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Over the last few months, I've been wearing some sort of perfume almost every day. A couple of modern perfumes I like are Good Girl by Carolina Herrera and Alien by Mugler, but sometimes I have a hankering for the perfumes of old. With this in mind, we took a trip into the city a few weeks ago and sampled a few perfumes that have been around for decades, two of which are of note: Chanel No5 and Dior's Poison. I used to love these two fragrances and looked forward to getting back some memories by smelling them once again, but to my great disappointment, they did not smell at all how I remembered them.
I thought at first, that my ageing sense of smell had changed, but then my wife, who is some thirteen years younger than I, also said they did not smell the same. We mentioned this to the person with the Poison (two different stores for the two perfumes, I might add) and she said, 'no, that's what they've always smelt like.' Now forgive me, but this woman was in her late twenties to early thirties and that's quite a bold statement for one so young. I first smelt Chanel No5 when I was dating my first wife in 1973 and then my first scent of Poison was in 1985; in other words, years before this woman was even born! So, unless both my wife AND I are suffering some form of anosmia, these perfumes have changed.
Have any of you 'ladies of a certain age' noticed this change in perfume fragrance, or do my wife and I really have an issue with our sense of smell?
I can't really speak on this perfume subject. But like other things I've noticed over the years. The brand the look may be the same but I'm pretty sure the contents have changed. One glaring example is Coca-Cola. I distinctly remember it tasting different (and better by the way). When I was younger. One key ingredient was changed. Sugar. It was replaced by high fructose corn syrup. The so-called experts say that the sweetness is the same. My taste buds say noway!.
Now I'm told by friends that if you get a coke at a Mexican restaurant it's has Sugar not the corn syrup. Funny the world headquarters for Coca-Cola is 2 hours north of me in Atlanta.
So it sure seems that many manufacturers adjust their formulas over time. Mostly I believe to save costs. But our nose and taste buds know something is different!
Fran 🥰
I envy the girls that can wear perfume. Every one I've tried gives me an allergy attack. If anyone knows of a very lightly scented perfume, I'm all ears.
/LK
@annaredhead I'll have a sniff of that since I'm going to Exeter on Wednesday, as Becca, to go shopping (of course), although I'm not a 'delicate' person, I like my perfumes to slap you in the face; hence why I used to like Poison.
Becca
@rebeccabaxter I wear Eternity a lot as I always loved it in my wife and it still smells the same. And I think certain perfumes smell different on different people.
@cdashley That's true but the difference seems quite significant and neither of the mentioned perfumes even smell the same in the bottle. It's probably me but anyway, I've found other perfumes I like that are up-to-date, so it doesn't really matter.
@rebeccabaxter Scents are very personal. The same perfume will not smell the same on two different people. Your body chemistry affects the scent. That's why it's best to try it on yourself and not smell it on someone else.
Personally I love White Diamonds, Provocative Woman and Norell. I've been wearing one of them for a very long time. They work for me so I don't look for others. My wife loves Jontue.
@rebeccabaxter I’m a diehard Chanel girl. Could be me but I do not detect a difference in the scent of No.5 over the years. I use the perfum, not the toilette. They do smell different. My fav was No. 19 but sadly, it’s long gone. I’ve tried 1957 but out of my budget.
@rebeccabaxter My mother wore Channel No.5 when I was younger and before she passed even, she said they had changed it. She died in 1980 when I was 26.
Lacy
@rebeccabaxter I'm not too confident about a lot of smells since I had long covid which robbed me of my sense of smell for a good six months (as well as leaving me with tinnitus!).
I always had a very acute sense of smell, but now I frequently ask my other half for a second opinion when it comes to some odours.
@rebeccabaxter I love Clinique Aromatics Elixir and have worn it for years. For me, perfume is an essential discriminator when I get all dressed up. I have always been sensitive to smells and notice the perfume women are wearing. So far, my sensitivity hasn't changed much as I get older.
