Hi Claire, thank you for this very detailed explanation. To me as a chemist and artesanal perfumer there is, once the perfume is bottled, absolutely NO maceration any more. Only maturation and degradation. Maceration refers, as you described, to the process when raw materials are mixed to a perfume oil (which usually is shipped into the destination country) and maybe, when dissolved into ethanol (which often happens in the destination country), before filtering. After the filtering process, there can't be any further maceration, as there are no solids anymore you could "extract" substances from. To my understanding, maceration is a purely physical process. Maturation therefore is a chemical process. Chemically unstable substances like Aldehydes, Ketones, Amines etc. are changing their chemical structure, especially when Ethanol and Water al solvents are involved. This kickstarts maturation. The perfume changes its scents profile within hours to months until a chemical equilibrium, depending on the formula, is reached. Maturation is a purely chemical process to my understanding. Also, as you said, degradation starts, accelerated with the introduction of oxygen, heat, humidity and UV-Light (some people just misshandle a perfume and miss-call it "maceration" after, pretending it's something good they did). Usually the top notes disappear first and some of the materials might become an off smell. For example Hedione, a material used very often and in huge quantities in perfumers, can evolve some notes that remember you of expired milk. Also degradation is a chemical process. On the other hand, materials like Sandalwood (real sandalwood, not sandalwood aroma chemicals), Patchouli or Vetiver just are getting better with aging. So, a perfume with a lot of those materials might smell richer after "overaging", but most certainly other components are evaporated or decomposed until then and certainly the perfume won't reproduce the artistic idea anymore, it was made for. But hey, when it still smells good or even better to one's nose? One thing certain, that has nothing to du with actual maceration. Thanks for the informative video! And I am very impressed, as you have hundreds of comments and so far I see, replied to all of them! Chapeau!
Thank you so much for your comment! It's very interesting to read. I am particularly interested by your comments on hedione; are there any other aromachemicals which you think really don't benefit from over-ageing? E.g. are chemicals such as ambrox, cashmeran and iso E super extremely stable? Also, what about the synthetic oud accords and saffron used in many affordable Middle Eastern fragrances? Thanks for watching 🥰
Hi! It's very interesting, thanks🎉. This summer is very hot in my country (France) and I tested a perfume at sephora. Few moment later, a strange yellow color appeared exactly where I sprayed. A yellow oily thing. Is this because of the heat? Or a problem with the tester, overused or something?
Some fragrances just have more colour than others, so for example my bottle of Tom Ford Orchid Soleil has a red colour, I assume from the natural extract from spider lily or perhaps another one of the florals in the fragrance. I'm not a perfumer, but I would think it's likely to be a specific ingredient.
Just so I understand better. Adding oxygen only degrades the fragrance correct? And maturation naturally occurs as time goes by, and does change the scent profile?
Man, I LOVE an intelligent breakdown 🤎 I am pretty new to the fragrance game, and, am trying to soak up knowledge from those more informed than myself. So, thank you much for the useful knowledge...BOTH OF YOU!
It’s absolutely massive. I’ve found, and it just means leaving it alone for 3 or 4 months - at least. With cheapies you can’t rely on it being ready to wear, especially mid easterns. The difference can be absolutely black and white. I mess around with making perfume also - and it absolutely needs maceration. Freshly mixed oils usually smells confused. I usually chuck a bit in a sprayer to test it, but am aware that it’s going to improve greatly over time. Don’t underestimate maceration. It’s a must.
The fragrance that I had to seriously attempt to macerate and convinced me that maceration should always be done was Armaf Intense Man Limited Edition because upon opening and spraying it for the 1st time, it literally made me smell like a cigarette Astray. I let it macerate for an entire month and it was a night and day experience. I could easily tell that the smoky nuances blended with the other notes which made it an overall pleasant more harmonious scent. I did extensive testing to ascertain performance, longevity, and smell to be as thorough as possible before I attempted maceration as well as after. Anyone who isn't an advocate of macerating their fragrances is selling themselves short 100%.
Well if leaving it for a month worked for you, then it worked and that's all that matters. Whether it's perception or reality is neither here nor there. What matters is that it's good for you now and that you are enjoying it. I think if people want to spray and leave a fragrance for a month, it's not exactly a lot of effort is it? And if people think it does do something, then they should keep doing it. It's entirely personal choice. Thanks for watching 🥰
I agree. It happened to me with Armaf Intense Incense. Very disappointed at the first spray. I tried it a week later, the difference was very noticeable!
This has always been a big bugbear of mine and it is becoming increasingly annoying. 😂 but people like to sound like they “know what they are talking about”, and what better way than to adopt a bit of jargon. Great video Claire.
Thank you! This was actually pretty hard to find much valid information on, especially for the third definition. Someone needs to mass spec some different time point sprays from a bottle and see if there is a difference and how big it is. Hope you are well. 🥰
I remember first hearing the word macerate regarding perfume. I looked it up and it didn’t seem to be a match to what they were saying. I thought marinate was a better word. That still isn’t exactly the word. You’re right in saying the aging process. I bought an 8 ml decant of the now discontinued Bottega Veneta edp. So many influencers raved about it some years back. I was disgusted. It smelled like furniture polish. I would continue to go smell it again as it made yet another influencer’s top perfume list. Around 2 years later it smelled exquisite, expensive and downright regal. That was the first scent I experienced that with, but not the last.👃
I have Bottega Veneta EDP too! I bought a partially used bottle (actually two) so I can't compare my experience with yours as it wasn't new when I bought it. I think it's a beautiful fragrance too! Thanks for watching and sharing your experience 🥰
@@ClaudiaObregon-y1c I have never had a fragrance significantly evolve from time of purchase other than one that went off towards the end of the bottle... I sped up my usage of it as the top notes weren't quite right. It was DKNY Be Delicious. I do buy a lot of my fragrance (apart from Middle Eastern fragrances because they are so affordable) secondhand though.
It would be interesting to “macerate” a perfume, buy the same perfume and compare. there would be factors such as batch differences that might affect the smell but if the “maceration” process truly works, a significant difference should be detectable. Time to experiment Dr. Claire! ❤
Yes, I would think batch variation might be quite a big factor. What I don't understand is that there is oxygen in the bottles at the time of packaging anyway 🤔 you'd think it would age whether it had been sprayed or not? I guess this is the unanswerable debate 😂
@@dr.claire.perfume I don't understand that spraying at the beginning before letting it age. I have a fragrance I bought maybe 20 years ago that is refillable. So, I opened it and soon afterwards the scent changed, I didn't like it. Therefore, most fragrance bottles now almost impossible to open.
@@wicker1234 yes for me, oxidation ruins fragrances because it degraded them, you definitely wouldn't want an open bottle of fragrance, if that's what you mean? I would never deliberately shake my fragrances (apart from for this video) or leave them in sunlight either. It's just not how I would treat fragrances if I want them to be in the best condition for the longest time. 🥰
Thanks Claire! Very interesting. Jax beautiful you explained something similar. Basically that when reviewers use the term maceration they really mean oxidation. And I definitely prefer your term of just "aging". I only own 1 ME fragrance and it didn't change in my opinion. What I do like is that some reviewers just receive the ME fragrance, spray it, let it sit & then review it. Giving it time to age before ever telling us their opinion. Thanks for the all the detailed information you provided!
Thank you ❤️ My 4 didn't change either (from what I can judge and remember, which might not be that accurate as it's not a direct comparison) and I kept them between well over a year and three years. I think giving an opinion after a few months with any fragrance is always going to be a much better review. That's not ever going to be the case with new releases though, everyone wants to be first for views. It's good when people do circle back though. 🥰
Hi Claire!!!Excellent video!! So informative and defining!!! You explained everything in detail,so clearly for everyone of us to understand what maceration is! It was like attending a masterclass in perfumery!!!Thank you so much!!!
Thank you ❤️ I really am not sure that definition 3 has enough information. It was a struggle to find any science behind the idea but equally there are arguments the other way too... It's a tricky topic! Thanks for watching 🥰
This has to be for real. My Bentley for Men intense just smelled like pencil shavings when I first got it. I almost gave it away. I thought I would try it again a few months later and I suddenly smelled all of the notes. Love it now. I recently bought Lataffa Caprice and it smelled sharp and abrasive at first. A month later it was better. Two months later it started to smell like Blue Electique, which is why I bought it. I haven’t had this happen with my more expensive fragrances.
Excellent video! I see the words maceration and maturation used interchangeably a lot in the fragrance community. This is an interesting topic and you covered so many points within like what the process might look like from inside the perfume house, and the effects of social media. I have never put away fragrance with the intention of maturation, but can think of several in my collection that have gotten darker, sweeter, or more rich with age. Hypnotic Poison and Addict from Dior, Un Bois Vanille and Ambre Sultan from Serge Lutens are all maturing quite nicely just by me taking my sweet time using them up. 😊
Thank you! I found this really hard to find any information on at all actually, there are a few people trying to explain maceration but no one really says what it is... Talking to perfumers was useful, but ultimately unhelpful when it came to the YT version of maceration. And I think you've hit the nail on the head, there's no need to specifically "do" anything, I think a fragrance will age in your possession without input from the owner. I have some older fragrances, but I don't think I've had anything long enough to smell it noticeably change, I've had my oldest ones between 5-10 years, but I only have a handful that are that old. I've definitely had fragrances with vanilla change colour though, e.g. Aura darkened. And I have older formulations of particular fragrances, e.g Alien and Angel that I treasure, but I didn't have those when they were fresh and young sadly. Thanks for watching 🥰
Maceration = oxidation (TH-cam version) it absolutely works for Middle Eastern fragrances because most are created and shipped out immediately. I've got a fragrance that was created July 2024 and I received it 8/23/2024. It's already way better than it was upon arrival.
I find it very odd that oxidation has any noticeable effect over such a short period of time with just a bit of spraying, someone needs to do a study 😂 It's very puzzling to me. 🥰
This is a topic near and dear to me as I realized quickly the term we use is not accurate, and I am an ME Frag fan, so it comes up a lot. The first time I heard the term, I thought of chewing or stomping on grapes for wine making... And yet people kept saying get air into the bottle, which sounded like a chemically different process to me than just letting scents marry together with time. After all, it's usually months before you get to a bottle from a manufacturer, which should be plenty of time for fragrances to marry and balance out. I was super skeptical about the idea of "maceration" but every ME fragrance I have had a substantial change for the better. Usually two days makes some weird stuff wearable, two weeks gets you most of the way there, and two months you're getting very diminishing returns in terms of improvement and it's pretty stable scent wise. Because getting air into the bottle was the key, I actually just said oxidation instead of maceration, albeit not to a point of degradation. Is what officially what is happening here? In another life I worked in the vapor industry and eliquid uses flavors from the same houses/companies that do fragrance and also require maturation of the flavors for them to balance out. It's rather uncanny how fresh ME frags are wonky in the same ways as fresh eliquid is. Just way out of balance and weird. (seriously, lemon flavor that hasn't melded yet is exactly the same as the floor cleaner lemon people say Club de Nuit Edt has... It never bothered me one bit likely due to all of the freshly mixed lemon flavored liquid I've vaped over the years) We use the term steeping. There's a variation called 'streathing' which is steeping + breathing, I. E. Letting it marinate with the cap off, and squeezing the bottle to exchange the air periodically, which obviously added another chemical process to the, well, process. Tricks used to quickly steep flavors together for eliquid might seem familiar.... A popular way is to use a shallow panned ultrasonic cleaner with warm water to get those molecules moving and mixing it up. You touched on this in the video - storing and maintaining the aging fragrances is very costly and is a major factor in price differences. That is partially what you pay for with designer! (working on two cases at work involving lawsuits about warehousing of finished goods... It adds a substantial cost to running the business to maintain, staff, and secure a warehouse, and there are tax implications in the US on that as well in terms of inventory. Even if you pay someone else to warehouse it, you're at their mercy and is more costly long term than doing it yourself. ) Stray thoughts - it bugs me when reviewers don't factor in this process when reviewing ME fragrances. I don't have a ton of them, but I guess I have enough to know that evaluation of a fresh bottle alone is kind of dumb knowing it's going to develop a lot in just a couple of weeks. I mean entire notes will be revealed over time and the potency will often level up as well, so why only talk about it when it's in the worse shape it'll ever be? Ideally, we'll talk about it over time to get an idea of where it'll end up. I generally do not wait to wear them, but my rotation is such that enough time will pass before I wear it again to appreciate the improvement. My bottle of Aventus has absolutely 'aged' a little bit since spraying, although that seems apropos for the brand and their reputation. "Fuck it, let's charge $500 usd retail and NOT have it fully ready."
That's really interesting ✨ thank you! I just looked up what solvent is used in e-liquids, apparently it is propylene glycol and glycerol. I bet that does indeed take quite a lot of mixing to get a homogeneous mixture. That industry relies very heavily on flavour and so it must be so important for brands to get that right. Knowledge of these things is going to be critical to a successful product. I agree that storing fragrance prior to and post bottling is going to add large costs too. I have seen people talk about "clearing out atomisers" but I never really understood what they meant with a new fragrance as the atomiser is clear when you first get a fragrance 🙃, I assumed they were referring to introducing oxygen by spraying or perhaps suggesting that the atomiser tubes had some kind of plastic moulding solvent residue left on them? I find the whole lack of explanation in the area really perplexing! I have only ever had 4 new bottles of ME fragrances and I didn't notice any difference in how any smelt after any time period, but maybe I just didn't pay enough attention or the difference wasn't significant enough for me to recognise it as something. You sound like you have a lot of ME fragrances so you probably have more experience in this area. I try never to review a fragrance straight away, I don't think anyone can accurately talk about any fragrance within only a few days and personally, I want to wear it a number of times and get an overall average impression of it. Reviews straight out of the box are just a big no for me. Have a lovely week! 🥰 Thank you for watching!
Thank you! Another timely video, at least it is for me. To be very frank, when I first heard someone say "you need to let a perfume macerate before you judge it," it was about 12 years ago. I was skeptical. I thought it was an excuse, something a perfume seller said to avoid getting a bad review. I have since learned there's more to it than that, but I haven't always been entirely clear what that was.
I'm not sure this video entirely clears it up either sadly 😂 we need an actual experiment with some mass spec traces from sprays from a new bottle at various ageing points to be able to know for sure what is or what isn't going on for definition three. I feel like this is an incredibly divisive topic where there is currently no adequate answer! 😂 Thanks for watching 🥰
I absolutely loved your video. I knew the terms were incorrect but we know what folks are talking about and the vast majority of us aren’t scientists and perfumery is science or chemistry mixed with art 🧑🎨 I appreciate how you presented this as an essay with your question, then your hypothesis and in the end gave evidence and explanation that your hypothesis that the term aging is actually the correct term! 🎉
Thank you! ❤️ This video was a minefield to make 🤣 Yes I can see if people understand what people mean it's not an issue at all. I guess for me maceration was probably even more definition one than definition two or three 😂
A lot of points to cover, and I want to start out by going to some comments you made towards the end of your video, regarding the "not have another to compare with" this is not always true, some people will use up a bottle and when it dries they buy another of the same, and often get comments that they believe their favorite fragrance has been reformulated or watered down, but after some time it returns smelling and performing like the one they had previously. We also have people that are familiar with the fragrance because of a decant they bought, and then they order the same fragrance and think they have been scammed by a fake, only later after time the bottle after "maturation" improves. If the main cause of these perceptions was due to psychological perceptions, why does it only happen with some brands and lines? I will give an example, Honor and Glory by Lattafa, has a much much higher incidence of people reporting that it was almost unbearable when they first got it, but after a few weeks, it was beautiful, on the other hand, another perfume by the same brand hardly ever has these reports and is generally always good right out of the box. I have enough perfumes in my collection, and have experienced enough of this effect (in some of the bottles) If I had a emotional / psychological expectation affecting my perception, I would have much more incidences of maturation improving my scents. fact is, about 80% of my middle eastern frags never changed from the first day I got them, but the rest have had anything from minor improvements, to drastic improvements, Khamarah - Lattafa, given the initial hype last year, this one sold out, Lattafa quickly made new batches and released them, I was able to buy one of these new batches, when my box arrived, the bottling date was only 5 weeks or so. I sprayed and it smelled nothing like anyone described, all I was getting was boozy, resin chemical mess, and it only lasted about 4 hours, I kept re trying it over the weeks that passed and noticed it was becoming sweeter and some of the other notes are detectable. today over a year later, this is totally another fragrance, smooth sweet , with those resins, and gourmand notes all detectable, and performance on skin is 12 hours plus. I cannot say what is going on, I am not a perfume chemist, obviously the introduction of air helps improve (SOME) perfumes. all I know is for a fact that something IS happening. and psychology , expectations etc cannot explain away what people are experiencing, people that have had the same perfume, or have a decant, and only affecting some perfumes and not others even from the same brand, kind of rule out the psychological aspect of it all.
