! I used to love Gucci Rush in my college days but then one day it started smelling 'wrong' and giving me migraines to the point I'd vomit. If anyone passes me wearing it I have to get away quickly!

Thanks for your replies.

I always keep my perfume in a closed cupboard, to avoid sunlight, so I don't think it's that.

I will just look on the bright side and try to find time to enjoy exploring perfume shops! And fragrantica.com looks great, thanks for that CV.