It's like fly spray. There was a time when a fly or wasp would fall to the ground buzzing in circles until it died. The 'same' stuff these days just seems to give the insects a cold shower before they carry on as if nothing happened.
And let's not get on to 'shrinkflation', where a package gets smaller as the price gets higher.
@rebeccabaxter I think the rot set in when I first noticed how much smaller Curly Wurlys were than when I was a child. They used to look like a fireman's ladder in my kiddy hands, but they ended up being no bigger than a shoehorn. Sigh
Hi Becca!
I can definitely say my sense of smell isn't what it used to be. I can't really relate it too a perfume or cologne scent over time though. I remember giving my Mom Chanel #5 (we jokingly called it channel 5) as a gift back in the early 80s but I have no idea what it smelled like then. I only know my sense of smell is not as keen as everyone around me. I will be the last to know if the building is on fire. When I was young my sense of smell was excellent. 30 years of smoking and working in dirty environments has taken its toll
Yes it's true package size has been shrinking for years, ingredients in our food has also changed, decent quality control cost the manufacturer money, l know as l used to work for a margarine and food oil manufacturer, but it seems today there is little to no quality control. It's all about increasing profits.
I only started using perfume a few weeks ago - YSL Black Opium. I have no way of knowing if it's changed but it sure smells good!
I have two perfumes, Vera Wang Eau de Parfum & Liz's White Diamonds. Have had compliments on both, the V Wang is a delicate scent.
Em
I've never used the 2 perfumes you've mentioned, and what is ironic is I have over 20+ perfumes in my collection which I round robin daily, and the only one I've ran out of and bought the same again is Ari by Ariana Grande.
Ari smelled the same the first go round as the second.
Becca, I’m going to take a different turn in my response, but I do agree that my sense of smell has diminished with age. As a semi closeted crossdresser, perfume, especially one made for a female and recognizable would be a total giveaway after going back to my male self. To me it would be like not removing all your eyeliner.
@jennconn I am sure I have been noticed for this. I run and on a race day, a lot of runners (including myself) don't shower before a race, hence if I've had a femme day the previous day, I do smell of perfume still.
When I was sneaking around as a kid there was a perfume labled ‘lilac’ and it smelled like lilacs and I still imagine it would be great.
Becca,
Older members will remember, "Your Winding stays on my mind." In the ad, a gorgeous man is driving, smiling, and sniffing at a woman's scarf. Anyway, I saw it at Meijer's Store. in Michigan. Bought it, and am really happy with the scent. I spray some on first in the morning, and then again just before bed. It cheers me up.
Dani
Becca,
Older members will remember, "Your Winding stays on my mind." In the ad, a gorgeous man is driving, smiling, and sniffing at a woman's scarf. Anyway, I saw it at Meijer's Store. in Michigan. Bought it, and am really happy with the scent. I spray some on first in the morning, and then again just before bed. It cheers me up.
Dani
Confused me for a moment there: Winding? I'm thinking Wingding but couldn't understand why you were referencing a strange Microsoft font. 
I found it: Wind Song
Don't remember the advert though.
@rebeccabaxter LOL. Wind Song by Prince Matchabelli. This was the first perfume I bought for my very first girlfriend many years ago, 1971 I shoulkd think. Still remember that scent. Lovely.
@rebeccabaxter Oh. I didn't proof read it. I'm learning that different sites spell check in their own way. I will finish something, look at it, and think, there's no way that is what I typed. Yes it was Windsor. there. it did it again. Doggone it I miss the IBM Selectric typewriters.
@danikiss22 Spell check, auto-correct, both great things, but as with travelling with satnavs, google maps and advice from a dog-walker, it's always best to check personally.
My mother had a typewriter and I was always getting the keys jammed up in a lump (not possible with the Selectric I believe).
Both my wife and I love White Diamonds perfume. White Diamonds has such a wonderful feminine smell we get so many complements from people.