Fab thoughts! Thank you! ❤️ I think the problem with samples or another bottle might be that those might be from another batch. I've smelt huge differences with different batches (sample Vs testers in store / used bottles purchased secondhand), but then once you start to wear the new one, you begin to doubt that there was actually any difference. 😂 Of course this could also be the effect of incomplete "maceration", we don't know... I don't doubt that people perceive differences at all, so, somany people talk about fragrances improving, I just think there needs to be some science to show the effects, for example, a mass spec trace over time from spraying the same fragrance would be a fab experiment to see results from and would prove that there were changes, these could then be recapitulated and tested on a control group to see whether people detected differences between the original spray and the later spray. With regard to different fragrances and brands, it could be simply social media, people tend to be persuaded, that's really why advertising is so effective. But of course, also there could be some kind of familiarisation with particular notes or fragrances that make them more palatable over time. We just don't know, but there could be a real effect of "maceration" there too, we just need an effective and controlled experiment. I really hope that someone does one, because I'm super curious to know! 😂 Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume I do agree that all the things you mentioned do come into play, of course there are differences in batches, I would also suspect that in some cases, environmental conditions in shipping may also come into play, what if a bottle has gone through extreme temperatures on shipping? also people themselves learn and become better at smelling nuances in their fragrances, over time their noses become trained. in food, some tastes can affect the taste of things you eat afterword's, making some flavors more pronounced others less noticeable, I take all these things into account, and in some cases it is these things that are being experienced. but there are still many instances, and the statistics of it only being true for some perfumes and not others, that lends credence to the maturation effect being true. anyway I appreciate your scientific approach to this phenomena.
Whats happening is not maceration, thats the point here. Unless you bought the perfume the day AFTER the company actually did their mixing and maceration process, no maceration is occurring once it hits you as the consumer.
Great video! Amouage shares the maturation and maceration times of their exceptional extraits fragnances as well. Since the extraits are pretty concentrated and heavy those times are pretty long as well. For example: Interlude 53 - 16 weeks maceration, 8 weeks maturation(aging of the perfume oil without the alcohol added) Reflection 45 - 6 weeks maceration, 10 weeks maturation Jubilation 40 - 8 weeks maceration, 3 weeks maturation
Thank you! ❤️ And thank you for the great info! 😊 It makes you wonder how many different combinations they choose from when deciding doesn't it? It does go some way to explain the pricing too! 😂 Thanks for watching 🥰
Hi Claire, you did a great job of explaining maceration. I enjoyed it. This is my 2nd time watching as I got distracted last time by a phone call… a couple of days ago. I love learning so I appreciate these types of videos. Happy Sunday, Claire. 💐 Mona
Yes I’ve done the maceration process with my Middle Eastern fragrances with the same exception of putting them back in the box. Yara and Nebras both smelled better to me and stronger with time. The same for Kayali Yum Pistachio. Maybe aging is the better term.
Yes, it's just ageing isn't it? If you have a larger collection, simple rotations of what you choose to wear each day give the fragrances time to sit. I'm happy that they smelt better to you over time, thanks for sharing which fragrances improved for you with ageing. 🥰
In the context of how the internet was using manceration I just been told to just let the fragrance sit. I think versace eros edt really benefitted from maturation. When I first sprayed it I was pretty disappointed in its performance and scent. Wasn't like when I've been giving a sample of it. After 6 months its becoming more like the sample Ive gotten. Much more richer and powerful now.
Yes ageing can make some ingredients smell better or worse, it just depends what's there and how stable it is. I remember a perfumer telling me that hedione doesn't age well and citrus oils too. I'm happy your Versace Eros has improved for you. ☺️
This was interesting to me. I find your explanations clear and cogent. I have unintentionally macerated fragrances - ha ha! I bought Kayali samples and noticed the darkening of Vanilla 28 but TBH still thought it smelled a bit like plastic.
Your detailed and accurate description of fragrances and process of making them are truly an enhancement to understanding and enjoying my fragrances in a very personalized and special way. Thank you for making my love and passion for fragrances more of a mature enjoyable experience. 👏👏👏👏🏆🥇
Our YT fragcomm reference to it, altho I understood what was meant by it (as you so definitively explain here, I.e. aging) has never really sat right with me. Such a great, ‘clean-the-air’ on the subject episode, Claire❤
Thank you ❤️ it's such a complicated topic and it feels like a minefield, I found sources that absolutely deny it's an effect at all as in definition 3 but then others that seem to completely disagree! I don't think this is a debate being solved any time soon! 😂 Thanks for watching 🥰
Thank you Claire. You say that you can not compare the smell before and after the "maturation". Because you don't know what changed - the perfume or your perception. You are right that the scent memory is a question. I think there is one more thing. Often when you smell the fragrance for the first time, you detect different notes? impressions? than the second, third... time. Even if you don't smell it, your brain is "working" on it. It is like with learning to drive a car - your brain is training even when you don't drive, in your dreams f.ex. May be sometimes it is a "maturation" of your sense of smell?
This is spot on! This is something that I get this all the time! I try fragrances at least three times, the first time I just wear it, the second time I make blind notes, the third time I look at the listed notes and smell again and look at what I've written. Usually between wear one and wear two is where the biggest differences occur for me. I do think that I often have changed perceptions of fragrances and that varies massively depending upon which fragrance it is... Thanks for watching 🥰
This was very informative video. Thank you for it! I am an arabian perfume fan and i always macerate my perfumes. They really need it. For example my newest addition to my collection is a cheap $7-8 choco musk perfume from Al Rehab - it does not smell like anything but alcohol on the first spray. After a few sprays and shakes i left it be for a month and wow! It does smell like a yummy milk chocolate bar. I always check the date on the packaging and if it's too recent, i leave it for more. It does play a huge role for these type of perfumes. 👌🏻
The video I never knew I needed! 🙌 I'd never really thought about this topic at all, beyond that my own fragrances change over time based on what profile they are and how long I've had them. As you know I'm not especially fond of the middle eastern perfumery styles and so it has never been something I have had to think of. Thanks for the deep dive Claire ❤
Well yes, I don't really expect to have to wait to wear something but whenever I don't love a fragrance that I've bought, I will wait several months before decluttering it and actually with affordable Middle Eastern fragrances, I waited for over a year to make sure. I think when I buy a fragrance, I'm excited to wear it, waiting to enjoy it for a few months would be a bit annoying! 🥰
I see people talking about a maceration process of a few weeks, but I have many perfumes and it takes me over a year to finish some of them. I recently started rewearing Dune by Dior after leaving it for about a year. It smells divine now and perfect for the winter.
Sometimes too our tastes change when we've experienced other fragrances, I know I would not have been into Chanel fragrances 4/5 years back. Thanks for watching 🥰
@ I think it was the perfume that changed! I see macerating like a soup or stew that tastes better a day or two later, or in this case with Dune, a year.
@@TheVintessa yes, the oxidation of particular ingredients can make a fragrance look darker too. I notice this with vanillas and white and yellow florals (in fragrances that use particular ingredients). I'm happy you are enjoying Dune more, I've always wanted to try it but when I've been in store, it's never there! 🥰
Claire! This is the second video on your channel that I've watched and this somehow sold me to subscribe you! Your explanation is very technical and I love how you hypothesize at 15:40 as it does make sense! Thankyou for bringing up the fragrance myths topic to the public-I'm looking forward to watch more of you, cheers! :)
Thank you and welcome! ❤️ I think my biggest problem with the "it needs to macerate" argument is what has it been doing since it was bottled? If it's been shipped and then sold retail, even online, it's likely to be at minimum 1-2 months old already. I agree that fragrances age 100% but over slower time periods that a few days to a few weeks after first spraying them as some people report. Thanks for watching 🥰
Great video!! All the talk about maceration has been so confusing to me because at the end of the day it just means that the product is sold without being stabile enough to offer consistency! I feel like the current maceration trend really boosts perfume hoarding and for people not to dismiss a fragrance at initial sniffs but instead keep disappointing scents in their stash in the hope of it magically transforming into something better one day...
Well yes! I find it perplexing as to how it can be a consistent product for the consumer? And to your second point, if you say you don't like an affordable Middle Eastern fragrance on YT and say you are decluttering it, people still say let it macerate after you've already had it 1-3 years as I had mine 🤣 personally I didn't have the experience of any of them changing to a noticeable degree, but I don't doubt what others perceive, whatever the reason that might be. I agree with you, a mediocre or disliked fragrance seems unlikely to become wonderful to you. Thanks for watching 🥰
What an amazingly interesting video!! I have only just discovered you...I don't know how you got into my suggestions, but it's been very didactic. Thank you ❤
Claire your skin looks amazing. I’m not an expert on maceration which is why I really appreciate this video. It’s quite confusing. I’m going to watch this video again because it’s very informative. I love when you do these videos. Thank you 😊
Thank you ❤️ Yes, I found it very confusing, I've been thinking about this topic for ages and I did ask a few questions to perfumers to be able to sort out the information out there... The thing that puzzles me is how people report changes only a few days after spraying the fragrances the first time when the bottles have been packed and transported to stores and been made 2-3 months before sale. I don't doubt people's perceptions of how things smell to them, but I want to know what's going on! 😂
I bought Eclaire from Lattafa. I could barely smell it. I did spray it 5 or 6 times, then just put it on a shelf in a darker room. I checked it weekly. It was getting a bit stronger. Took about 6 weeks until I felt it had enough scent. I didn’t know about shaking it 🤷♀️
I think it's totally up to you! Shaking is something that will, to a small degree, accelerate any changes that might be occurring, as shaking one of the things along with light exposure, heating and introducing oxygen that speeds up degradation of fragrances too.
Aeration would be a better term than aging. Aging already has a meaning = when fragrances start to decline. And one COULD test 'Aeration' by buying two bottles and spraying one 10 times. Try them side by side in 3 months!
Aging can suggest improvement, think about the use of the term with wines or cheeses for example. I think degradation covers the negative aspects really. Sadly I don't think trying them side by side would be an effective test. The result will be determined by the tester's pre conceived idea on whether this process has any effect. Blinding is required and multiple testers. Better would be LCMS traces over time of the same bottle sprayed at different time points. Thanks for watching 🥰
Hi Claire! I always remember hearing the term maceration back in my 20’s when I watched cooking shows in my every spare moment 😅 ..and how sugar stirred together with fruit causes it to “macerate” or release its juices. And then of course I hear it now all the time on perfume videos! I heard a great explanation of this topic on Tiktok as well! I feel like vanillas get more “vanilla-y” over time as the juice gets darker if that makes sense.. and I’m sure Terracotta changed a lot over the 2 or 3 years I had it, the florals came out ever so much stronger over time and became more indolic (although I didn’t buy a new bottle to compare) 😅
Hi Tammy! Maceration is a term that gets used for lots of things isn't it? I've had a few of my fragrances change colour with time. I think very few of my fragrances are new when I obtain them, so perhaps I've not experienced much change with them? My brand new ME fragrances sadly didn't change from what I could tell from my own perceptions over the 1-3 years that I owned them though. I feel I want to do an experiment and sort out this whole debate 🤣
Oh I’ve definitely experienced maturation of a few fragrances; mainly Middle Eastern. Nebras really stands out to me because I remember being super let down when I first got it. Nothing like all the descriptions I’d heard. It had barely any presence. Fast forward about six months and it’s a beast. Many ME fragrances are sent straight from production to consumers, and being they are typically lower priced, many people don’t mind the aging process usually. Funny enough, Eilish was very similar to Nebras in both scent and need for maturation in my experience. Eilish now performs quite well. Another one that I adore is Ajmal’s Sacrifice For Her, it too was SO weak at first and now a year later it’s amazing. On the opposite side, I found Blanche Bete SUPER strong when I first received it, but after many months it’s now mellowed nicely..seems smoother and way less beastly. Definitely an interesting topic! I’ve experienced it for sure.
Thank you for your examples! I've only tried Eilish from this list. I think a lot of people have experienced perceiving changes in their fragrances over time if the comments on this video are anything to go by. I feel quite left out in never having experienced this 🤣 thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfumeI also agree about Ajmal Sacrifice as it is ( to my nose ) stronger after 10 months and also lasts so much longer now. I have found quite a few of the vanilla Middle Eastern perfumes and as you mentioned amber perfumes that have improved with time ( again to my nose). Warm regards from Tasmania ❤
Thank you Claire. I have never seen your reviews before but you appeared on my feed. Your compelling, objective and detailed work was wonderful to watch. Ultimately perfume is such a subjective medium; the time, the place, the body temperature, your mood all contribute to your perceptions in general and regarding perfumes in particular. “Ageing” seems a better term and I must say that I’ve never experienced this “maceration” other reviewers talk about. Thank you for your work!
Thank you ❤️ I try to take my research skills to answer questions about fragrance. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't 😂 I agree with you, I've owned affordable Middle Eastern fragrances even and not experienced any changes that I noticed in how they smelt from the first spray to the one to three years later that I owned them. I don't doubt that others perceive differences though, whatever their causes might be. Thanks for watching 🥰
I’ve recently purchased Middle Eastern clones. The store person advised to spray it and leave it. I’ve worn the perfume and to me its fine as is. The batch states made in July 2024. Ive bought 3 further clones that are ok, so will see if they change over time. I have perfumes that I’ve had for years and think that a particularly note stood out more, or the ones with vanilla seem to improve.
That's good. I guess effectively that fragrance has already sat for 6 months so I think I'd be asking what real difference leaving it any longer would have, but I guess store assistants work off a script, with standard advice for all purchases that is designed to reduce returns. I think it's probably hard to judge whether your fragrances changed over time unless the difference is relatively stark, but I'll be interested in your conclusions. Thanks for watching 🥰
This reminded me of my bottle of Lalique Solell,when I first got it ,had no recognizable smell to me ,and I almost decluttered it 🤦♀️now I love the smell and use it all the time 🤷♀️ This video was absolutely amazing and there are so many factors of why it does smell different on our skin ? Have a wonderful weekend ❤️
Thank you! I'm happy that Lalique Soleil improved for you. I remember you not being keen on it and then loving it. It would have been a shame to have decluttered it. Thanks for watching Frances 🥰
Not sure what to reply to the first bit or whether that is meant for me or not, but thank you, I'm happy that you enjoyed the video. I hope I cleared this topic up a bit for everyone. 🥰
I actually have first hand experienced "maceration" in the social media terms. I had bought a bottle of Lattafa Yara, and it had set on my shelf for many many weeks. When I first got it, I wasn't impressed, but after many weeks, I really enjoyed how the fragrance had grown deeper and more vanillic, so I bought 2 more brand new bottles from the same seller. When the new bottles arrived, I was so excited as my first bottle was getting lower. I opened them both and sprayed them... and they did not smell as vanillic and deep. I sprayed my old bottle on one arm, the new one on my other, tested them side by side, and there was definitely a difference. I have now let the 2 "new" bottles set for several weeks, and they have begun to deepen as well.
Well if you think that oxidation or whether that might be has benefitted Yara then that's interesting. It would be good to take one bottle and compare the GCMS traces over a timeframe and see if the scent molecules actually change and how. I'm sure fragrance houses have this data! Thanks for watching 🥰
@dr.claire.perfume I would love to be able to perform an actual scientific experiment on this subject. It would be so cool if you could make a video along those lines! It would be so interesting! Thank you for all the great videos!
