26 October 2026 · By Faan Perfumes

How to tell if a perfume has gone off, and how to keep it fresh

FAAN Qasida Al-Badr Eau de Parfum 200 ml bottle

Quick answer: Perfume expiry is not a hard date. A bottle has gone off when the top smells sour, flat or metallic, the colour has darkened a lot, or the liquid is cloudy or has sediment. Stored cool and dark with the cap on, most bottles stay good for several years. Heat, light and air are what shorten that.

Perfume does not go bad overnight like milk. It ages the way olive oil or wine does: slowly, and faster if you treat it badly. A 200 ml bottle takes years to finish, so it helps to know what you are looking for.

Signs: colour, smell, clarity

Smell. The top notes go first. A bottle that has turned smells sour, flat, metallic or like vinegar in the first seconds, and the sparkle you remember is missing. If the heart and base still smell fine after the opening, the damage is mild.
Colour. A slight darkening is common and often harmless, particularly in vanilla-heavy scents. A big change, such as pale gold turning dark brown, is a warning sign.
Clarity. Cloudiness, floating bits or a layer at the bottom mean the formula has started to separate.
Level. If the liquid level is clearly lower than expected and the cap has not been tight, some has evaporated and the balance may have shifted.

To test, spray once on a blotter and compare it with how you remember it.

Typical lifespans

There is no single number. As a general guide, a well-kept bottle stays good for around three to five years, and often longer. Our storage guide says the same. Citrus-heavy and very light perfumes tend to turn first. Resin, wood and amber-heavy perfumes tend to hold on longest. Concentration helps a little: a high oil content holds up better than a light splash. These are general ranges for perfume, not claims about how any single FAAN bottle will behave.

Heat, light and air

The three enemies act in different ways.

Heat speeds up the chemistry. Car glove boxes, bathrooms and sunny shelves are the worst places.
Light, especially sunlight, breaks down fragrance molecules and fades colour.
Air oxidises the liquid. Each time you open a bottle, a little air gets in. Keep the cap on, and avoid shaking.

A cool, dark cupboard in a bedroom is better than a vanity under a window. Most people keep boxes, and the box is useful as light protection.

Opened versus unopened

An unsealed bottle in a box in a cool cupboard keeps well for a long time. Once opened, the clock runs faster, because of air in the neck of the bottle. Even so, the effect is slow compared to the lifespan of the oil. A bottle opened and used at one spray a day will mostly be finished before it turns. The bigger risk is a half-empty bottle left in a warm place for years.

What a 200 ml bottle needs

A 200 ml bottle is a long-term companion. For example, at two sprays a day, Amjad Honour lasts two years or more, as we show in is Amjad Honour worth it. To look after one:

Keep the cap closed and the box on.
Store it away from windows and radiators.
If you finish it slowly, decant a small amount into a clean atomiser for daily use and keep the big bottle sealed away. The decanting guide shows how.
Use a bottle such as Qasida Al-Badr at a steady pace instead of letting it sit.

Browse the full range for more.