Have you fallen out of love with a fragrance? Which?

I can’t think of any that I used to love but no longer enjoy; there are scents that I’ll wear for awhile and set aside (moving onto something else) but not because I stopped enjoying it – just that I enjoy a lot of variety!

— Christine

24 Comments

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Michelle Avatar

I have fallen out of love with the old classics (although many are not made anymore). This is mostly due to re-formulations that occurred quite a few years back. Regulations prohibiting known allergens and ingredients considered endangered (plant and animal) were put in place. While this was not a bad move, it eliminated some lovely florals and also ambergris and civet, to name a few. A lot of the Guerlains were affected as an example. I can no longer stand to smell Shalimar anymore. This may be why many of the younger people don’t like the classics, they are pale shadows of their former selves.

Seraphine Avatar

I’ve fallen in and out of love with so many fragrances over the years. I loved Dior Hypnotic Poison when it first came out in the 1990s, but it’s too sugary for me now. Another is YSL Black Opium. After I bought a bottle and started wearing it, I found it to be too cloyingly sweet. And then there’s Mugler Angel. I loved it when it was released and bought a bottle, but quickly came to despise it.

Kira Avatar

Fragrances I used to love:
– Lancôme – La Vie est Belle (I started to hate sweet scents)
– Dolce & Gabbana – Light Blue (a girl I didn’t like wore the same scent. Also D&G have made very racist comments about Chinese people, so I don’t support them anymore).

New Fave: Comme des Garçons – Hinoki (The scent makes me think of a high end Japanese spa)

Mariella Avatar

I don’t use that many fragrances. Years and years ago (at least 30, probably more), I read an interview with Hubert de Givenchy, the absolute embodiment of grace, style, class and dignity, say that a woman of style would never have more than 3 fragrances. And I do understand that, in reality, his pronouncements aren’t all that more important or meaningful than something my pharmacist would say but for some reason (the “grace, style, class and dignity” thing), it has stuck with me. For years, I had only 3 “signature” fragrances but that has expanded exponentially over the years. But, with all that blather, I think Hermes Caleche (which used to be one of the 3) is one I fell out of love with. I don’t know if it’s even still being made and don’t really care to find out.

Dannell Avatar

Yes, and it makes me SO sad! I used to love EL Bronze Goddess. I wore it every summer and it just felt like SUMMER! Then one afternoon I was leaving work, got into the elevator (leaving work the elevator literally stops on every floor so I was in the elevator for a good five minutes) and a gal got on who was drenched in Goddess but also was a very heavy smoker…..the two smells combined were so overpowering and made me sick to my stomach. I haven’t been able to wear the fragrance since.

Jess Avatar

In the 90s early 2000s, Avon’s Rare Gold was my main fragrance. I went through multiple bottles. A few years ago I decided to try it again after not using it for about 5 years and I though it smelled awful. Not the beautiful scent I remember.

Kuávsui Avatar

Not fallen out of love per se, but I loved and wore nothing except Mugler Alien for the longest time. Now as I have gotten older it has gone slightly off on me, the jasmine can get screechy and soapy and the woods can get sour on me. I still love it, but more the idea and memory of it, and I wear the flankers more these days.

MaryGrace Howard Avatar

Back in my late 20’s I loved Shalimar by Guerlain, but to honest I think it was largely because it’s one of those classics that almost everyone I read about revered. So I wore it for a good number of years. My then boyfriend-now-husband-of-nine-years remarked once that I smelled like old lady, but I was like “a cool old lady”. In between bottles, I’d try out other fragrances and found myself passing up Shalimar for lighter florals without the powdery notes. I really enjoyed L’Instant and want to revisit that perfume in the future. These days, I’m a huge fan of Alkemia perfume oils.

Genevieve Avatar

Yes, I have fallen out of love with a few perfumes. For awhile there I bought quite a few of Estee Lauder’s Beautiful and I did get tired of it. So I gave it a rest for a couple of years and just bought a bottle last year and I did enjoy it, but I have moved on and now like different scents.

Cil Avatar

I fell out of love with Chloe by Chloe. For whatever reason, I just can’t take the smell anymore. It is too soap in me. Maybe something changed in my skin.

I have too many fragrances and so little body.

Lydia Avatar

Only temporarily. Weirdly enough, when I was pregnant, both Maison Margiela Under the Lemon Trees and Chloé Roses started to smell terrible when I usually like them both. A few weeks after baby was born I tried smelling them, and I like them both again!

AM Avatar

Guerlain Shalimar; and Decadence by Marc Jacobs. Both Re excellent perfumes. But for me… they started out great… but now I feel its fragrance too strong and cloying. Maybe its becoz I m getting older, maybe it’s something else… but now these two really give me a headache .

Susan Avatar

I purchased a new perfume whose name I will not mention as it is not the fragrances fault.
I wore it out to dinner shortly after buying it and developed horrible, severe food poisoning that night. I was never able to wear it again. I gave it to my daughter who loves it. I like it on her.
30 yrs ago, I had a problem with some fragrances smelling like a cigar on me but haven’t noticed that lately.

Gilad Avatar

When I first started down the rabbit hole of perfumania I tried tons of Amber based perfumes.
I ended up getting Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan and loving it during the colder months – it felt rich, bold and complex. For the last few years though it just seems heavy – like a scent wall. I assume I’ll like it again one day……

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