@SweetMomoAndMochi haha yes! If I had the odd £1k to pay for the run and reagents and data analysis, not to mention the red tape my uni would put in the way! But crazy dreams and a lovely idea ☺️ it would be a great experiment. 🥰
@dr.claire.perfume Haha! I very much understand what you mean! Maybe someday soon, the opportunity to do such an experiment will fall into place ❤️ Until then, I will continue watching your very informative, very interesting videos!
Hey Claire. What a great topic. Words have meanings and quite often we use words without giving enough thought to how they are used. It would be great if you would be able to interview someone from a fragrance house to get their thoughts.
Thank you ❤️ I have my indie sources but I tend to keep them anonymous, I always feel like I ask them things that they might not want to discuss in public 🤣 but maybe I'm wrong? 🤔 I feel like a fragrance house representative would be so interesting to talk to to discuss their processes! I would love that! 🥰
Loved your video and appreciate the way you articulated your thoughts & research findings…I believe most people intend to say ageing but end up using the word maceration..to answer your question I have bought quite a few Middle Eastern perfumes which are inspired by designers and niche houses and can say that the process of ageing definitely helps as usually due to the pressure created in the bottle as a result of transportation perfumes smell different initially & improve both in terms of smell & performance after allowing it to age..and allowing the oxidation of the juice…another problem I believe is due to the high demand a lot of Middle Eastern houses do skip this process…Cheers….
Thank you! ❤️ Do you mean there are pressure increases in the fragrances as a result of air freight? I would doubt that air freight is used for fragrances but cargo holds are also pressurised on aircraft since the temperature there would drop to -40oC if not. Maybe do you mean as a result of the shaking of the fragrance? Would that change the pressure? I think perhaps it would mix the fragrance and speed up any reactions that were going on, e.g. oxidation with the air already in the bottle, but I don't imagine a pressure change, unless there are chemical reactions going on within the bottle that generate additional pressure, is that what you mean? I can imagine that most ME houses do cut maceration to the bear minimum to simply dissolving the oils in the alcohol, but simply the length of time until bottling, packing, transport and sale and receipt by the customer is still likely to be 1-2 months at minimum. I would think that would be enough time for the fragrance to be stable and done generating Schiff bases etc in maceration. So why do we need to oxidise the fragrance further when we are all told that oxidation is harmful to fragrances' lifetimes and also there is oxygen already in the remaining air space volume of the bottle, so why do a few sprays make a difference? There are many unanswered questions here and this debate needs some more perfumers to step in ☺️ (a few have already commented here much to my delight). Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume appreciate your response..I have observed for almost all my ME perfumes that this is the case…for instance Armaf Club De Nuit Intense smells like citrus, birch and musk for the first few sprays then for a couple of months smells like citrus and chalk (actually like chalk used for writing on a black board) and after at least 3-6 months of storing in a dark place it changes and starts smelling like the actual intended smell…I have an old bottle that smells how it is supposed to and a new one about a month old which smells like citrus and chalk…have also noticed that the performance improves over a period of time…performance is a very big factor for us living in India as we mostly experience extremely hot & humid weather conditions and hence designer fragrance generally don’t last unless one is in an temperature controlled environment…the phenomenon I mentioned holds true for a number of fragrances I own made by these Middle Eastern houses like Armaf, Afnan, Ahmed Al Maghribi, Lattafa etc…I second your point, experienced perfumers need to intervene & help us solve our doubts…Cheers…
CDNI is a huge success story isn't it? I'm happy it evolves into something you love over time. I really liked the female marketed version of CDNI when I sampled it, I love Noir de Noir, and I know it's a little different but it's still a very nice fragrance!
I’m so glad you made this video. It makes me crazy when I hear TH-camrs saying their perfumes need to “macerate.” It ALSO makes me crazy when they describe some perfumes as “molecular” perfumes because ALL perfumes are molecular. 🤦♀️ Apparently they just parrot what they hear and don’t realize what they are saying. 😂 Great topic as always, Claire! ❤️
I think what they mean is that those "molecular fragrances" are based around ambrox or other fragrance aromachemicals not based on naturally occuring chemicals... So iso E super etc. it's not accurate but very much how those are termed isn't it? I think maceration might be a thing if the fragrance was made very very recently, but if it's been bottled and shipped etc the time in the bottle should already be several weeks to a few months old already, which should have allowed enough time for the fragrance to be ready, even if the fragrance company itself didn't bother to do any kind of incubation of the fragrance. It makes you wonder why these companies don't produce a guide of how to use their fragrances if this is truly a thing... Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Since many types of perfumes are made of aroma-chemicals, the “molecular” description is just another TH-camr/social media spun term. I think it probably started from people referring to perfumes similar to the brand “Escentric Molecules.” Molecule 01 & 02 were popular and unique, then later when others came out in that style, it turned into “molecular” perfumes. 😂
Maceration in perfumery is ill-defined and imprecise. In other contexts (food, medical) it means to break down tissue with a solvent, usually water. Maturation and marination are distinctly different from maceration and each other. They're both more appropriate in most perfumery uses. However, the term maceration _is_ appropriate when used to describe part of extraction/infusion processes where plant tissue (flowers, seeds, wood etc.) is placed in a solvent for some time to soften it and draw out aroma factors.
Thanks for your input into the subject! I am very interested to read people's views and to see what people think 😊 You are spot on that maceration really refers to breaking down a solid using a solvent. Thank you for watching 🥰
As usual, you make so many excellent points! I have quite a big ME collection now, and I have no problem spraying them and letting them sit. Especially when I am paying $30USD for them. Agree - can’t always know for sure if they actually change. And of course there are some flat-out blind buy fails in there too. (Actually, very few! 🙂) Now….if I paid 10 times that for a high-end niche bottle (never gonna happen 😜), I would probably feel differently. Thank you; this is a timely topic for sure Claire 🥰
It's not a biggie is it? Ageing is going to be something that will happen with time... Whether anyone intends it or not 😂 I think you're right that their affordability means that people are happy to wait. ☺️ Hope you have a good week! 🥰
I purchased a sample decant of Armani Prive Rouge Malachite but when I got a full bottle it was fresher & spicier in the opening. Months later it’s just like that decant I originally purchased and I still have that sample which smells even more amazing than before. It’s a lot creamier and deeper … so hypnotic. I can not wait for my full size bottle to catch up with that little decant. 😅it’s the dreamiest creamiest spicy white floral. I doubt Armani would give us an unfinished fragrance but since I got my first impression from a decant, I think I got a preview of an aged fragrance that didn’t represent how it would smell new.
That Armani line is loved ❤️ bleu Lazuli and this one in particular! I had a sample of Gris Dior from a friend that smelt wildly different to the bottle in store, the sample was miles rosier, but I was never sure if it was the batch 🤷♀️ I guess this is the unanswerable question 😂 it's great that your bottle now matches your sample because it can be truly disappointing when a purchase just doesn't match up. Enjoy it! 🥰
I have a 1. question and 2. a view about the maturation process. 1. It seems like people agree that middle eastern fragrances need maturation. Now, if I buy a middle eastern fragrance and the production date was 2 years ago, will giving it a quick spray and then in effect introduce oxygen, make my perfume longer lasting after "putting it away for a few weeks / months" ? 2. This seems to be a hill that people are willing to die on, but as a chemist I cannot see how introducing oxygen into my fragrance will do anything to the longevity of the scent on my skin aside from assisting oxidation and degradation in the bottle (yes, I know...all perfumes change as you use them as nobody I know goes through a 100ml bottle a month). Some might now argue that the maturation process allows the alcohol to evaporate and intensify the perfume. The preferential departure of perfumers alcohol from the bottle and keeping all the fragrance molecules contained is a bizarre concept.
I think it wont have any effect whatsoever and I even doubt that spraying a fragrance has an effect on it even if it were manufactured only a few weeks ago but some people do believe. What we need is some GCMS traces from some bottles at different time points. And with point 2, I am with you. I agree that the maturing processes that companies carry out will enable the production of Schiff bases but I can't see how oxygen adds to that, other than by oxidising some components, i.e. starting a process of degradation. In a properly made bottle, alcohol loss with be minimal as partial pressure will be quickly re-established after each spray within the bottle too. I would be willing to bet that no one who has even A level chemistry or physics uses the "it allows the alcohol to evaporate" argument ever. Thanks for watching. 🥰
My experience is this: I bought a perfume called Coco alla Vaniglia from a small indie house called Kyse perfumes. At the beginning I remember that the smell was very true to its given name, coco and vanilla. A full on gourmand but not overly sweet and I remembered watching someone said that she was very surprised with this perfume because its lack of sweetness, even though the vanilla note was very prominent to her nose. On the other hand, Cris from the Perfume nest, mentioned that this perfume might only appeal to those with a very very sweet teeth, because she got a comment from someone told her “oh you smell so sweet” but in bad way. At the time, I went to sniff my bottle and it was the perfect amount of sweetness. Months later after letting it sit, I sprayed it and OMG it was an extremely sweet, SYRUPY mess and I despised that level of sweetness. In my case the change in the scent was for the worse.
🤣 haha, yes, wow! That sounds like quite a difference! I guess we can't separate perception here, but it's interesting and would make a good scientific study to try to detect differences in what is in each spray over time. I've not ever tried Kyse, but their fragrances always sound very very sweet from people's descriptions of them. 🍰 🍬 🍭 And how delicious they sound always intrigued me. 🥰
Let you fragrance sit in the right environment in its original box and reduce the air available and it won’t macerate . It’s overly hype because fragrance companies won’t make a dime if you are not worried about maceration
@@sarwarkhan1185 a fragrance will age whatever we do sadly. The time is ticking to expiry from the day it is produced 😢 But yes, reducing UV, humidity and excessive heat will help to maintain it for longer.
I experienced aging significantly with my bottle of Alien Goddess Intense. I couldn't understand how people were getting vanilla from it compared to my bottle. I actually nearly declutteted it, but tried it again and finally got the vanilla, coconut along with the jasmine! I was quite shocked how much it changed, thankfully for the better.
I believe what youtubers are referencing with fragrances is oxidized maturarion. This exposes the newly created fragrance mixture to oxygen and helps mix/evaporate the perfumers alcohol. This will allow the fragrance to reflect the smell and performance originally designed. It can improve some more than others based on the quality and volume of additives. The issues typically occur much more often in UAE fragrances where they are rushed to market vs. sitting for a longer period before distribution. This is reflected in price along with quality of ingredients.
I wonder what proportion of the alcohol in the fragrance evaporates within a closed bottle, even after it's been sprayed a few times and there is slightly more air space I would think the proportion would be negligible. Surely the vapour pressure is established pretty quickly and no more alcohol evaporates into the air within the bottle until the next spray replaced more of the space in the bottle with an equivalent volume of air (especially in the small empty space of a nearly full bottle?). There is also already air in the bottle after manufacture, so a certain amount of oxidation can occur from the get go without any need to spray the fragrance. I understand that maceration is the formation of Schiff bases, but why do people report this requiring additional oxygen from spraying for Middle Eastern fragrances? Surely the time from manufacture to shipping and retail is going to be at least 1-2 months and therefore quite a lot of time for this to occur? There are lots of unanswered questions, requiring input from the fragrance houses themselves and perhaps some actual analysis of the fragrances coming out of atomisers over a period of time by a research study. I am quite sure that large fragrance manufacturers, e.g. Givaudan, IFF, Firmeniche will have done this research... We need it sharing. Thanks for watching 🥰
Absolutely fascinating topic, so informative, TY! I don’t let my perfumes macerate, but I noticed my Kayali Van28 is much darker in color now that it’s almost gone, don’t know that I detect a difference from first sniff to now, I think it’s a gorgeous vanilla either way. ❤
Claire!!!! I just recorded a video on my conflicting thoughts on macerating a fragrance! Of course not on an educational level more on my complaints 😂😂😂
Yay! I look forward to hearing your views! I always enjoy seeing your experiences. I think you are very, very good at articulating your feelings on fragrances and your reactions to what you've been influenced to buy, and always in such a polite and eloquent way. You need to make more videos Sunny! 🥰
I first had this experience when I bought Bond http. The first time I sprayed it, it was absolutely awful and congested. I would wear a spray every once in a while and it kept getting better. 6 months later it became my favorite fragrance. The fragrance completely changed.
I've often wondered about the maceration videos I've watched. The term "priming" has also been used. A fragrance wouldn't be bottled and sold, especially from a high-end house, if it weren't ready to be worn as soon as it is unpackaged, at least that is what I thought. Knowing, too, that oxygen ages perfume, causes it to oxidize which changes the smell (and maybe color), "macerating" would only shorten a fragrance's life. Some perfumes contain an antioxidant to help deter oxidization from general use of the bottle when oxygen can get in it. This is a great video. Thank you.
This is the first time I've heard of fragrance aging. I had an old bottle of Amber Romance that I bought on eBay. I really like the scent and decided to buy my mom a new one. The new one smelled more synthetic and plastic when I first sprayed it, but a year later I sprayed it again and I noticed that plastic smell was gone. I assumed that my nose had just changed but it didn't occur to me that fragrance aging could be the reason.
Who knows? This is the thing isn't it, in isolation it's hard to tell what's changed. There are a few possibilities here, but either way, I'm happy that you now enjoy the fragrance ☺️ thanks for watching 🥰
Congrats on 10K! I've experienced this one two almost three different occasions. The sample smells great, you purchase a full bottle, and then you almost feel scammed when it arrives. A few months later and this weak, watered down, fragrance is 20x stronger. I don't get it.
🤣 it's some kind of unexplainable! I need someone to do a proper study on this!!! I'm desperate to see a mass spec trace to see whether what's in each spray is actually changing! This is some kind of strong belief if it's not actually partially reality... I wish we had more scientific info to explain it, but it's just not out there... I looked! Thanks for watching 🥰
I really appreciate an honest informative and scientific breakdown to cut through so much of the consumerism bs. The influencer and TikTok ignorant stuff drives me bonkers. I do know though that I did NOT care for Bianco Latte at all when I got my sample decant, it was plasticy and synthetic smelling and eh, same for Borabora. Months later I came back to Bianco Latte and it was a different beast entirely. I love it now. It still has that element from before but way subdued. I decided to give Borabora another try after that shocker, I mean it did smell better but not something I love. I think that house for me will have that plasticy synthetic feel and thats okay, I do enjoy Celeste, just got that. The longevity on BL and BB both improved too, and at the time (about 6 months ago) I was dubious of all this maceration lark and thought maybe it was this house, maybe it was a rush job idk. But I super appreciate this video thank you ❤
Yes! I agree with Giardini Di Toscana, but I only tried Bianco Latte, it smelt more on the synthetic side (what I mean is that it didn't smell very natural, but of course very few fragrances are actually natural, but still can smell natural). Maybe it's a real effect? Maybe they'd rushed the fragrance to market and not let it sit at all? Maybe It was so popular that they skipped something? It makes me wonder how little fragrance companies care if so, but it could be... What I really doubt is large change over small time periods, even days after first spraying the fragrance as some people report. That to me seems unlikely.. Thanks for watching 🥰
Yes, what people describe as maceration is actually maturation. I think it does make a bit of difference, especially when there is vanilla in a fragrance. However what I think is more impactful is the initial 2-3 weeks after you first get a fragrance and letting it sit still and untouched after spraying it out a few times. There are some aroma chemicals that impact the smell of a fragrance after it's come from being shipped or purchased, the box has been moved and shaken a lot during transit so it just won't smell right when you first spray it after this. It will always smell better a few days later when everything has 'settled' and I find this is especially true when there is white musk in a fragrance as the musk takes over when it hasn't settled. My first experience with this was with Lancome La Nuit Tresor Musk Diamante and I first sprayed it and the musk was so over powering and I couldn't smell any hint of the La Nuit Tresor that people described was in there. I was disgusted. I let it sit maybe 2 months and dared to try it again and it smelled very different and it was now a beautiful mix of the musk and the original. So yes, allowing it to sit really does help a fragrance.
Great coverage on the perfumery side of chemically producing a product vs. Colloquial-speak on TH-cam about maceration. Certainly, my older designer and niche perfumes have changed somewhat after a number of years with more and more oxygen introduced into the bottles as I use them up, but not significantly enough to claim it’s better or worse than when I freshly opened them up new. Some are definitely richer and deeper, like my L’Interdit EDP, L’Interdit Rouge, and Guerlain Terracotta, but not necessarily my Carnal Flower that’s been sitting out in the open on my dresser since 2022 (not in direct light). I own 4 ME perfumes and after about a year, don’t detect a significant enough change to claim any benefits of aging at this point. Maybe my nose is deficient 😂, or perhaps my olfactory memory is fleeting and just can’t remember well enough to compare.
