Early Retirement Extreme Forums

What do you do for cologne/perfume? A nice bottle can cost $100, which is not very frugal. I have heard about people who will make imitation ones at much lower cost, and even sell them in what looks like original packaging, but I'd be concerned about exposure to toxic chemicals (not only from the imitation, but even from originals, eg phalates - viewtopic.php?f=26&t=10148).

I learnd to like my own smell.

Nothing. I used to spend ~£50 per 125ml bottle (lasting ~2y) but then I found ERE. Lately, I've been thinking of coming back to using it again. Not sure if I want to work extra week to pay for lifetime supply though.

Lots of people are allergic to scents (or more usually the carrier of the scent). It's another factor to consider when spending the money i.e., it might not have the effect you think it will.

I for one, have to avoid scents or risk a multi-day migraine headache. It's not fun.

I personally do without, I don't like the artificial smell of anything on me, so I even use a non-scented deodorant.
My wife's career is in perfumes, she's worked for a couple of world leaders in fine fragrances product development (google IFF). So I asked her.
She says:

colognes oxidate after a while, so buying a bottle and keeping it for two years is usually not great quality wise.
Everything that smells fresh (think lemon/orange/zest in general) degrades very quickly and should be used within 6 months.
Spices/oriental stuff can last a bit longer
How it's stored also has a big impact: keep it away from sunlight and avoid warm places. The best is cold-dry-dark
What you buy heavily discounted at TJMaxx or in the streets is usually old stock, so already degraded.

Feel free to ask any questions and I'll ask her.

Well I feel like it's largely cultural. Until I started mixing in a more international environment I didn't really know any blokes who used cologne regularly. Of course I can't speak with authority on the female side of things, but I never got the feeling that perfume was a large expense for my sister, for example. If you're from somewhere where cologne is a big thing, maybe forego it and give yourself an 'international' vibe?

Basic deodorants are cheap, so I feel like that's not the topic of discussion here.

I use deodorant, but not cologne. It bothers me when other people wear too much cologne/perfume and I don't want to do this to others.

I use baking soda as an antiperspirant. Works for me.

@daylen

How does that work?(since baking soda is a powder that doesn't want to stay in place)

It works if you have hairy armpits. I just use a pinch for each arm and gently rub it around.

trfie wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:33 pm

I have heard about people who will make imitation ones at much lower cost, and even sell them in what looks like original packaging, but I'd be concerned about exposure to toxic chemicals (not only from the imitation, but even from originals, eg phalates - viewtopic.php?f=26&t=10148).

Scent related products is a very murky area when it comes to the issuance of patents. They can be patented but they rarely do it because its a short patent life to begin with and they have to disclose how they make it. I believe there are maybe a dozen patented scents. I do not know if Chanel #5 is patented, but I would bet the design of the bottle is. The packaging is usually what gets patented. That is why the knockoff perfume market is so expansive. When you buy cologne/perfume you are paying for the packaging of what is essentially scented bottled water. I wouldn't be afraid of knockoffs. I sold the shit back in the day. It's a ponzi scheme but there's nothing dangerous about the product.

I would add the caveat in the west/in the US.

There are places where buying the original product produced to western standards of safety might be a safer bet than a local knockoff. Though in such places it might be harder to determine if something is a knockoff or not due to less/no enforcement of the design patents.

Strong perfume gives me a headache too. I'll pay a premium for unscented products.

I try to stay clean and risk stinking once in awhile. Deodorant is only for special occasions.

Don't use it, myself.

But as an oddness of my googling, search perfumer's alcohol or SD40 for DIY sites dedicated to making your own perfumes. If they fade, add more scent. Make your own scent. Or whatever you like. Go to your next party smelling of orange and cedar, or not. The sites I saw had hundreds, maybe thousands of essential oils to make whatever you like.

Just please, remember that no matter how much tolerance one develops to one's favorite scent, the rest of us haven't, don't make us wish we had. Surely there's a polite way to say that to coworkers, but I haven't figured one out yet.

Unfortunately deodorant/anti-perspirant itself isn't optional for me as I'm a profuse and smelly sweater.

I have never used deodorant, antiperspirants, or colognes regularly, and I have never had bad body odor, because I sweat regularly. The thing that creates B.O. is toxins that are released through sweating, especially in certain areas. By limiting toxin intake and sweating regularly you will release fewer bad smelling toxins as you sweat. Also I'm the type of person who prefers no smell to good or bad smell.

As long as it does not have any part of a holy cow in it.

I have never used deodorant, antiperspirants, or colognes regularly, and I have never had bad body odor, because I sweat regularly.

Please give us your friends’ and coworkers’ numbers and let us ask them. (I’ve known people who eschewed deodorants and antiperspirants who swore they didn’t need them. They did).

I have never noticed, and I am Sid's cousin.

Thanks for the back up Daylen.

I should not have said that first sentence, I knew it would derail people from the message I was trying to communicate. My message may have been wrong anyways, I just heard it from a guy claiming to be an expert once.