HOW LONG DOES COLOGNE LAST? ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

“Smelling nice is a promising business, they said.”  The sense of smell is one of the great vitality of the mortal senses, the odour of your cologne has a way of making a satisfactory first impression when you step into a rendezvous and the last impression of you when you leave. Are you sceptical about how long cologne last? Have you decided to get a cologne for someone as a gift? Are you unsure of which brand to get? Gifting your loved ones a classic cologne is another way of appreciating and showing them how much you care. 

This article which is written to help enlighten and answer the question “how long does cologne last?” will empty your scepticism and help you choose the best.

What is a Cologne?

Technically, the word cologne refers to a type of perfume consisting of a small percentage of essential oil and a good amount of alcohol. It’s said to contain about 2.5% of perfume oil and 70-90% of water and alcohol.

Difference between cologne and perfume

How long cologne lasts depends on its composition. The low concentration of fragrance oil in cologne makes it less intense and gives it a lighter smell and so, it doesn’t last as much as perfume. In comparison with cologne, perfume has a stronger smell and is capable of retaining its smell for a good period. Also, they are quite affordable.

Cologne can be identified by its gentle smell, like sage, rosemary, etc and it is described as a fresh light fragrance made for everyday use. Although it’s marketed towards men and popular among them, its use is not gender specific, as a good number of women enjoy using it. While perfume on the other hand is identified by its richer smell, like sandalwood and it is marketed toward women. Other than marketing purposes, none of them is truly gender-specific.

Cologne Ingredient 

Every cologne has a different smell due to the different ingredients used for its production. Sometimes ago, people used ingredients grown organically for the production of fragrance. They still do so but in a more modernized way.

Cologne ingredients consist of a mixture of water, alcohol, oil, spices, flower, gum, animal secretion, resin,  grass, wood, root, fruit, and other aromatic constituents which help to determine how long a cologne will last. Have you been wondering what cologne ingredients look like? Here is a list of cologne ingredients and the images I compiled…

Vetiver

This perfume oil is native to India but is planted throughout the tropics for its fragrant root and erosion control. It’s an aromatic grass root and has an essential oil derived from its root. 

Vanilla 

It’s one of the most commonly known/used scents, it’s recognized by its creamy and sweet scent. It is a tropical, climbing orchid of the genus Vanilla, bearing pod-like fruit yielding an extract used in flavoring food or perfumes.

Rose 

Other than being the most popular ingredient found in perfumes, rose is shockingly an expensive ingredient. The rose flower is usually depicted with five petals, five barbs, and a circular seed that belongs to the genus rosa.

Orris 

It has a heavy floral and wood and is said to be refreshing and clean.

Osmanthus 

This ingredient is found in a tree that is native to China and is valued for its apricot-like smell. It’s a taxonomic genus within the family Oleaceae – the osmanthus plants. 

Narcissus

Any of several bulbous flowering plants, of the genus Narcissus, have white or yellow cup- or trumpet-shaped flowers, notably the daffodil. It has a strong and pleasant smell, known in French perfumes. 

Myrrh

It’s a red-brown resinous material, the dried sap of a tree of the species Commiphora Myrrh, known in eastern Africa and Arabian. It has a rich dark fruit that adds warmth and earthiness to the fragrance of cologne. 

Musk 

The perfume ingredient is found in the granular sac of a musk deer, it’s synthetic and expensive due to its high demand for the production of male cologne.

Lily of the valley 

Its perfume oil is derived synthetically and gotten from a flowering plant with a rich fragrance.

Frankincense 

A type of incense obtained from the Boswellia thurifera tree, found in eastern Africa and Arabia. Its spicy and earthy fragrance helped boost confidence innately.

Jasmine 

Being one of the most pricey perfume ingredients in the world, it is most times replaced with less pricey alternatives. It is native to Asia and has yellow or white flowers.

Another list of cologne ingredients includes:

• Frangipani 
• Galbanum 
• Guaiac wood 
• Heliotrope 
• Hedione 
• Iso E super 
• Indole 
• Labdanum
• Lavender 
• Monoi 
• Mandarin 
• Muguet 
• Norell 
• Oakmoss 
• Opoponax 
• Oud
• Patchouli 
• Sandalwood 
• Rose de Mai 

How long does Cologne last?

A lot of colognes don’t have a particular expiry date and can last from the range of one year to a decade after their production. In line with experts, cologne with richer base notes lasts the longest. However, body chemistry is a factor that can determine how long cologne lasts. Your skin type may provoke cologne to vanish swiftly from your skin. So instead of it lasting for about five hours at the most, it vanishes in an hour or less.

What makes Cologne last?

Where you spray and keep your cologne are factors that determine how long a cologne will last and are what makes your cologne last. It is better to spray your cologne on your skin than on your clothes, as the oil in it is designed to be absorbed by your skin’s natural oil, hence syncing and producing your unique smell, it does not have this effect when you spray it on your clothes. Spraying your cologne after a bath also fuels a lasting fragrance and leaves you smelling nice all day as your open pores soak up scent faster.

In knowing how long cologne lasts, it is important to know how to store it, as storage is an important characteristic of what makes cologne last. Heat and bright light break down cologne faster by making its odour stale and degrading its composition, expert advice that it should be stored in a cool place like a fridge to help retain its lasting properties, and keep it away from the light source.

Final Thought on how long does Cologne Last

Knowing how long cologne lasts is not less significant in comparison to knowing the kinds of ingredients contained. Finally, it is important to note that you play a big part in how long your cologne lasts. Ensure to store in a cool dry place and keep it away from the reach of children and sunlight and your cologne will always remain fresh and active.