Thank you! ❤️ Yes, I can't say my fragrances have changed other than in colour from the ones that I've had from new, some are 5-10 years old now. Those are a relatively small percentage of my collection though! I didn't notice any difference in how the ME fragrances smelt over time for me, but I don't doubt that others perceive differences if they say they do. Really I think I'd like to see some mass spec data to see what's actually happening as fragrances age. I'm sure some fragrance manufacturer somewhere must have done that research... 🧐 Thanks for watching 🥰
ive purchase an eros edp 200ml.after using it for about half off the bottle,i stop from using it because i think its not a long lasting frag.i stop as i want to try another frag.about a year later, i put it on my skin back again and found out that the frag has change in longevity.it perfomes very well in terms off longevity.very much different from the day i bought it.iam very happy with the frag now.however, the smell doesnt change as i remember. so i guess the correct terms is aging. in the 1 year period, i just left the frag bottle on book shelf.never put it back on the box.
That's good. I'm happy that the longevity improved for you. It's frustrating having to respray and not smelling something for very long. Thanks for watching 🥰
Thank you for the definition and interesting video. I have few oud oils and some Rasasi cheapies that have improved greatly after being left alone and forgotten about. Yet my more expensive fragrances never improve (not that they need too) just get weaker over time. 🤔
Great video Claire, thoroughly loved it💯👌✨ it made my mind wander, and I explored thoughts on how the Ancient people would of made an developed their perfumes. To go back in time and see that. 🙂👏
Thank you ❤️ Absolutely! The processes of getting fragrance out of natural substances go from simple to really quite complex, I remember as a child putting lavender and rose petals in oil to use in the bath 😂 I had no idea that was basic perfumery at the time! 🥰
I often refer to it as “letting it stew”. I’m not skilled in being able to pick-out and identify many different notes, but I am good at knowing if a bottle that’s been sitting smells better after awhile. I can think of two, right away, that seemed to come to life only after “stewing”. Both are dupes: Better Peach (Al Haramain maybe, but a dupe of Bitter Peach) and it took about 9 months for me to even smell the peach. The other was Miss Independent (Juliana’s Perfume’s dupe of Princess), which took a few months. But some absolutely change with a bit of time, others don’t. But then again - maybe my nose is wonky 🤷♀
Wow! Months to smell the peach?! With a dupe of Bitter Peach... that indeed sounds like a problem! Happy that it worked out after a while 🙂 I think that's it's really hard to tell sometimes, I have no idea what's perception and what's real and to some extent with fragrance, does it matter? As long as we enjoy it, it's all good 😊
@@dr.claire.perfume I definitely think it matters when it comes to “influencers”, but there’s a lot of subjectiveness too. And yes - with the Better Peach it took that many months, yet with a sample of Julianna’s Perfume’s dupe of Bitter Peach I could smell it right away. Again - maybe it’s my nose.
@@katiejon17 yes I guess if people are basing purchasing decisions on shared opinions then it does matter. Fragrance is ultimately so subjective isn't it? Btw I absolutely love the name Better Peach 🍑 😂 for some reason!
I haven't watched the video yet, but I will say, I have been a fragrance lover for several decades and these things never were an issue: maceration, wearing fragrance in certain seasons, polarizing fragrances. Everything used to smell good, all the time and to everyone... 😂
Haha, yes! It seems social media has made fragrance much more complicated 😂 I absolutely never thought about seasonal fragrance nor whether my fragrance was polarising before YT! 🥰
First time I heard “macerate,” all I could think about was putting sugar on strawberries before making strawberry shortcake in the springtime with my mom lol
Thank you for doing this video. I’m a fellow scientist and I’ve always been confused when people say “macerate “ perfumes when I think they mean lightly oxidizing or stabilizing period?!
This probably isn’t a helpful comment, but a fragrance can smell totally different on me, literally, from one day to the next! That’s when I usually think.. I’ve worn this too much … and I put it away for a few weeks and wear something else. Thank you for the video, Claire .., It was informative. I’ve always beeen aware that perfumes ‘age’ but not at all convinced with the YT perception of Maceration 🤔
Yes! This is definitely a thing for me too! Things can smell very different depending upon the weather, what clothes I'm wearing, my mood etc etc. I need to try things several times to be able to get an overall average impression. Thanks for watching 🥰
I don't think they need much time at all, really only enough time for thorough mixing, which can be sped up by gentle inversion when making the blends. I am not a perfumer though. Some perfumers do skip leaving the oils to mix for any period of time entirely when making fragrance with alcohol. It's not like this is the stage of trying to extract the fragrance from the natural product so extensive time isn't necessarily required. The oil already contains the fragrance and are miscible with each other. Oils have relatively short shelf lives since they don't contain alcohol as a preservative. I would say you'd want to use them within 3-5 years for them to be at their best and for sure reduce air exposure to a minimum to slow them degrading. 🥰
Yes. Thank you. If everything fully dissolves, we still macerate it, but we don't need to filter. Maceration time includes formation of Schiff bases among chemicals which occur in the naturals. Frédéric Malle likes to undermine artisans who make small batches, so his five kilo comment might be targeted at us. Scientifically, I can't think why 500g would age differently from 5kg.
Gosh Sarah! Hello! If I'd have known you were available to help, I'd have loved to have asked you about all of this! Do you also have video on this? I would be interested to watch if so as the information out there is poor, I found it hard to find what I needed. What is your opinion on definition 3? 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Always available, but I only just found your channel! I have definitely covered the topic but not definition 3, as that has just been made up. It's one of those internet myths that people love to spread because they think they have discovered something new that no one else knows. Even now, there will be some who choose to believe "their truth". Coincidentally I had a client visit this week about a two perfumes I made for her five years ago, and the new batches I had just rushed through for her because she wanted them urgently. She had messaged to say that two of her friends were very disappointed when they bought the new bottles because they were not the same as the drops of five year old fragrance left in their old bottles, and they liked the old one better. Exactly as you say, this was a deep amber, vanilla, musk and jasmine led fragrance that will be fine for five years (although legally we all have to mark the bottles as good for a maximum of 36 months after opening). "I love my perfume, and it's not the same!" she said. Finally, when showed the batch sheets and demonstrated that they were made out of the same materials, I got her to acknowledge that if she wanted a five year old perfume she would have to age it for five years. Thierry Wasser of Guerlain said at a Selfridges event that he wishes all their fragrances could be macerated for two years before being sold, but that's not possible. His PR people looked daggers at him. There are many small bonds taking place on a molecular level, not reactions as such, I just call them friendships forming in am unscientific way, and perfumes do become more mature, like cheese, but then it all starts to fall apart. Basically, you're right about everything, and if people want to risk ruining their fragrances by allowing extra oxygen in and basically breaking them, it's up to them. Definitely NOT the citruses as you say. Big brands do release them ASAP as warehousing is expensive. I like at least two months for maturation and two more for maceration. I could write another several pages worth, so I'll stop now, but you know where I am!
@@SarahMcCartney4160 Thank you so much for your reply! I agree that it's mad for anyone to expect a freshly made fragrance to smell like one made 5 years ago 😂 I can imagine it's very hard to keep people happy, it's good that you take the time to explain things. I will certainly chat to you in future when I have questions! Thank you very much 🥰
I can definitely tell you that a new bottle of Roja Scandal Parfum Cologne didn't smell the same as the previous bottle because I opened it before I finished the old one. After a week or so it was the same.
That's interesting! Was the difference huge initially or was it quite close? I've experienced reasonably big differences, but I think mine were mainly due to batch variation rather than ageing, as Dior use natural sources for some of their florals and they were obtained in different harvests, but as soon as I finish the old bottle I forget how that old batch smelt and readjust quickly to the new batch, like with my Gris Dior sample and bottle of Gris Dior, the sample smelt much more rosy. I guess we'll never know 😂 Thanks for watching 🥰
I do find the current talk of 'maceration' a bit amusing. I think there's a few things at play when people discuss this: 1. Aging. I have a few that have definitely become deeper and longer lasting after a few weeks. I think this also applies to designer/niche when people buy a new bottle of a fragrance they already have and insist that it must be reformulated and now doesn't smell as strong, totally disregarding they've had their last bottle for a couple of years. 2. It's not a fragrance dna they are familiar with and it may not be to their taste initially but, their nose adjusts to it after a few exposures. 3. They try it at a different time of year than it best suits and it's more weather appropriate the next time they test it. 4. It mostly seems to be women who are in the age bracket of having monthly cycles who don't take into account their olfactory senses can change at different times of their cycle.
Yes! I think reformulation is the automatic assumption isn't it? People should probably wait before judging, I guess batch to batch variation might also be significant in some cases. I agree with you that people do need time to familiarise themselves with most things in life to enjoy them, e.g. listening to music is more enjoyable when you know the words, there are probably similar effects with familiarity with fragrance I agree that seasons and hormones also affect our perceptions. I would love to know more about the perceived differences and what they are, real or not! I don't care which the answer is, but I am fascinated 🥰
I have had this experience with ’maceration’ . I bought Lattafa’s TERIAQ. When I first initially smelt it, it was very weak and I wasn’t getting any of the notes mentioned. Especially the sweet ones. My daughter seemed to be able to pick up the notes. So I did what you were talking about….I shook it up, emptied the spray straw and let it sit for a week. Suddenly, I could smell what everybody else was talking about on TH-cam reviews.
@@dr.claire.perfume Yes… but I’m not entirely convinced that it changed. I find that fragrances will smell different to me in the morning than they do in the afternoon or evening. Hey ! Maybe that would be a topic for you, unless you’ve already done that and I missed it…. Do our scent receptors work differently throughout the day? Hmmm 🤔
Yes, I think our sense of smell will be better when the air is damper, so at dusk it is likely to be better (at least in the summer in the UK, like now) or any other time when there is high humidity. 🥰
I think people generally put way more value on their personal experiences than they should. Of course, the main thing that should matter to you is your personal experience and improving it, but unfortunately it doesn’t stop there. People often take it upon themselves to then disseminate their views as factual or gospel. You’re right in that what most people call “maceration” at home is simply oxidation/aging. And like you said, I think it sometimes can have a noticeable effect. Don’t forget that sometimes people buy duplicate bottles, maybe even from the same batch, and therefore can semi-scientifically compare an oxidized vs non-oxidized bottle. I myself have done that and noticed differences between them. However, as for it being “better” or “longer lasting” the lines are a bit blurrier. I think oxidation can change the ratio of the note pyramid, which has the illusion of changing the longevity and scent profile. For actual longevity, that would require significant evaporation to change the alcohol concentration. That only happens towards the end of a bottles’s volume, and is certainly not happening after 10 sprays, a swish, and 4 weeks in the cupboard. I think there’s a great deal of misinformation, indoctrination, placebo, and overvalued unscientific personal experience. And like you said I don’t think what’s done at home is maceration/maturing… it’s definitely just aging/oxidation/intentional expiration 😂
Thank you ❤️ For me, short term change (over days, weeks, a few months) is something I've not experienced. I do however think that fragrance can change as it ages over the years that it can take to use up a bottle, however the change is so gradual, that I'm not sure I'd notice it without some kind of side by side comparison. I agree with you that people take their personal experiences to be the absolute truth, and on YT, that's dangerous because if that person is persuasive, whatever they say spreads. Thanks for watching 🥰
It worked for me. I have Oud Wood and I loved it, even tho it didn’t last long on skin at all. A year and a half later, it smells better to me and actually lasts on my skin for a good amount of time now
That's good! I wonder whether that is the formation of Schiff bases which can actually act as good fixatives as in part of maceration definition 2 or simply oxidation changes as in definition 3. Thanks for watching 🥰
Where I live, there are small shops that will build you the perfume infront of you (usually really poor quality), and you are instructed to keep the perfume stored in the dark, perhaps in the fridge for no less than 2 weeks, now this is real maceration. Another different situation, since I live in a hot country, if you open and smell the perfume immediately after delivery, and you can feel the bottle is hot, the perfume always smells weird and harsh, in my experience you have to allow it a week or so to rest, and it's a lot smoother and back to resembling what I experienced when I tested it at a store.
I guess fragrance is something that you learn what works for you and you stick with it. I think the debate over how to keep and treat fragrances is something that will continue! Thanks for sharing your experiences and for watching 🥰
I live in Calgary and ordered Gris Dior in December, the day it was delivered to the community mail box we were at a temperature of-45 degrees. By the time I picked it from the mail box it had frozen. I let it defrost 😂 but the colour was weird, the smell was off, such a waste of money.
Hi Claire,
thank you for this very detailed explanation. To me as a chemist and artesanal perfumer there is, once the perfume is bottled, absolutely NO maceration any more. Only maturation and degradation. Maceration refers, as you described, to the process when raw materials are mixed to a perfume oil (which usually is shipped into the destination country) and maybe, when dissolved into ethanol (which often happens in the destination country), before filtering. After the filtering process, there can't be any further maceration, as there are no solids anymore you could "extract" substances from. To my understanding, maceration is a purely physical process.
Maturation therefore is a chemical process. Chemically unstable substances like Aldehydes, Ketones, Amines etc. are changing their chemical structure, especially when Ethanol and Water al solvents are involved. This kickstarts maturation. The perfume changes its scents profile within hours to months until a chemical equilibrium, depending on the formula, is reached. Maturation is a purely chemical process to my understanding.
Also, as you said, degradation starts, accelerated with the introduction of oxygen, heat, humidity and UV-Light (some people just misshandle a perfume and miss-call it "maceration" after, pretending it's something good they did). Usually the top notes disappear first and some of the materials might become an off smell. For example Hedione, a material used very often and in huge quantities in perfumers, can evolve some notes that remember you of expired milk. Also degradation is a chemical process.
On the other hand, materials like Sandalwood (real sandalwood, not sandalwood aroma chemicals), Patchouli or Vetiver just are getting better with aging. So, a perfume with a lot of those materials might smell richer after "overaging", but most certainly other components are evaporated or decomposed until then and certainly the perfume won't reproduce the artistic idea anymore, it was made for. But hey, when it still smells good or even better to one's nose? One thing certain, that has nothing to du with actual maceration.
Thanks for the informative video! And I am very impressed, as you have hundreds of comments and so far I see, replied to all of them! Chapeau!
Thank you so much for your comment! It's very interesting to read. I am particularly interested by your comments on hedione; are there any other aromachemicals which you think really don't benefit from over-ageing? E.g. are chemicals such as ambrox, cashmeran and iso E super extremely stable? Also, what about the synthetic oud accords and saffron used in many affordable Middle Eastern fragrances? Thanks for watching 🥰
Hi! It's very interesting, thanks🎉. This summer is very hot in my country (France) and I tested a perfume at sephora. Few moment later, a strange yellow color appeared exactly where I sprayed. A yellow oily thing. Is this because of the heat? Or a problem with the tester, overused or something?
Some fragrances just have more colour than others, so for example my bottle of Tom Ford Orchid Soleil has a red colour, I assume from the natural extract from spider lily or perhaps another one of the florals in the fragrance. I'm not a perfumer, but I would think it's likely to be a specific ingredient.
Just so I understand better. Adding oxygen only degrades the fragrance correct? And maturation naturally occurs as time goes by, and does change the scent profile?
Man, I LOVE an intelligent breakdown 🤎
I am pretty new to the fragrance game, and, am trying to soak up knowledge from those more informed than myself. So, thank you much for the useful knowledge...BOTH OF YOU!
It’s absolutely massive. I’ve found, and it just means leaving it alone for 3 or 4 months - at least. With cheapies you can’t rely on it being ready to wear, especially mid easterns. The difference can be absolutely black and white. I mess around with making perfume also - and it absolutely needs maceration. Freshly mixed oils usually smells confused. I usually chuck a bit in a sprayer to test it, but am aware that it’s going to improve greatly over time. Don’t underestimate maceration. It’s a must.
