Why you should let your new perfume rest after shipping

Have you ever received a brand new perfume, sprayed it immediately, and felt a little underwhelmed? Maybe the scent seemed weaker than you remembered or slightly different. Before you feel disappointed, there’s a simple trick that fragrance enthusiasts swear by: letting your perfume rest. This process is often related to the concept of perfume maceration, and it can make a real difference in how your new scent performs. At ScentSphere, we want to ensure you have the best experience with your fragrances, so let’s explore why a little patience can be so rewarding.

When a perfume is shipped, it goes on quite a journey. It’s shaken, exposed to fluctuating temperatures in cargo holds and delivery trucks, and generally jostled around. These conditions can temporarily unsettle the delicate balance of the fragrance molecules. Think of it like a good bottle of wine that needs to settle after travel. Giving your perfume some time to rest in a stable, cool, and dark environment allows the molecules to stabilize and reintegrate, often resulting in a scent that is smoother, richer, and closer to the perfumer’s original vision.

The basics of perfume maceration and maturation

To understand why resting your perfume helps, it’s useful to know about two related processes: maceration and maturation. While often used interchangeably, they refer to different stages of perfume creation. Maturation is the period after a fragrance concentrate is blended, where the chemical reactions between the ingredients begin to meld and harmonize. Maceration, on the other hand, typically refers to the stage after the concentrate is mixed with alcohol. This is a crucial aging period where the mixture matures, the scent deepens, and any harsh notes from the alcohol soften.

Commercial perfumes are already professionally macerated before they are bottled. However, the idea that a perfume can still evolve is why many ask, “does perfume get better with age?” While a sealed perfume stored correctly can last for years, a new bottle can benefit from a short “mini-maceration” period at home. Introducing a small amount of oxygen by spraying it a few times and then letting it sit for a few weeks can sometimes help the scent to open up and develop further.

How to macerate perfume at home

So, should you let perfume sit after shipping? We absolutely recommend it. While you don’t need to engage in a long, complicated process, a few simple steps can improve your fragrance experience. Here’s what we suggest:

• Unbox it: Take your new perfume out of the shipping box to let it adjust to your home’s room temperature.
• Give it a few sprays: Spray the perfume 3-5 times. This introduces a tiny bit of air into the bottle, which can help kickstart the settling process.
• Find a cool, dark place: Store the bottle upright in a closet, drawer, or its original box. Avoid places with direct sunlight or extreme temperature changes, like a bathroom windowsill.
• Be patient: Let the perfume rest for at least a few days, but for best results, try to wait one to two weeks before you start using it regularly.

This simple act of patience allows your perfume to recover from its journey and present its true character. The next time you receive a new scent from the ScentSphere shop, try giving it a little time to rest. You might be surprised at how the fragrance blooms and develops into the beautiful scent you were hoping for.