The Proper Keeping of Artisan Perfumes - Cellaring Fragrances

January 10, 2017

House of Matriarch perfumes are designed to IMPROVE with time and proper storage, unlike mass produced perfumes which have a two year shelf life.  Here our Perfumer Christi Meshell explains why our perfumes are capable of being cellared (unlike designer perfumes) and offers her tips for optimizing the collectability of fine perfumes.  

• Treat your perfume like an expensive bottle of fine spirits - not too hot, not too cold. To avoid evaporation of the precious contents, the cap must be tightly closed. Always keep your perfumes upright, this is especially true of roll-ons, as they are by design prone to leakage.

• Go for steady temperatures, never near a heat register.  Try to create a "wine cellar" like environment. 50-60 degrees is perfect - that's why Seattle is such a great place to produce perfume - it's easy to keep everything the right temperature here. Your vehicle is the very worst place to keep perfume as the temperature extremes are impossible to control.  Keeping your perfumes in a closet or dresser will prolong their life as opposed to the bathroom counter.  That's a no-no if you plan to keep your perfume for more than 6 months.

• House of Matriarch perfumes are created with ethanol distilled in copper (pictured above) from organic grapes, (halal) not the poisonous industrial-grade grain alcohol found in designer scents.  With proper storage, House of Matriarch perfumes will last indefinitely, improving with time as a fine compounded spirit would - because that is exactly what they are!