Ooh what type of fragrance do you normally make? Do you stop at mixing oils or do you dilute with alcohol? Thanks for sharing your experiences. 🥰
You are taking perfume love to whole different level. I so appreciate your educational efforts on the perfume industry.❤️
Thank you! ❤️ I try, but sadly sometimes information is somewhat lacking still! Some things we just don't know. 🥰
The fragrance that I had to seriously attempt to macerate and convinced me that maceration should always be done was Armaf Intense Man Limited Edition because upon opening and spraying it for the 1st time, it literally made me smell like a cigarette Astray. I let it macerate for an entire month and it was a night and day experience. I could easily tell that the smoky nuances blended with the other notes which made it an overall pleasant more harmonious scent. I did extensive testing to ascertain performance, longevity, and smell to be as thorough as possible before I attempted maceration as well as after. Anyone who isn't an advocate of macerating their fragrances is selling themselves short 100%.
Well if leaving it for a month worked for you, then it worked and that's all that matters. Whether it's perception or reality is neither here nor there. What matters is that it's good for you now and that you are enjoying it. I think if people want to spray and leave a fragrance for a month, it's not exactly a lot of effort is it? And if people think it does do something, then they should keep doing it. It's entirely personal choice. Thanks for watching 🥰
I agree. It happened to me with Armaf Intense Incense. Very disappointed at the first spray. I tried it a week later, the difference was very noticeable!
This has always been a big bugbear of mine and it is becoming increasingly annoying. 😂 but people like to sound like they “know what they are talking about”, and what better way than to adopt a bit of jargon. Great video Claire.
Thank you! This was actually pretty hard to find much valid information on, especially for the third definition. Someone needs to mass spec some different time point sprays from a bottle and see if there is a difference and how big it is. Hope you are well. 🥰
I remember first hearing the word macerate regarding perfume. I looked it up and it didn’t seem to be a match to what they were saying. I thought marinate was a better word. That still isn’t exactly the word. You’re right in saying the aging process. I bought an 8 ml decant of the now discontinued Bottega Veneta edp. So many influencers raved about it some years back. I was disgusted. It smelled like furniture polish. I would continue to go smell it again as it made yet another influencer’s top perfume list. Around 2 years later it smelled exquisite, expensive and downright regal. That was the first scent I experienced that with, but not the last.👃
I have Bottega Veneta EDP too! I bought a partially used bottle (actually two) so I can't compare my experience with yours as it wasn't new when I bought it. I think it's a beautiful fragrance too!
Thanks for watching and sharing your experience 🥰
Wow that is so awesome to hear, I would love to know what other perfumes you might of experienced this with
@@ClaudiaObregon-y1c I have never had a fragrance significantly evolve from time of purchase other than one that went off towards the end of the bottle... I sped up my usage of it as the top notes weren't quite right. It was DKNY Be Delicious. I do buy a lot of my fragrance (apart from Middle Eastern fragrances because they are so affordable) secondhand though.
It would be interesting to “macerate” a perfume, buy the same perfume and compare. there would be factors such as batch differences that might affect the smell but if the “maceration” process truly works, a significant difference should be detectable. Time to experiment Dr. Claire! ❤
Yes, I would think batch variation might be quite a big factor. What I don't understand is that there is oxygen in the bottles at the time of packaging anyway 🤔 you'd think it would age whether it had been sprayed or not? I guess this is the unanswerable debate 😂
@@dr.claire.perfume I don't understand that spraying at the beginning before letting it age. I have a fragrance I bought maybe 20 years ago that is refillable. So, I opened it and soon afterwards the scent changed, I didn't like it. Therefore, most fragrance bottles now almost impossible to open.
@@wicker1234 yes for me, oxidation ruins fragrances because it degraded them, you definitely wouldn't want an open bottle of fragrance, if that's what you mean? I would never deliberately shake my fragrances (apart from for this video) or leave them in sunlight either. It's just not how I would treat fragrances if I want them to be in the best condition for the longest time. 🥰
I agree with you completely, Claire! Aging sounds more appropriate. I say I'm letting the fragrance "mature" so similar to the idea of aging.
It's likely more accurate isn't it? Thanks for watching 🥰
Again a classic Clair video! Well researched and presented! Fantastic and unique (fragrance) content on YT! Thank you
Thank you ❤️ that's lovely of you to say! 🥰
Thanks Claire! Very interesting. Jax beautiful you explained something similar. Basically that when reviewers use the term maceration they really mean oxidation. And I definitely prefer your term of just "aging". I only own 1 ME fragrance and it didn't change in my opinion. What I do like is that some reviewers just receive the ME fragrance, spray it, let it sit & then review it. Giving it time to age before ever telling us their opinion. Thanks for the all the detailed information you provided!
Thank you ❤️ My 4 didn't change either (from what I can judge and remember, which might not be that accurate as it's not a direct comparison) and I kept them between well over a year and three years.
I think giving an opinion after a few months with any fragrance is always going to be a much better review. That's not ever going to be the case with new releases though, everyone wants to be first for views. It's good when people do circle back though. 🥰
Hi Claire!!!Excellent video!! So informative and defining!!! You explained everything in detail,so clearly for everyone of us to understand what maceration is! It was like attending a masterclass in perfumery!!!Thank you so much!!!
Thank you ❤️ I really am not sure that definition 3 has enough information. It was a struggle to find any science behind the idea but equally there are arguments the other way too... It's a tricky topic! Thanks for watching 🥰
I believe your presentation was excellent,at least for me ,it didn't leave any questions unanswered! Thank you again!
@@kellypourika9406 thank you! Have a lovely week 🌹
This has to be for real. My Bentley for Men intense just smelled like pencil shavings when I first got it. I almost gave it away. I thought I would try it again a few months later and I suddenly smelled all of the notes. Love it now. I recently bought Lataffa Caprice and it smelled sharp and abrasive at first. A month later it was better. Two months later it started to smell like Blue Electique, which is why I bought it. I haven’t had this happen with my more expensive fragrances.
Happy to read your purchases turned out as you wanted. 🙂 I guess if it works for you then keep doing it. Thanks for watching 🥰
Saludos from Sunny South Florida & thank you very much for this, your efforts & your thoughts!
Thank you for watching 🥰
Excellent video! I see the words maceration and maturation used interchangeably a lot in the fragrance community. This is an interesting topic and you covered so many points within like what the process might look like from inside the perfume house, and the effects of social media.
I have never put away fragrance with the intention of maturation, but can think of several in my collection that have gotten darker, sweeter, or more rich with age. Hypnotic Poison and Addict from Dior, Un Bois Vanille and Ambre Sultan from Serge Lutens are all maturing quite nicely just by me taking my sweet time using them up. 😊
Thank you! I found this really hard to find any information on at all actually, there are a few people trying to explain maceration but no one really says what it is... Talking to perfumers was useful, but ultimately unhelpful when it came to the YT version of maceration. And I think you've hit the nail on the head, there's no need to specifically "do" anything, I think a fragrance will age in your possession without input from the owner.
I have some older fragrances, but I don't think I've had anything long enough to smell it noticeably change, I've had my oldest ones between 5-10 years, but I only have a handful that are that old. I've definitely had fragrances with vanilla change colour though, e.g. Aura darkened. And I have older formulations of particular fragrances, e.g Alien and Angel that I treasure, but I didn't have those when they were fresh and young sadly. Thanks for watching 🥰
Maceration = oxidation
(TH-cam version) it absolutely works for Middle Eastern fragrances because most are created and shipped out immediately. I've got a fragrance that was created July 2024 and I received it 8/23/2024.
It's already way better than it was upon arrival.
I find it very odd that oxidation has any noticeable effect over such a short period of time with just a bit of spraying, someone needs to do a study 😂 It's very puzzling to me. 🥰
This is a topic near and dear to me as I realized quickly the term we use is not accurate, and I am an ME Frag fan, so it comes up a lot. The first time I heard the term, I thought of chewing or stomping on grapes for wine making... And yet people kept saying get air into the bottle, which sounded like a chemically different process to me than just letting scents marry together with time. After all, it's usually months before you get to a bottle from a manufacturer, which should be plenty of time for fragrances to marry and balance out.
I was super skeptical about the idea of "maceration" but every ME fragrance I have had a substantial change for the better. Usually two days makes some weird stuff wearable, two weeks gets you most of the way there, and two months you're getting very diminishing returns in terms of improvement and it's pretty stable scent wise.
Because getting air into the bottle was the key, I actually just said oxidation instead of maceration, albeit not to a point of degradation. Is what officially what is happening here?
In another life I worked in the vapor industry and eliquid uses flavors from the same houses/companies that do fragrance and also require maturation of the flavors for them to balance out.
It's rather uncanny how fresh ME frags are wonky in the same ways as fresh eliquid is. Just way out of balance and weird. (seriously, lemon flavor that hasn't melded yet is exactly the same as the floor cleaner lemon people say Club de Nuit Edt has... It never bothered me one bit likely due to all of the freshly mixed lemon flavored liquid I've vaped over the years)
We use the term steeping. There's a variation called 'streathing' which is steeping + breathing, I. E. Letting it marinate with the cap off, and squeezing the bottle to exchange the air periodically, which obviously added another chemical process to the, well, process.
Tricks used to quickly steep flavors together for eliquid might seem familiar.... A popular way is to use a shallow panned ultrasonic cleaner with warm water to get those molecules moving and mixing it up.
You touched on this in the video - storing and maintaining the aging fragrances is very costly and is a major factor in price differences. That is partially what you pay for with designer! (working on two cases at work involving lawsuits about warehousing of finished goods... It adds a substantial cost to running the business to maintain, staff, and secure a warehouse, and there are tax implications in the US on that as well in terms of inventory. Even if you pay someone else to warehouse it, you're at their mercy and is more costly long term than doing it yourself. )
Stray thoughts - it bugs me when reviewers don't factor in this process when reviewing ME fragrances. I don't have a ton of them, but I guess I have enough to know that evaluation of a fresh bottle alone is kind of dumb knowing it's going to develop a lot in just a couple of weeks. I mean entire notes will be revealed over time and the potency will often level up as well, so why only talk about it when it's in the worse shape it'll ever be? Ideally, we'll talk about it over time to get an idea of where it'll end up.
I generally do not wait to wear them, but my rotation is such that enough time will pass before I wear it again to appreciate the improvement.
My bottle of Aventus has absolutely 'aged' a little bit since spraying, although that seems apropos for the brand and their reputation. "Fuck it, let's charge $500 usd retail and NOT have it fully ready."
That's really interesting ✨ thank you!
I just looked up what solvent is used in e-liquids, apparently it is propylene glycol and glycerol. I bet that does indeed take quite a lot of mixing to get a homogeneous mixture. That industry relies very heavily on flavour and so it must be so important for brands to get that right. Knowledge of these things is going to be critical to a successful product.
I agree that storing fragrance prior to and post bottling is going to add large costs too.
I have seen people talk about "clearing out atomisers" but I never really understood what they meant with a new fragrance as the atomiser is clear when you first get a fragrance 🙃, I assumed they were referring to introducing oxygen by spraying or perhaps suggesting that the atomiser tubes had some kind of plastic moulding solvent residue left on them? I find the whole lack of explanation in the area really perplexing!
I have only ever had 4 new bottles of ME fragrances and I didn't notice any difference in how any smelt after any time period, but maybe I just didn't pay enough attention or the difference wasn't significant enough for me to recognise it as something. You sound like you have a lot of ME fragrances so you probably have more experience in this area.
I try never to review a fragrance straight away, I don't think anyone can accurately talk about any fragrance within only a few days and personally, I want to wear it a number of times and get an overall average impression of it. Reviews straight out of the box are just a big no for me.
Have a lovely week! 🥰 Thank you for watching!
Wow. Your viewpoint was phenomenal.
Yep, steeping e liquids. Good comparison. Makes all the diffirence. Same for a lot of Perfumes
I agree with everything you said, very good video, you've got my sub!
Thank you 🥰
Thank you! Another timely video, at least it is for me. To be very frank, when I first heard someone say "you need to let a perfume macerate before you judge it," it was about 12 years ago. I was skeptical. I thought it was an excuse, something a perfume seller said to avoid getting a bad review. I have since learned there's more to it than that, but I haven't always been entirely clear what that was.
I'm not sure this video entirely clears it up either sadly 😂 we need an actual experiment with some mass spec traces from sprays from a new bottle at various ageing points to be able to know for sure what is or what isn't going on for definition three. I feel like this is an incredibly divisive topic where there is currently no adequate answer! 😂 Thanks for watching 🥰
Thanks for explaining these terms properly and thoroughly from a scientific (i.e. factual) basis.
No problem! Thanks for watching 🥰
I absolutely loved your video. I knew the terms were incorrect but we know what folks are talking about and the vast majority of us aren’t scientists and perfumery is science or chemistry mixed with art 🧑🎨 I appreciate how you presented this as an essay with your question, then your hypothesis and in the end gave evidence and explanation that your hypothesis that the term aging is actually the correct term! 🎉
Thank you! ❤️ This video was a minefield to make 🤣 Yes I can see if people understand what people mean it's not an issue at all. I guess for me maceration was probably even more definition one than definition two or three 😂
As usual, very informative.
Thank you 🥰
A lot of points to cover, and I want to start out by going to some comments you made towards the end of your video, regarding the "not have another to compare with" this is not always true, some people will use up a bottle and when it dries they buy another of the same, and often get comments that they believe their favorite fragrance has been reformulated or watered down, but after some time it returns smelling and performing like the one they had previously.
We also have people that are familiar with the fragrance because of a decant they bought, and then they order the same fragrance and think they have been scammed by a fake, only later after time the bottle after "maturation" improves.
If the main cause of these perceptions was due to psychological perceptions, why does it only happen with some brands and lines? I will give an example, Honor and Glory by Lattafa, has a much much higher incidence of people reporting that it was almost unbearable when they first got it, but after a few weeks, it was beautiful, on the other hand, another perfume by the same brand hardly ever has these reports and is generally always good right out of the box.
I have enough perfumes in my collection, and have experienced enough of this effect (in some of the bottles) If I had a emotional / psychological expectation affecting my perception, I would have much more incidences of maturation improving my scents. fact is, about 80% of my middle eastern frags never changed from the first day I got them, but the rest have had anything from minor improvements, to drastic improvements, Khamarah - Lattafa, given the initial hype last year, this one sold out, Lattafa quickly made new batches and released them, I was able to buy one of these new batches, when my box arrived, the bottling date was only 5 weeks or so. I sprayed and it smelled nothing like anyone described, all I was getting was boozy, resin chemical mess, and it only lasted about 4 hours, I kept re trying it over the weeks that passed and noticed it was becoming sweeter and some of the other notes are detectable. today over a year later, this is totally another fragrance, smooth sweet , with those resins, and gourmand notes all detectable, and performance on skin is 12 hours plus.
I cannot say what is going on, I am not a perfume chemist, obviously the introduction of air helps improve (SOME) perfumes. all I know is for a fact that something IS happening. and psychology , expectations etc cannot explain away what people are experiencing, people that have had the same perfume, or have a decant, and only affecting some perfumes and not others even from the same brand, kind of rule out the psychological aspect of it all.
Fab thoughts! Thank you! ❤️
I think the problem with samples or another bottle might be that those might be from another batch. I've smelt huge differences with different batches (sample Vs testers in store / used bottles purchased secondhand), but then once you start to wear the new one, you begin to doubt that there was actually any difference. 😂 Of course this could also be the effect of incomplete "maceration", we don't know...
I don't doubt that people perceive differences at all, so, somany people talk about fragrances improving, I just think there needs to be some science to show the effects, for example, a mass spec trace over time from spraying the same fragrance would be a fab experiment to see results from and would prove that there were changes, these could then be recapitulated and tested on a control group to see whether people detected differences between the original spray and the later spray.
