Antiques Colognes Stink!!

so i was browsin this antique store the other day, its kind of an indoor flea market, about 30 different booths full of antiques, all unattended.

there was colognes and after shaves all over the place, some with amazing bottles, but the smells, the smells were quite disgusting.
i imagine all the thinner liquids evaporated over time, leaving behind cologne-concentrate.
the only thing in the entire place that was even reasonable smelling was an old bottle of old spice after shave.
they had a bottle of "grey flannel" cologne that was like syrup.

is this the norm for old colognes, or are there some that actually still smell pleasant.

Well, when some of those "lighter" (more volatile, for the chemists in the room) materials (ie, alcohol) evaporate, they carry away scents, typically the more citrus and flowery notes that keep the resins and musks in balance. So it's not surprising that these antique colognes stink, since there are only the heavier materials left over.

I had an experience with this once – found a bottle of my grandfather's old scent (Kölnishwasser) that he'd misplaced in the basement of his place. It had been there for something like 20 years. I compared that to a fresh bottle, and the difference was remarkable. I'd have never put the stuff in the old bottle on my skin (it wasn't quite syrupy, but it WAS a little sticky), and it smelled a little funky. But the "new" stuff was quite nice. It shows up in my own rotation from time to time.

I've also had something similar happen with booze, where the character of a bottle of (for instance) single-malt Scotch whisky changes if you don't drink it relatively quickly.

So I do my best to go through as much single malt as I can... you know how it is. :p

-Scott.

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Originally Posted by Still_Ged

Well, when some of those "lighter" (more volatile, for the chemists in the room) materials (ie, alcohol) evaporate, they carry away scents, typically the more citrus and flowery notes that keep the resins and musks in balance....

...I've also had something similar happen with booze, where the character of a bottle of (for instance) single-malt Scotch whisky changes if you don't drink it relatively quickly...

-Scott.

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Very good point. It's definitely not just a matter of being more concentrated, but also of more volatile scents evaporating while others get more concentrated.

The same thing happens VERY quickly with some wines. Port is a great example. The leftovers of a fantastic port from Wednesday's dinner can taste pretty awful by Saturday night unless there's limited air in the bottle and a really tight cork. Even when well sealed, it takes only a couple of weeks for port to change it's flavor in a very big, and often unpleasant way.