Perfumes - is it me or them that have changed?

[Umbilicat]

iAt the airport recently, tried some Beautiful by Estée Lauder, which was one of my go tosin the 90s. I wore!it incessantly and often was complimented on it. But now it smelled like nasty old air freshener this time.
Another fave.
Also tried Chanel Cristalle. Same.

Right now I’m using up some perfume afriend gave me, which is fine, but I don’t adore it. I was looking forward to going back to some of my old favourites. But they just smell completely different to how I remember. So is my memory faulty? Has my skin changed? Or do the perfumes have a completely new formula and if so why?

I don’t know but I’ve noticed the same. Ralph Lauren Romance was one of my go-tos but smells dreadful on me now. I also used to wear Beautiful, haven’t done for years and don’t think I’ll bother based on your post!

I do believe they have had to change ingredients in some because of legalisation and that is why some scents have been discontinued.

They have removed certain ingredients over the years for animal welfare reasons

The IFRA changes have made many classics totally different.
The ban on oak moss and civet, for example

I've given up altogether.
I've spent a bomb on perfumes that smell great initially, but disappear completely within an hour.
Fecking duty free gets me every time - must be my chemical makeup ( or so I tell myself), but nothing lasts on me for an hour. Or even 30 minutes😏

Jo No Malone is awful for this...
Colognes that last about 10 mins

The Guerlain perfumes seem to be the same. Also, one of my nineties favourites, Eden, is the same as it was.

Age, your nose, skin, does change how perfumes smell on you. I've recently binned my estee Lauder muse. It smells awful on me now, DH. even commented. I blame menopause. Apparently citrus scents work better. I'm wearing Barbour original my DIL bought me which fingers crossed doesn't smell awful on me.

I find Guerlain very good! I think some of their very old perfumes have had to change and Chamade has been discontinued! Many perfumes are just chemical cocktails. Much prefer the more natural ones.

Samsara is a shadow of its former self.

They've changed. Cristalle doesn't smell the same as it used to

I read that too. Also, though, our tastes change as we age, as does sense of smell, so just as broccoli/super sweet stuff can be hated or tolerated, smells can seem different. And, we smell different as we age (studies showed people guessed age quite accurately from body scent), so if we spray the perfume on ourselves, it might smell different from when we were kids in the 90s.

Interesting! Thanks everyone. If they've changed ingredients for animal welfare reasons then fair enough. I shall move on and stop chasing my younger self, pointless exercise anyway.