Yes. Like all other products, perfumes also have an expiration date. There are a few factors defining the expiration date of your favorite perfumes. They include the date of the perfume production (which can be traced with the help of the perfume’s batch code), the expiry date, and the period after opening. Let’s take a look at each one of them and get you prepared for your next perfume purchase:

What is a batch code?

Each original branded perfume should have a separate batch code. This is an identification code that carries important specific information about when and where a particular perfume was produced. It is very handy for quality tracking purposes as, if there is a quality problem with a certain batch of perfumes, the batch number helps identify the faulty batch and all perfumes from this batch can be easily removed from the market.

What may confuse you is that there are several different numbers on a perfume’s package, like the barcode and the catalog number, for example. While the barcode and the catalog numbers are printed in a standard way (and are part of the overall design of the package), the batch code is additionally applied to the already printed package.

Where to find the batch code?

The batch code comes in many variations and is usually printed on the bottom of the perfume packaging. It usually consists of 3 to 12 different characters (letters plus numbers or numbers only). Here are some examples of batch numbers of some of the most famous perfume brands:

COTY INC:
1 letter + 11 digits (L1 0589076962)
4 digits (1234)

Christian Dior:
4 characters (letters + numbers): 1N05

Estée Lauder:
3 characters (letters + numbers): A35

Chanel/Bourjois:
4 digits (1234)

Procter&Gamble:
4 to 10 digits: 2068, 158854

As you may have already guessed, fake perfumes don’t have batch numbers or (as it is often the case), all fake perfumes’ packages are printed with exactly the same batch number.

Here’s a link to a useful site where you can easily enter the brand and batch code of your perfume and find out when it was produced: http://www.checkfresh.com/

Expiry dates (Period after opening (PAO))

 You must have seen the small symbol of an open jar with a number on it on your perfume packaging. This number is the number of months you should use your perfume before it hits its expiration date. The period after opening is a compulsory element for all cosmetics products that have an expiration date shorter than 5 years (most makeup products, perfumes, skincare, etc).

Normally, perfume manufacturers recommend the usage of 30 months (after the perfume is being opened) for perfumes with alcohol. That’s 2 years and a half – a pretty decent expiration date for your favorite perfumes! What’s more, if you store your perfumes the right way, you can enjoy their divine smell longer than that.

Do you use your perfumes after their shelf life is over? Share your experience with us in the comments below!