With regard to different fragrances and brands, it could be simply social media, people tend to be persuaded, that's really why advertising is so effective. But of course, also there could be some kind of familiarisation with particular notes or fragrances that make them more palatable over time. We just don't know, but there could be a real effect of "maceration" there too, we just need an effective and controlled experiment. I really hope that someone does one, because I'm super curious to know! 😂
Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume I do agree that all the things you mentioned do come into play, of course there are differences in batches, I would also suspect that in some cases, environmental conditions in shipping may also come into play, what if a bottle has gone through extreme temperatures on shipping? also people themselves learn and become better at smelling nuances in their fragrances, over time their noses become trained. in food, some tastes can affect the taste of things you eat afterword's, making some flavors more pronounced others less noticeable, I take all these things into account, and in some cases it is these things that are being experienced. but there are still many instances, and the statistics of it only being true for some perfumes and not others, that lends credence to the maturation effect being true. anyway I appreciate your scientific approach to this phenomena.
Yes, I do think this whole subject warrants further investigation! This is far from solved or clear! Thank you 🥰
My experience is the same as yours. Bottles change. I actually give new bottles to my buddy so he can “air them out” for me.
Whats happening is not maceration, thats the point here. Unless you bought the perfume the day AFTER the company actually did their mixing and maceration process, no maceration is occurring once it hits you as the consumer.
Great video! Amouage shares the maturation and maceration times of their exceptional extraits fragnances as well. Since the extraits are pretty concentrated and heavy those times are pretty long as well. For example:
Interlude 53 - 16 weeks maceration, 8 weeks maturation(aging of the perfume oil without the alcohol added)
Reflection 45 - 6 weeks maceration, 10 weeks maturation
Jubilation 40 - 8 weeks maceration, 3 weeks maturation
Thank you! ❤️ And thank you for the great info! 😊 It makes you wonder how many different combinations they choose from when deciding doesn't it? It does go some way to explain the pricing too! 😂 Thanks for watching 🥰
Hi Claire, you did a great job of explaining maceration. I enjoyed it. This is my 2nd time watching as I got distracted last time by a phone call… a couple of days ago. I love learning so I appreciate these types of videos. Happy Sunday, Claire. 💐 Mona
Thanks Mona! Hope you had a lovely weekend 🥰
Yes I’ve done the maceration process with my Middle Eastern fragrances with the same exception of putting them back in the box. Yara and Nebras both smelled better to me and stronger with time. The same for Kayali Yum Pistachio. Maybe aging is the better term.
Yes, it's just ageing isn't it? If you have a larger collection, simple rotations of what you choose to wear each day give the fragrances time to sit. I'm happy that they smelt better to you over time, thanks for sharing which fragrances improved for you with ageing. 🥰
Hiiiii! Great topic. Thank you. ❤
I was super curious! Thank you 🥰
In the context of how the internet was using manceration I just been told to just let the fragrance sit. I think versace eros edt really benefitted from maturation. When I first sprayed it I was pretty disappointed in its performance and scent. Wasn't like when I've been giving a sample of it. After 6 months its becoming more like the sample Ive gotten. Much more richer and powerful now.
Yes ageing can make some ingredients smell better or worse, it just depends what's there and how stable it is. I remember a perfumer telling me that hedione doesn't age well and citrus oils too. I'm happy your Versace Eros has improved for you. ☺️
This was interesting to me. I find your explanations clear and cogent. I have unintentionally macerated fragrances - ha ha! I bought Kayali samples and noticed the darkening of Vanilla 28 but TBH still thought it smelled a bit like plastic.
Vanilla does for sure darken and yep, I think we've all unintentionally macerated fragrances from simply having a few too many 🤣 thanks for watching 🥰
Your detailed and accurate description of fragrances and process of making them are truly an enhancement to understanding and enjoying my fragrances in a very personalized and special way. Thank you for making my love and passion for fragrances more of a mature enjoyable experience. 👏👏👏👏🏆🥇
Thank you ❤️ it's lovely to read that you are enjoying my videos, it makes them worth making. 🥰
Our YT fragcomm reference to it, altho I understood what was meant by it (as you so definitively explain here, I.e. aging) has never really sat right with me. Such a great, ‘clean-the-air’ on the subject episode, Claire❤
Thank you ❤️ it's such a complicated topic and it feels like a minefield, I found sources that absolutely deny it's an effect at all as in definition 3 but then others that seem to completely disagree! I don't think this is a debate being solved any time soon! 😂 Thanks for watching 🥰
Wow! thank you so much for this very informative video!
Thanks for watching 🥰
Thank you Claire.
You say that you can not compare the smell before and after the "maturation". Because you don't know what changed - the perfume or your perception.
You are right that the scent memory is a question.
I think there is one more thing. Often when you smell the fragrance for the first time, you detect different notes? impressions? than the second, third... time. Even if you don't smell it, your brain is "working" on it. It is like with learning to drive a car - your brain is training even when you don't drive, in your dreams f.ex.
May be sometimes it is a "maturation" of your sense of smell?
This is spot on! This is something that I get this all the time! I try fragrances at least three times, the first time I just wear it, the second time I make blind notes, the third time I look at the listed notes and smell again and look at what I've written. Usually between wear one and wear two is where the biggest differences occur for me. I do think that I often have changed perceptions of fragrances and that varies massively depending upon which fragrance it is... Thanks for watching 🥰
This was very informative video. Thank you for it! I am an arabian perfume fan and i always macerate my perfumes. They really need it. For example my newest addition to my collection is a cheap $7-8 choco musk perfume from Al Rehab - it does not smell like anything but alcohol on the first spray. After a few sprays and shakes i left it be for a month and wow! It does smell like a yummy milk chocolate bar. I always check the date on the packaging and if it's too recent, i leave it for more. It does play a huge role for these type of perfumes. 👌🏻
Thanks ❤️ well if it works for you then keep on doing it. 🥰
The video I never knew I needed! 🙌 I'd never really thought about this topic at all, beyond that my own fragrances change over time based on what profile they are and how long I've had them. As you know I'm not especially fond of the middle eastern perfumery styles and so it has never been something I have had to think of.
Thanks for the deep dive Claire ❤
@@scentedsnowdrops haha perhaps 😆 It can be a little on the sensitive side but my tolerance is growing 🤗
Well yes, I don't really expect to have to wait to wear something but whenever I don't love a fragrance that I've bought, I will wait several months before decluttering it and actually with affordable Middle Eastern fragrances, I waited for over a year to make sure. I think when I buy a fragrance, I'm excited to wear it, waiting to enjoy it for a few months would be a bit annoying! 🥰
Lol Em, those Amouages surprised me! Especially Imitation! That is STRONG! 💪
@@dr.claire.perfume Amouage is a style in its own right to me 🤗
Imitation and Portrayal are my favourites so far too I think... They are wows 🥰
Great video. Looking forward to watching and learning more of your videos
Thank you 🥰
I see people talking about a maceration process of a few weeks, but I have many perfumes and it takes me over a year to finish some of them. I recently started rewearing Dune by Dior after leaving it for about a year. It smells divine now and perfect for the winter.
Sometimes too our tastes change when we've experienced other fragrances, I know I would not have been into Chanel fragrances 4/5 years back. Thanks for watching 🥰
@ I think it was the perfume that changed! I see macerating like a soup or stew that tastes better a day or two later, or in this case with Dune, a year.
@@TheVintessa yes, the oxidation of particular ingredients can make a fragrance look darker too. I notice this with vanillas and white and yellow florals (in fragrances that use particular ingredients). I'm happy you are enjoying Dune more, I've always wanted to try it but when I've been in store, it's never there! 🥰
Claire! This is the second video on your channel that I've watched and this somehow sold me to subscribe you! Your explanation is very technical and I love how you hypothesize at 15:40 as it does make sense! Thankyou for bringing up the fragrance myths topic to the public-I'm looking forward to watch more of you, cheers! :)
Thank you and welcome! ❤️ I think my biggest problem with the "it needs to macerate" argument is what has it been doing since it was bottled? If it's been shipped and then sold retail, even online, it's likely to be at minimum 1-2 months old already. I agree that fragrances age 100% but over slower time periods that a few days to a few weeks after first spraying them as some people report. Thanks for watching 🥰
Great video!! All the talk about maceration has been so confusing to me because at the end of the day it just means that the product is sold without being stabile enough to offer consistency! I feel like the current maceration trend really boosts perfume hoarding and for people not to dismiss a fragrance at initial sniffs but instead keep disappointing scents in their stash in the hope of it magically transforming into something better one day...
Well yes! I find it perplexing as to how it can be a consistent product for the consumer?
And to your second point, if you say you don't like an affordable Middle Eastern fragrance on YT and say you are decluttering it, people still say let it macerate after you've already had it 1-3 years as I had mine 🤣 personally I didn't have the experience of any of them changing to a noticeable degree, but I don't doubt what others perceive, whatever the reason that might be. I agree with you, a mediocre or disliked fragrance seems unlikely to become wonderful to you. Thanks for watching 🥰
What an amazingly interesting video!! I have only just discovered you...I don't know how you got into my suggestions, but it's been very didactic. Thank you ❤
Thank you! I'm happy that you found and enjoyed it! 🥰
Before I heard perfume social media refer to macerate, my example would have been sugar on berries left to macerate
Absolutely! I think that's probably what a few people would think of! 😋
Claire your skin looks amazing. I’m not an expert on maceration which is why I really appreciate this video. It’s quite confusing. I’m going to watch this video again because it’s very informative. I love when you do these videos. Thank you 😊
Thank you ❤️ Yes, I found it very confusing, I've been thinking about this topic for ages and I did ask a few questions to perfumers to be able to sort out the information out there... The thing that puzzles me is how people report changes only a few days after spraying the fragrances the first time when the bottles have been packed and transported to stores and been made 2-3 months before sale. I don't doubt people's perceptions of how things smell to them, but I want to know what's going on! 😂
@@dr.claire.perfume knowledge is power 💜
@@Naturallyliz41 💯
Thank you for another very informative video.
Thank you 🥰
Thanks so much for this!
Thank you! 🥰
I bought Eclaire from Lattafa. I could barely smell it. I did spray it 5 or 6 times, then just put it on a shelf in a darker room. I checked it weekly. It was getting a bit stronger. Took about 6 weeks until I felt it had enough scent. I didn’t know about shaking it 🤷♀️
I think it's totally up to you! Shaking is something that will, to a small degree, accelerate any changes that might be occurring, as shaking one of the things along with light exposure, heating and introducing oxygen that speeds up degradation of fragrances too.
Currently letting my Eclaire bottle hangout and macerate. Fingers crossed!!
Aeration would be a better term than aging. Aging already has a meaning = when fragrances start to decline. And one COULD test 'Aeration' by buying two bottles and spraying one 10 times. Try them side by side in 3 months!
Aging can suggest improvement, think about the use of the term with wines or cheeses for example. I think degradation covers the negative aspects really. Sadly I don't think trying them side by side would be an effective test. The result will be determined by the tester's pre conceived idea on whether this process has any effect. Blinding is required and multiple testers. Better would be LCMS traces over time of the same bottle sprayed at different time points. Thanks for watching 🥰
Hi Claire! I always remember hearing the term maceration back in my 20’s when I watched cooking shows in my every spare moment 😅 ..and how sugar stirred together with fruit causes it to “macerate” or release its juices.
And then of course I hear it now all the time on perfume videos! I heard a great explanation of this topic on Tiktok as well!
I feel like vanillas get more “vanilla-y” over time as the juice gets darker if that makes sense.. and I’m sure Terracotta changed a lot over the 2 or 3 years I had it, the florals came out ever so much stronger over time and became more indolic (although I didn’t buy a new bottle to compare) 😅
Hi Tammy! Maceration is a term that gets used for lots of things isn't it?
I've had a few of my fragrances change colour with time. I think very few of my fragrances are new when I obtain them, so perhaps I've not experienced much change with them? My brand new ME fragrances sadly didn't change from what I could tell from my own perceptions over the 1-3 years that I owned them though. I feel I want to do an experiment and sort out this whole debate 🤣
Oh I’ve definitely experienced maturation of a few fragrances; mainly Middle Eastern. Nebras really stands out to me because I remember being super let down when I first got it. Nothing like all the descriptions I’d heard. It had barely any presence. Fast forward about six months and it’s a beast. Many ME fragrances are sent straight from production to consumers, and being they are typically lower priced, many people don’t mind the aging process usually.
Funny enough, Eilish was very similar to Nebras in both scent and need for maturation in my experience. Eilish now performs quite well.
Another one that I adore is Ajmal’s Sacrifice For Her, it too was SO weak at first and now a year later it’s amazing.
On the opposite side, I found Blanche Bete SUPER strong when I first received it, but after many months it’s now mellowed nicely..seems smoother and way less beastly.
Definitely an interesting topic! I’ve experienced it for sure.
Thank you for your examples! I've only tried Eilish from this list. I think a lot of people have experienced perceiving changes in their fragrances over time if the comments on this video are anything to go by. I feel quite left out in never having experienced this 🤣 thanks for watching 🥰
I also love Ajmal Sacrifice and agree that this beautiful perfume has become so much stronger, it lasts longer, mine is around 10 months old.
@@dr.claire.perfumeI also agree about Ajmal Sacrifice as it is ( to my nose ) stronger after 10 months and also lasts so much longer now.
I have found quite a few of the vanilla Middle Eastern perfumes and as you mentioned amber perfumes that have improved with time ( again to my nose). Warm regards from Tasmania ❤
Thank you for letting me know your thoughts. 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume 🥰 Thank you 😊
Thank you Claire. I have never seen your reviews before but you appeared on my feed. Your compelling, objective and detailed work was wonderful to watch. Ultimately perfume is such a subjective medium; the time, the place, the body temperature, your mood all contribute to your perceptions in general and regarding perfumes in particular. “Ageing” seems a better term and I must say that I’ve never experienced this “maceration” other reviewers talk about. Thank you for your work!
Thank you ❤️ I try to take my research skills to answer questions about fragrance. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't 😂
I agree with you, I've owned affordable Middle Eastern fragrances even and not experienced any changes that I noticed in how they smelt from the first spray to the one to three years later that I owned them. I don't doubt that others perceive differences though, whatever their causes might be. Thanks for watching 🥰
Good vid thank you, love your hair btw way
Thank you 🥰
I’ve recently purchased Middle Eastern clones. The store person advised to spray it and leave it. I’ve worn the perfume and to me its fine as is. The batch states made in July 2024. Ive bought 3 further clones that are ok, so will see if they change over time. I have perfumes that I’ve had for years and think that a particularly note stood out more, or the ones with vanilla seem to improve.
That's good. I guess effectively that fragrance has already sat for 6 months so I think I'd be asking what real difference leaving it any longer would have, but I guess store assistants work off a script, with standard advice for all purchases that is designed to reduce returns. I think it's probably hard to judge whether your fragrances changed over time unless the difference is relatively stark, but I'll be interested in your
conclusions. Thanks for watching 🥰
This reminded me of my bottle of Lalique Solell,when I first got it ,had no recognizable smell to me ,and I almost decluttered it 🤦♀️now I love the smell and use it all the time 🤷♀️
This video was absolutely amazing and there are so many factors of why it does smell different on our skin ?
Have a wonderful weekend ❤️
Thank you! I'm happy that Lalique Soleil improved for you. I remember you not being keen on it and then loving it. It would have been a shame to have decluttered it. Thanks for watching Frances 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume I agree and the bottle alone is a work of art
It's gorgeous 😍, I loved the jangly bottle charm too! That was lovely! 🥰
Thanks, Claire! I feel a little smarter after watching this 🙂↕️😊
Always love learning something new!
Not sure what to reply to the first bit or whether that is meant for me or not, but thank you, I'm happy that you enjoyed the video. I hope I cleared this topic up a bit for everyone. 🥰
I actually have first hand experienced "maceration" in the social media terms. I had bought a bottle of Lattafa Yara, and it had set on my shelf for many many weeks. When I first got it, I wasn't impressed, but after many weeks, I really enjoyed how the fragrance had grown deeper and more vanillic, so I bought 2 more brand new bottles from the same seller. When the new bottles arrived, I was so excited as my first bottle was getting lower. I opened them both and sprayed them... and they did not smell as vanillic and deep. I sprayed my old bottle on one arm, the new one on my other, tested them side by side, and there was definitely a difference. I have now let the 2 "new" bottles set for several weeks, and they have begun to deepen as well.
Well if you think that oxidation or whether that might be has benefitted Yara then that's interesting. It would be good to take one bottle and compare the GCMS traces over a timeframe and see if the scent molecules actually change and how. I'm sure fragrance houses have this data! Thanks for watching 🥰
@dr.claire.perfume I would love to be able to perform an actual scientific experiment on this subject. It would be so cool if you could make a video along those lines! It would be so interesting! Thank you for all the great videos!
