Usually yes from a safety point of view, perfume doesn’t spoil like food, but it can smell noticeably different, often flatter or slightly off, once it’s well past its best.

What “expiry” actually means for perfume

The high alcohol content in most perfumes acts as a natural preservative, so there’s no real risk of harmful bacterial growth the way there would be with, say, an out-of-date skincare product. What does happen is a gradual chemical change: top notes fade first, certain ingredients oxidise, and the overall balance the perfumer intended can shift, sometimes for the worse, occasionally in a way some people actually find more interesting. The little open-jar symbol on the box, often showing a number like 12M, refers to how long the product is recommended for use once opened, not a hard safety cut-off.

How to judge it yourself

Smell it before wearing it out. If it smells sour, sharp, or noticeably different from how you remember it, particularly if it’s changed colour and gone cloudy, it’s worth binning even though it’s unlikely to cause harm. Our perfume storage guide and complete guide to perfume cover this properly.