First of all, there are vintage perfumes that suffered one or more reformulations. In this case, the authors of perfume reviews will use the term “vintage” to refer to the original formulation. Changes in the formula occur when certain ingredients get banned or when the company discovers equivalent ingredients at smaller prices. Of course, it is way less expensive to use synthetic ingredients than natural ones, but the trained noses will notice this difference. Because of this, it is often said that the vintage perfumes are the best and are frequently characterized as more potent and with a greater longevity. When there are noticeable differences between the batches, it is not possible to talk about vintage and non-vintage. However, perfume companies who cannot be consistent over a great number of batches should sometimes be avoided.
Other perfume reviews include vintage fragrances that have no longer been in production for a considerable amount of time. As time goes by, such bottles become harder to find. This is a good enough reason for some people to sell discontinued bottles at steep prices on auction sites. In order to avoid paying a large sum of money for a fragrance, people are recommended to stock up with a few bottles, even if the discontinuation is just a rumor. In fact, there are three situations when the prices of perfumes can skyrocket. Primarily, when the scent is no longer produced and it is very difficult to find and secondarily, when the fragrance is a limited edition that is equally scarce. The third situation implies niche perfumes that are highly priced from the very beginning.
Some of the vintage scents presented in perfume reviews may set people’s heart on edge. To satisfy their curiosity, fragrance aficionados should look for perfume samples and decants, provided that these are available at decent prices. In addition, they should check out perfume reviews that include more than just vintage fragrances, as the world of scents is fascinating in its entirety.