@SweetMomoAndMochi haha yes! If I had the odd £1k to pay for the run and reagents and data analysis, not to mention the red tape my uni would put in the way! But crazy dreams and a lovely idea ☺️ it would be a great experiment. 🥰
@dr.claire.perfume Haha! I very much understand what you mean! Maybe someday soon, the opportunity to do such an experiment will fall into place ❤️ Until then, I will continue watching your very informative, very interesting videos!
@SweetMomoAndMochi maybe! 🥰
Hey Claire. What a great topic. Words have meanings and quite often we use words without giving enough thought to how they are used. It would be great if you would be able to interview someone from a fragrance house to get their thoughts.
Thank you ❤️ I have my indie sources but I tend to keep them anonymous, I always feel like I ask them things that they might not want to discuss in public 🤣 but maybe I'm wrong? 🤔 I feel like a fragrance house representative would be so interesting to talk to to discuss their processes! I would love that! 🥰
Loved your video and appreciate the way you articulated your thoughts & research findings…I believe most people intend to say ageing but end up using the word maceration..to answer your question I have bought quite a few Middle Eastern perfumes which are inspired by designers and niche houses and can say that the process of ageing definitely helps as usually due to the pressure created in the bottle as a result of transportation perfumes smell different initially & improve both in terms of smell & performance after allowing it to age..and allowing the oxidation of the juice…another problem I believe is due to the high demand a lot of Middle Eastern houses do skip this process…Cheers….
Thank you! ❤️ Do you mean there are pressure increases in the fragrances as a result of air freight? I would doubt that air freight is used for fragrances but cargo holds are also pressurised on aircraft since the temperature there would drop to -40oC if not. Maybe do you mean as a result of the shaking of the fragrance? Would that change the pressure? I think perhaps it would mix the fragrance and speed up any reactions that were going on, e.g. oxidation with the air already in the bottle, but I don't imagine a pressure change, unless there are chemical reactions going on within the bottle that generate additional pressure, is that what you mean?
I can imagine that most ME houses do cut maceration to the bear minimum to simply dissolving the oils in the alcohol, but simply the length of time until bottling, packing, transport and sale and receipt by the customer is still likely to be 1-2 months at minimum. I would think that would be enough time for the fragrance to be stable and done generating Schiff bases etc in maceration. So why do we need to oxidise the fragrance further when we are all told that oxidation is harmful to fragrances' lifetimes and also there is oxygen already in the remaining air space volume of the bottle, so why do a few sprays make a difference? There are many unanswered questions here and this debate needs some more perfumers to step in ☺️ (a few have already commented here much to my delight). Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume appreciate your response..I have observed for almost all my ME perfumes that this is the case…for instance Armaf Club De Nuit Intense smells like citrus, birch and musk for the first few sprays then for a couple of months smells like citrus and chalk (actually like chalk used for writing on a black board) and after at least 3-6 months of storing in a dark place it changes and starts smelling like the actual intended smell…I have an old bottle that smells how it is supposed to and a new one about a month old which smells like citrus and chalk…have also noticed that the performance improves over a period of time…performance is a very big factor for us living in India as we mostly experience extremely hot & humid weather conditions and hence designer fragrance generally don’t last unless one is in an temperature controlled environment…the phenomenon I mentioned holds true for a number of fragrances I own made by these Middle Eastern houses like Armaf, Afnan, Ahmed Al Maghribi, Lattafa etc…I second your point, experienced perfumers need to intervene & help us solve our doubts…Cheers…
CDNI is a huge success story isn't it? I'm happy it evolves into something you love over time.
I really liked the female marketed version of CDNI when I sampled it, I love Noir de Noir, and I know it's a little different but it's still a very nice fragrance!
I’m so glad you made this video. It makes me crazy when I hear TH-camrs saying their perfumes need to “macerate.” It ALSO makes me crazy when they describe some perfumes as “molecular” perfumes because ALL perfumes are molecular. 🤦♀️
Apparently they just parrot what they hear and don’t realize what they are saying. 😂
Great topic as always, Claire! ❤️
I think what they mean is that those "molecular fragrances" are based around ambrox or other fragrance aromachemicals not based on naturally occuring chemicals... So iso E super etc. it's not accurate but very much how those are termed isn't it?
I think maceration might be a thing if the fragrance was made very very recently, but if it's been bottled and shipped etc the time in the bottle should already be several weeks to a few months old already, which should have allowed enough time for the fragrance to be ready, even if the fragrance company itself didn't bother to do any kind of incubation of the fragrance. It makes you wonder why these companies don't produce a guide of how to use their fragrances if this is truly a thing...
Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Since many types of perfumes are made of aroma-chemicals, the “molecular” description is just another TH-camr/social media spun term. I think it probably started from people referring to perfumes similar to the brand “Escentric Molecules.” Molecule 01 & 02 were popular and unique, then later when others came out in that style, it turned into “molecular” perfumes. 😂
The best explanation of the terms on youtube
Thank you 🥰
Thank you Dr. Claire we needed that ! I😊
😂 I got stuck in a rabbit hole🐰 and needed to make a video to get out 😂
Maceration in perfumery is ill-defined and imprecise. In other contexts (food, medical) it means to break down tissue with a solvent, usually water.
Maturation and marination are distinctly different from maceration and each other. They're both more appropriate in most perfumery uses.
However, the term maceration _is_ appropriate when used to describe part of extraction/infusion processes where plant tissue (flowers, seeds, wood etc.) is placed in a solvent for some time to soften it and draw out aroma factors.
Thanks for your input into the subject! I am very interested to read people's views and to see what people think 😊 You are spot on that maceration really refers to breaking down a solid using a solvent. Thank you for watching 🥰
As usual, you make so many excellent points! I have quite a big ME collection now, and I have no problem spraying them and letting them sit. Especially when I am paying $30USD for them. Agree - can’t always know for sure if they actually change. And of course there are some flat-out blind buy fails in there too. (Actually, very few! 🙂) Now….if I paid 10 times that for a high-end niche bottle (never gonna happen 😜), I would probably feel differently. Thank you; this is a timely topic for sure Claire 🥰
It's not a biggie is it? Ageing is going to be something that will happen with time... Whether anyone intends it or not 😂 I think you're right that their affordability means that people are happy to wait. ☺️ Hope you have a good week! 🥰
I purchased a sample decant of Armani Prive Rouge Malachite but when I got a full bottle it was fresher & spicier in the opening. Months later it’s just like that decant I originally purchased and I still have that sample which smells even more amazing than before. It’s a lot creamier and deeper … so hypnotic. I can not wait for my full size bottle to catch up with that little decant. 😅it’s the dreamiest creamiest spicy white floral. I doubt Armani would give us an unfinished fragrance but since I got my first impression from a decant, I think I got a preview of an aged fragrance that didn’t represent how it would smell new.
That Armani line is loved ❤️ bleu Lazuli and this one in particular! I had a sample of Gris Dior from a friend that smelt wildly different to the bottle in store, the sample was miles rosier, but I was never sure if it was the batch 🤷♀️ I guess this is the unanswerable question 😂 it's great that your bottle now matches your sample because it can be truly disappointing when a purchase just doesn't match up. Enjoy it! 🥰
Brilliant! 👏👏👏 Thank you!
Thank you 🥰
I have a 1. question and 2. a view about the maturation process.
1. It seems like people agree that middle eastern fragrances need maturation. Now, if I buy a middle eastern fragrance and the production date was 2 years ago, will giving it a quick spray and then in effect introduce oxygen, make my perfume longer lasting after "putting it away for a few weeks / months" ?
2. This seems to be a hill that people are willing to die on, but as a chemist I cannot see how introducing oxygen into my fragrance will do anything to the longevity of the scent on my skin aside from assisting oxidation and degradation in the bottle (yes, I know...all perfumes change as you use them as nobody I know goes through a 100ml bottle a month). Some might now argue that the maturation process allows the alcohol to evaporate and intensify the perfume. The preferential departure of perfumers alcohol from the bottle and keeping all the fragrance molecules contained is a bizarre concept.
I think it wont have any effect whatsoever and I even doubt that spraying a fragrance has an effect on it even if it were manufactured only a few weeks ago but some people do believe. What we need is some GCMS traces from some bottles at different time points.
And with point 2, I am with you. I agree that the maturing processes that companies carry out will enable the production of Schiff bases but I can't see how oxygen adds to that, other than by oxidising some components, i.e. starting a process of degradation. In a properly made bottle, alcohol loss with be minimal as partial pressure will be quickly re-established after each spray within the bottle too. I would be willing to bet that no one who has even A level chemistry or physics uses the "it allows the alcohol to evaporate" argument ever. Thanks for watching. 🥰
Maceration was a new concept to me prior to YT❣️ Awesome video as always ❤
Thank you 🥰
My experience is this: I bought a perfume called Coco alla Vaniglia from a small indie house called Kyse perfumes. At the beginning I remember that the smell was very true to its given name, coco and vanilla. A full on gourmand but not overly sweet and I remembered watching someone said that she was very surprised with this perfume because its lack of sweetness, even though the vanilla note was very prominent to her nose. On the other hand, Cris from the Perfume nest, mentioned that this perfume might only appeal to those with a very very sweet teeth, because she got a comment from someone told her “oh you smell so sweet” but in bad way. At the time, I went to sniff my bottle and it was the perfect amount of sweetness. Months later after letting it sit, I sprayed it and OMG it was an extremely sweet, SYRUPY mess and I despised that level of sweetness. In my case the change in the scent was for the worse.
🤣 haha, yes, wow! That sounds like quite a difference! I guess we can't separate perception here, but it's interesting and would make a good scientific study to try to detect differences in what is in each spray over time.
I've not ever tried Kyse, but their fragrances always sound very very sweet from people's descriptions of them. 🍰 🍬 🍭 And how delicious they sound always intrigued me. 🥰
Do you think the scent would be good for a 16yr old my daughter loves sweet scents I'm looking for something youthful
Let you fragrance sit in the right environment in its original box and reduce the air available and it won’t macerate . It’s overly hype because fragrance companies won’t make a dime if you are not worried about maceration
@@Bestmepossible I've not tried Kyse but from what I know of them, I would bet yes 🤣 I'll let others answer though!
@@sarwarkhan1185 a fragrance will age whatever we do sadly. The time is ticking to expiry from the day it is produced 😢 But yes, reducing UV, humidity and excessive heat will help to maintain it for longer.
I experienced aging significantly with my bottle of Alien Goddess Intense. I couldn't understand how people were getting vanilla from it compared to my bottle. I actually nearly declutteted it, but tried it again and finally got the vanilla, coconut along with the jasmine! I was quite shocked how much it changed, thankfully for the better.
I think fragrances do change as they get older, at least over longer time periods (years). I'm happy that you enjoy Alien Goddess Intense now! 🥰
I believe what youtubers are referencing with fragrances is oxidized maturarion. This exposes the newly created fragrance mixture to oxygen and helps mix/evaporate the perfumers alcohol. This will allow the fragrance to reflect the smell and performance originally designed. It can improve some more than others based on the quality and volume of additives. The issues typically occur much more often in UAE fragrances where they are rushed to market vs. sitting for a longer period before distribution. This is reflected in price along with quality of ingredients.
I wonder what proportion of the alcohol in the fragrance evaporates within a closed bottle, even after it's been sprayed a few times and there is slightly more air space I would think the proportion would be negligible. Surely the vapour pressure is established pretty quickly and no more alcohol evaporates into the air within the bottle until the next spray replaced more of the space in the bottle with an equivalent volume of air (especially in the small empty space of a nearly full bottle?). There is also already air in the bottle after manufacture, so a certain amount of oxidation can occur from the get go without any need to spray the fragrance.
I understand that maceration is the formation of Schiff bases, but why do people report this requiring additional oxygen from spraying for Middle Eastern fragrances? Surely the time from manufacture to shipping and retail is going to be at least 1-2 months and therefore quite a lot of time for this to occur?
There are lots of unanswered questions, requiring input from the fragrance houses themselves and perhaps some actual analysis of the fragrances coming out of atomisers over a period of time by a research study. I am quite sure that large fragrance manufacturers, e.g. Givaudan, IFF, Firmeniche will have done this research... We need it sharing. Thanks for watching 🥰
Absolutely fascinating topic, so informative, TY! I don’t let my perfumes macerate, but I noticed my Kayali Van28 is much darker in color now that it’s almost gone, don’t know that I detect a difference from first sniff to now, I think it’s a gorgeous vanilla either way. ❤
Thank you! ❤️ Yes, the vanilla in mine also darkened a bit too! Thanks for watching 🥰
Claire!!!! I just recorded a video on my conflicting thoughts on macerating a fragrance! Of course not on an educational level more on my complaints 😂😂😂
Yay! I look forward to hearing your views! I always enjoy seeing your experiences. I think you are very, very good at articulating your feelings on fragrances and your reactions to what you've been influenced to buy, and always in such a polite and eloquent way. You need to make more videos Sunny! 🥰
I first had this experience when I bought Bond http. The first time I sprayed it, it was absolutely awful and congested. I would wear a spray every once in a while and it kept getting better. 6 months later it became my favorite fragrance. The fragrance completely changed.
Sorry for the late reply, I think your inclusion of http meant that the comment got flagged and held. That's good. What do you mean by congested? 🥰
I've often wondered about the maceration videos I've watched. The term "priming" has also been used. A fragrance wouldn't be bottled and sold, especially from a high-end house, if it weren't ready to be worn as soon as it is unpackaged, at least that is what I thought. Knowing, too, that oxygen ages perfume, causes it to oxidize which changes the smell (and maybe color), "macerating" would only shorten a fragrance's life. Some perfumes contain an antioxidant to help deter oxidization from general use of the bottle when oxygen can get in it. This is a great video. Thank you.
Yes they do! You are right! And some bottles have a UV protective coating even to protect the fragrance from sunlight to some degree. 🥰
Thank you for such a detailed & informative post. I will continue to watch your content.
You are also beautiful beyond comprehension.
Thank you ❤️ have a lovely weekend 🥰
This is the first time I've heard of fragrance aging. I had an old bottle of Amber Romance that I bought on eBay. I really like the scent and decided to buy my mom a new one. The new one smelled more synthetic and plastic when I first sprayed it, but a year later I sprayed it again and I noticed that plastic smell was gone. I assumed that my nose had just changed but it didn't occur to me that fragrance aging could be the reason.
Who knows? This is the thing isn't it, in isolation it's hard to tell what's changed. There are a few possibilities here, but either way, I'm happy that you now enjoy the fragrance ☺️ thanks for watching 🥰
Yup it is done before the final product, like simply letting it settle and mature
Thanks for watching 🥰
Congrats on 10K! I've experienced this one two almost three different occasions. The sample smells great, you purchase a full bottle, and then you almost feel scammed when it arrives. A few months later and this weak, watered down, fragrance is 20x stronger. I don't get it.
🤣 it's some kind of unexplainable! I need someone to do a proper study on this!!! I'm desperate to see a mass spec trace to see whether what's in each spray is actually changing! This is some kind of strong belief if it's not actually partially reality... I wish we had more scientific info to explain it, but it's just not out there... I looked! Thanks for watching 🥰
I really appreciate an honest informative and scientific breakdown to cut through so much of the consumerism bs. The influencer and TikTok ignorant stuff drives me bonkers.
I do know though that I did NOT care for Bianco Latte at all when I got my sample decant, it was plasticy and synthetic smelling and eh, same for Borabora. Months later I came back to Bianco Latte and it was a different beast entirely. I love it now. It still has that element from before but way subdued.
I decided to give Borabora another try after that shocker, I mean it did smell better but not something I love. I think that house for me will have that plasticy synthetic feel and thats okay, I do enjoy Celeste, just got that.
The longevity on BL and BB both improved too, and at the time (about 6 months ago) I was dubious of all this maceration lark and thought maybe it was this house, maybe it was a rush job idk. But I super appreciate this video thank you ❤
Yes! I agree with Giardini Di Toscana, but I only tried Bianco Latte, it smelt more on the synthetic side (what I mean is that it didn't smell very natural, but of course very few fragrances are actually natural, but still can smell natural).
