Why doesn't perfume last anymore?

[Bluesheep8]

Maybe it's my skin, but nothing lasts! I've even started buying the matching body lotion for my perfumes but the scent continues to fade to nothing. Even my trusty old clinique aromatics and Thierry mugler angel don't last 5 minutes anymore. WHYYYYY?!

The cop out from most perfumiers is they had to get rid of certain carcinogens because California mandated it had to be advertised front and centre on all products. I personally believe it was a good excuse to cut out expensive ingredients. :(

The majority of Dior products are a shadow of their former selves. I actually sent back the first reformulated bottle of Dolce Vita I had believing it was fake. :(

I think you may be right. Actually, I asked a lady on the clinique counter if the formula had changed when I found it didn't last and she said that it had...SO annoying, because the price hasn't! And I expect edp to last longer than a few minutes. I wonder if there is anything with any staying power these days....

I sometimes find testers are stronger to sucker you into buying it. But the full size purchases often smell weaker.

EU regulations have meant many perfumes which contained higher percentages of known irritants have had to be reformulated.
You can pick up older versions of your favourites on eBay and get a reminder of what they used to be like before reformulation.
Obviously skin also changes over time, and we may not suit what we once did, so it smells odd to us.

Try oudh.

That's interesting Annie - didn't know about the reformulations!

The PP dupes seem to last longer than the real thing in my experience. I have both the real and PP dupe of Hermes Twilly which is one of my favourite perfumes and only the dupe lasts all day

I find Angel Muse lasts all day on me as does my other winter perfume, Hypnotic Poison.

Charlotte tilbury dream lasts really well, it’s the only one I’ve found that does last a day

I used to get a bottle of Estée Lauder Cinnabar but now it’s lile it’s not even the same perfume. I loved it too, until about 2 or 3 years ago

*every Christmas that should have said

keep trying free samples. I did this for a couple of years until I found a Penhaligons scent that lasts on my skin for about 7 hours.

Really pissed off with my Jo Malone orange bitters actually, it might as well be flavoured water. Literally doesn't last five minutes. My very irresistible lasts for a while and Clinique happy is ok.

I wear Clinique Aromatics. I also can't smell it. However,when I pick up a cardigan or top that I've worn the previous day and give it a sniff it's smells quite strong!

Jo Malone colognes literally ARE flavoured water! Colognes are about 80% water. Add the fact citrus notes don't last very long and you've got a double whammy!
Try Perfume Parlour dupes for JMs. Last much longer.

Oh I hadn't clocked it was cologne and that was different from the usual edt. I've just googled the difference and it says cologne is much lighter. That's a bit annoying. What's the point! And it's still the same price as the edt!

I just got Floral Street Ylang Ylang Espresso in a beauty calender - bloody impressive silage and longevity and if you like Angel, you would love it - it's like a musky version of Angel but coffee instead of chocolate. Can't stop sniffing!

I've noticed the same and it's really annoying.

But if you do that old trick of spraying the perfume in front of you and walking into it (clothed!) that seems to make it last longer.

I really love strong, heavy, woody, earthy scents and so this new lightweight things with perfumes is really bad news for me.

On a random note, I (against my better judgement) sprayed a Mugler mens fragrance on my wrist a while back, it was either the tabac or the leather one. I shit you not, I could still smell it three mornings (and three showers) later. That smell hung about like.....well, a bad smell.
Modern fragrances don't last long on me at all but the older style, even the modern versions, seem to have more staying power. YSL Black Opium doesn't last that long but original 80's-tastic Opium lasts 24 hours plus.
CK Opium also lasts ages. It doesn't smell like it did in the 90's but it lasts as long.

Years ago (I'm talking stone age) people would react to an unfamiliar smell as a danger and once they became familiar with it then it didn't seem so strong. This is the same today. You nay have become used to your fragrance. You need to change it every so often. Or you could layer it by either spraying it a couple of times in the same place or using the shower gel or body cream in the same fragrance (if available if course). Also skin and sense of smell changes throughout our lives. Their are many variants! Don't give up trying to find your new ideal fragrance. Fragrantica is a helpful website.

I thought it was to do with not having one signature (and expensive) perfume as ladies would have had in years gone by. As fragrance has become cheaper and women don't want to be tied to one scent all day, the manufactures have made perfumes less long lasting so we buy more have the option to wear more than one a day.

I wear lots of different perfumes none of them last, it’s not that I have got used to the smell as I pretty much never smelt them on me in the first place!

Isn’t it because there are no natural ingredients or oils anymore only synthetic ones. I think that is why Creed is so popular because it evokes the past when perfume was evocative and lasted.

Thanks for the replies everyone. And I will check out the one mentioned similar to Angel. The thing is, it's not just my old faves that don't last, even perfumes that are new to me don't last either, so it can't just be familiarity...

Seriously try Floral Street - almost seems aromatherapeutic. But I do agree about switching around perfume frequen tly so your nose doesn't get used to it. I'm alternating NR for her and Ylang Ylang Espresso each day and I'm really enjoying both.
Not sure I agree that perfume is cheaper these days - I remember the good old days of around 75p per ml - now it's usually double if not treble that!