Maybe it's a real effect? Maybe they'd rushed the fragrance to market and not let it sit at all? Maybe It was so popular that they skipped something? It makes me wonder how little fragrance companies care if so, but it could be... What I really doubt is large change over small time periods, even days after first spraying the fragrance as some people report. That to me seems unlikely..
Thanks for watching 🥰
Yes, what people describe as maceration is actually maturation.
I think it does make a bit of difference, especially when there is vanilla in a fragrance. However what I think is more impactful is the initial 2-3 weeks after you first get a fragrance and letting it sit still and untouched after spraying it out a few times. There are some aroma chemicals that impact the smell of a fragrance after it's come from being shipped or purchased, the box has been moved and shaken a lot during transit so it just won't smell right when you first spray it after this. It will always smell better a few days later when everything has 'settled' and I find this is especially true when there is white musk in a fragrance as the musk takes over when it hasn't settled. My first experience with this was with Lancome La Nuit Tresor Musk Diamante and I first sprayed it and the musk was so over powering and I couldn't smell any hint of the La Nuit Tresor that people described was in there. I was disgusted. I let it sit maybe 2 months and dared to try it again and it smelled very different and it was now a beautiful mix of the musk and the original. So yes, allowing it to sit really does help a fragrance.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I absolutely loved La Nuit Tresor Musc Diamant! Such a beauty 😍
Great coverage on the perfumery side of chemically producing a product vs. Colloquial-speak on TH-cam about maceration.
Certainly, my older designer and niche perfumes have changed somewhat after a number of years with more and more oxygen introduced into the bottles as I use them up, but not significantly enough to claim it’s better or worse than when I freshly opened them up new. Some are definitely richer and deeper, like my L’Interdit EDP, L’Interdit Rouge, and Guerlain Terracotta, but not necessarily my Carnal Flower that’s been sitting out in the open on my dresser since 2022 (not in direct light).
I own 4 ME perfumes and after about a year, don’t detect a significant enough change to claim any benefits of aging at this point. Maybe my nose is deficient 😂, or perhaps my olfactory memory is fleeting and just can’t remember well enough to compare.
Thank you! ❤️
Yes, I can't say my fragrances have changed other than in colour from the ones that I've had from new, some are 5-10 years old now. Those are a relatively small percentage of my collection though! I didn't notice any difference in how the ME fragrances smelt over time for me, but I don't doubt that others perceive differences if they say they do. Really I think I'd like to see some mass spec data to see what's actually happening as fragrances age. I'm sure some fragrance manufacturer somewhere must have done that research... 🧐 Thanks for watching 🥰
ive purchase an eros edp 200ml.after using it for about half off the bottle,i stop from using it because i think its not a long lasting frag.i stop as i want to try another frag.about a year later, i put it on my skin back again and found out that the frag has change in longevity.it perfomes very well in terms off longevity.very much different from the day i bought it.iam very happy with the frag now.however, the smell doesnt change as i remember. so i guess the correct terms is aging. in the 1 year period, i just left the frag bottle on book shelf.never put it back on the box.
That's good. I'm happy that the longevity improved for you. It's frustrating having to respray and not smelling something for very long. Thanks for watching 🥰
Thank you for the definition and interesting video. I have few oud oils and some Rasasi cheapies that have improved greatly after being left alone and forgotten about. Yet my more expensive fragrances never improve (not that they need too) just get weaker over time. 🤔
Thank you ❤️ well if it works for you then keep on doing it! Thanks for watching 🥰
Great video Claire, thoroughly loved it💯👌✨ it made my mind wander, and I explored thoughts on how the Ancient people would of made an developed their perfumes. To go back in time and see that. 🙂👏
Thank you ❤️ Absolutely! The processes of getting fragrance out of natural substances go from simple to really quite complex, I remember as a child putting lavender and rose petals in oil to use in the bath 😂 I had no idea that was basic perfumery at the time! 🥰
I often refer to it as “letting it stew”. I’m not skilled in being able to pick-out and identify many different notes, but I am good at knowing if a bottle that’s been sitting smells better after awhile. I can think of two, right away, that seemed to come to life only after “stewing”. Both are dupes: Better Peach (Al Haramain maybe, but a dupe of Bitter Peach) and it took about 9 months for me to even smell the peach. The other was Miss Independent (Juliana’s Perfume’s dupe of Princess), which took a few months. But some absolutely change with a bit of time, others don’t. But then again - maybe my nose is wonky 🤷♀
Wow! Months to smell the peach?! With a dupe of Bitter Peach... that indeed sounds like a problem! Happy that it worked out after a while 🙂
I think that's it's really hard to tell sometimes, I have no idea what's perception and what's real and to some extent with fragrance, does it matter? As long as we enjoy it, it's all good 😊
@@dr.claire.perfume I definitely think it matters when it comes to “influencers”, but there’s a lot of subjectiveness too. And yes - with the Better Peach it took that many months, yet with a sample of Julianna’s Perfume’s dupe of Bitter Peach I could smell it right away. Again - maybe it’s my nose.
@@katiejon17 yes I guess if people are basing purchasing decisions on shared opinions then it does matter. Fragrance is ultimately so subjective isn't it? Btw I absolutely love the name Better Peach 🍑 😂 for some reason!
I haven't watched the video yet, but I will say, I have been a fragrance lover for several decades and these things never were an issue: maceration, wearing fragrance in certain seasons, polarizing fragrances. Everything used to smell good, all the time and to everyone... 😂
Haha, yes! It seems social media has made fragrance much more complicated 😂 I absolutely never thought about seasonal fragrance nor whether my fragrance was polarising before YT! 🥰
I definitely did because I naturally don't want to wear certain fragrances during certain times of year
to be fair 30 years ago y'all had to compete with cigarette and diesel smells 😆
First time I heard “macerate,” all I could think about was putting sugar on strawberries before making strawberry shortcake in the springtime with my mom lol
Mmm! Yes! Love that! I had strawberries for lunch today with a little sugar actually 😋 I don't normally add sugar... But it's quite nostalgic! 🥰
Thank you for doing this video. I’m a fellow scientist and I’ve always been confused when people say “macerate “ perfumes when I think they mean lightly oxidizing or stabilizing period?!
Absolutely! These were exactly my thoughts! Thanks for watching 🥰
This probably isn’t a helpful comment, but a fragrance can smell totally different on me, literally, from one day to the next! That’s when I usually think.. I’ve worn this too much … and I put it away for a few weeks and wear something else.
Thank you for the video, Claire .., It was informative. I’ve always beeen aware that perfumes ‘age’ but not at all convinced with the YT perception of Maceration 🤔
Yes! This is definitely a thing for me too! Things can smell very different depending upon the weather, what clothes I'm wearing, my mood etc etc. I need to try things several times to be able to get an overall average impression. Thanks for watching 🥰
I wasn't a believer until my hunter intense completely changed over a month. Almost a whole different scent and for the better.
Armaf do have some nice ones. I really like Club de Nuit Intense. 🥰
Question for you. If it’s an oil based fragrance no alcohol how long would it need to blend and mature?
I don't think they need much time at all, really only enough time for thorough mixing, which can be sped up by gentle inversion when making the blends. I am not a perfumer though. Some perfumers do skip leaving the oils to mix for any period of time entirely when making fragrance with alcohol. It's not like this is the stage of trying to extract the fragrance from the natural product so extensive time isn't necessarily required. The oil already contains the fragrance and are miscible with each other. Oils have relatively short shelf lives since they don't contain alcohol as a preservative. I would say you'd want to use them within 3-5 years for them to be at their best and for sure reduce air exposure to a minimum to slow them degrading. 🥰
Yes. Thank you. If everything fully dissolves, we still macerate it, but we don't need to filter. Maceration time includes formation of Schiff bases among chemicals which occur in the naturals. Frédéric Malle likes to undermine artisans who make small batches, so his five kilo comment might be targeted at us. Scientifically, I can't think why 500g would age differently from 5kg.
Gosh Sarah! Hello! If I'd have known you were available to help, I'd have loved to have asked you about all of this! Do you also have video on this? I would be interested to watch if so as the information out there is poor, I found it hard to find what I needed. What is your opinion on definition 3? 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Always available, but I only just found your channel! I have definitely covered the topic but not definition 3, as that has just been made up. It's one of those internet myths that people love to spread because they think they have discovered something new that no one else knows. Even now, there will be some who choose to believe "their truth". Coincidentally I had a client visit this week about a two perfumes I made for her five years ago, and the new batches I had just rushed through for her because she wanted them urgently. She had messaged to say that two of her friends were very disappointed when they bought the new bottles because they were not the same as the drops of five year old fragrance left in their old bottles, and they liked the old one better. Exactly as you say, this was a deep amber, vanilla, musk and jasmine led fragrance that will be fine for five years (although legally we all have to mark the bottles as good for a maximum of 36 months after opening). "I love my perfume, and it's not the same!" she said. Finally, when showed the batch sheets and demonstrated that they were made out of the same materials, I got her to acknowledge that if she wanted a five year old perfume she would have to age it for five years. Thierry Wasser of Guerlain said at a Selfridges event that he wishes all their fragrances could be macerated for two years before being sold, but that's not possible. His PR people looked daggers at him. There are many small bonds taking place on a molecular level, not reactions as such, I just call them friendships forming in am unscientific way, and perfumes do become more mature, like cheese, but then it all starts to fall apart. Basically, you're right about everything, and if people want to risk ruining their fragrances by allowing extra oxygen in and basically breaking them, it's up to them. Definitely NOT the citruses as you say. Big brands do release them ASAP as warehousing is expensive. I like at least two months for maturation and two more for maceration. I could write another several pages worth, so I'll stop now, but you know where I am!
@@SarahMcCartney4160 Thank you so much for your reply! I agree that it's mad for anyone to expect a freshly made fragrance to smell like one made 5 years ago 😂 I can imagine it's very hard to keep people happy, it's good that you take the time to explain things. I will certainly chat to you in future when I have questions! Thank you very much 🥰
I can definitely tell you that a new bottle of Roja Scandal Parfum Cologne didn't smell the same as the previous bottle because I opened it before I finished the old one. After a week or so it was the same.
That's interesting! Was the difference huge initially or was it quite close?
I've experienced reasonably big differences, but I think mine were mainly due to batch variation rather than ageing, as Dior use natural sources for some of their florals and they were obtained in different harvests, but as soon as I finish the old bottle I forget how that old batch smelt and readjust quickly to the new batch, like with my Gris Dior sample and bottle of Gris Dior, the sample smelt much more rosy. I guess we'll never know 😂 Thanks for watching 🥰
I do find the current talk of 'maceration' a bit amusing. I think there's a few things at play when people discuss this:
1. Aging. I have a few that have definitely become deeper and longer lasting after a few weeks. I think this also applies to designer/niche when people buy a new bottle of a fragrance they already have and insist that it must be reformulated and now doesn't smell as strong, totally disregarding they've had their last bottle for a couple of years.
2. It's not a fragrance dna they are familiar with and it may not be to their taste initially but, their nose adjusts to it after a few exposures.
3. They try it at a different time of year than it best suits and it's more weather appropriate the next time they test it.
4. It mostly seems to be women who are in the age bracket of having monthly cycles who don't take into account their olfactory senses can change at different times of their cycle.
Yes! I think reformulation is the automatic assumption isn't it? People should probably wait before judging, I guess batch to batch variation might also be significant in some cases.
I agree with you that people do need time to familiarise themselves with most things in life to enjoy them, e.g. listening to music is more enjoyable when you know the words, there are probably similar effects with familiarity with fragrance
I agree that seasons and hormones also affect our perceptions. I would love to know more about the perceived differences and what they are, real or not! I don't care which the answer is, but I am fascinated 🥰
Once again, a stellar 🤩 video. So interesting and informative. ✏️📚🎓I feel smarter 😁
Thank you ❤️ I did do a lot of reading! 😂
Thank you for doing this topic.
I don’t care for the current use of “maceration”… I simply just age my middle eastern fragrances.
No worries! ❤️ Happy that you enjoyed it. Have a lovely weekend. Thanks for watching 🥰
I have had this experience with ’maceration’ . I bought Lattafa’s TERIAQ. When I first initially smelt it, it was very weak and I wasn’t getting any of the notes mentioned. Especially the sweet ones.
My daughter seemed to be able to pick up the notes. So I did what you were talking about….I shook it up, emptied the spray straw and let it sit for a week. Suddenly, I could smell what everybody else was talking about on TH-cam reviews.
Teriaq must have done very well for Lattafa... I would love to see their sales data 👀. I'm happy it smells better to you now! Enjoy it! 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Yes… but I’m not entirely convinced that it changed. I find that fragrances will smell different to me in the morning than they do in the afternoon or evening.
Hey ! Maybe that would be a topic for you, unless you’ve already done that and I missed it….
Do our scent receptors work differently throughout the day? Hmmm 🤔
Yes, I think our sense of smell will be better when the air is damper, so at dusk it is likely to be better (at least in the summer in the UK, like now) or any other time when there is high humidity. 🥰
I think people generally put way more value on their personal experiences than they should. Of course, the main thing that should matter to you is your personal experience and improving it, but unfortunately it doesn’t stop there. People often take it upon themselves to then disseminate their views as factual or gospel. You’re right in that what most people call “maceration” at home is simply oxidation/aging. And like you said, I think it sometimes can have a noticeable effect. Don’t forget that sometimes people buy duplicate bottles, maybe even from the same batch, and therefore can semi-scientifically compare an oxidized vs non-oxidized bottle. I myself have done that and noticed differences between them. However, as for it being “better” or “longer lasting” the lines are a bit blurrier. I think oxidation can change the ratio of the note pyramid, which has the illusion of changing the longevity and scent profile. For actual longevity, that would require significant evaporation to change the alcohol concentration. That only happens towards the end of a bottles’s volume, and is certainly not happening after 10 sprays, a swish, and 4 weeks in the cupboard. I think there’s a great deal of misinformation, indoctrination, placebo, and overvalued unscientific personal experience. And like you said I don’t think what’s done at home is maceration/maturing… it’s definitely just aging/oxidation/intentional expiration 😂
Thank you ❤️ For me, short term change (over days, weeks, a few months) is something I've not experienced. I do however think that fragrance can change as it ages over the years that it can take to use up a bottle, however the change is so gradual, that I'm not sure I'd notice it without some kind of side by side comparison. I agree with you that people take their personal experiences to be the absolute truth, and on YT, that's dangerous because if that person is persuasive, whatever they say spreads. Thanks for watching 🥰
It worked for me. I have Oud Wood and I loved it, even tho it didn’t last long on skin at all. A year and a half later, it smells better to me and actually lasts on my skin for a good amount of time now
That's good! I wonder whether that is the formation of Schiff bases which can actually act as good fixatives as in part of maceration definition 2 or simply oxidation changes as in definition 3. Thanks for watching 🥰
Hi Claire! Here to learn 😅❤
Hello! 🥰
Where I live, there are small shops that will build you the perfume infront of you (usually really poor quality), and you are instructed to keep the perfume stored in the dark, perhaps in the fridge for no less than 2 weeks, now this is real maceration.
Another different situation, since I live in a hot country, if you open and smell the perfume immediately after delivery, and you can feel the bottle is hot, the perfume always smells weird and harsh, in my experience you have to allow it a week or so to rest, and it's a lot smoother and back to resembling what I experienced when I tested it at a store.
I guess fragrance is something that you learn what works for you and you stick with it. I think the debate over how to keep and treat fragrances is something that will continue! Thanks for sharing your experiences and for watching 🥰
I live in Calgary and ordered Gris Dior in December, the day it was delivered to the community mail box we were at a temperature of-45 degrees.
By the time I picked it from the mail box it had frozen. I let it defrost 😂 but the colour was weird, the smell was off, such a waste of money.
@@LuminousLayering gosh! Did you keep it and see whether it improved or just toss it?
Here to learn. Did not know too much about this😊
Hi Maude 👋 hope you are well 🥰
Hello Claire dear 🎉
Congratulations on 10k subbies ... 👏👏👏
Hello to you too! 👋 Thank you so much ❤️