It has been mentioned to me before that decanting aftershaves from a plastic bottle to a glass bottle improves the scent quality, even with cheap aftershaves. Do you guys have any experience with this? Is there a certain way to do it?
Decanting aftershaves
- Thread starter Iloverootbeer
- Start date
Clean your receiving glass bottle with distilled water, and let it dry thoroughly. Then add the A/S from the plastic bottle with a small funnel, like these:
https://www.amazon.com/Perfumes-Ess...QK46N58E8MJ&psc=1&refRID=R276V38SWQK46N58E8MJ
https://www.amazon.com/Perfumes-Ess...QK46N58E8MJ&psc=1&refRID=R276V38SWQK46N58E8MJ
They don't improve.
If the after-shave lotion hasn't yet been tainted by storage in a plastic container, it's scent will be preserved much, much longer in a glass vessel.
Case in point: Pinaud's Lilac Vegetal, or any Pinaud product now-a-days, that is produced in plastic bottles. Lilac Vegetal has become famous for turning sour in its modern plastic bottle. Many will attest that it goes from lovely to repulsive in as little as a few months. At that point, it cannot be saved, and warrants tossing. Other scents may bear plastic storage better, but I dare say, not indefinitely.
If you have something reasonably fresh in a plastic bottle and you don't anticipate using it up within the season, I'd consider finding a glass container for it. Many collectors seek out a vintage bottle of the same brand/scent to use for storage. If you do, clean it out first. A plain water rinse may suffice, but often the old product has evaporated and dried to a thick, tacky residue. In that case, as solution of hot water with a few drops of washing-up liquid should be used to clean it out. Fill with the solution, allow to sit for a day or so, rinse out until clean. Repeat if necessary. Don't forget to clean the cap, threads and replace the inner seal, if needed. Cork gasket material will usually stand in for any original seal.
Case in point: Pinaud's Lilac Vegetal, or any Pinaud product now-a-days, that is produced in plastic bottles. Lilac Vegetal has become famous for turning sour in its modern plastic bottle. Many will attest that it goes from lovely to repulsive in as little as a few months. At that point, it cannot be saved, and warrants tossing. Other scents may bear plastic storage better, but I dare say, not indefinitely.
If you have something reasonably fresh in a plastic bottle and you don't anticipate using it up within the season, I'd consider finding a glass container for it. Many collectors seek out a vintage bottle of the same brand/scent to use for storage. If you do, clean it out first. A plain water rinse may suffice, but often the old product has evaporated and dried to a thick, tacky residue. In that case, as solution of hot water with a few drops of washing-up liquid should be used to clean it out. Fill with the solution, allow to sit for a day or so, rinse out until clean. Repeat if necessary. Don't forget to clean the cap, threads and replace the inner seal, if needed. Cork gasket material will usually stand in for any original seal.
Pinaud Clubman does seem to smell better when stored in a glass bottle. I was very doubtful whether it would make any difference, but found an old Clubman bottle in a junk shop, cleaned it, put some AS in it which came in a plastic container and found the scent did improve, at least to my nose. Seems illogical, but there you go.
- Thread starter
- #6
Thank you all for the info! Yes it’s a bottle of Clubman Special Reserve that I’m referring to specifically...it’s in the plastic bottle, and it has a slight chemical aroma to it..it’s a brand new bottle so I’d hate to toss it.
Looks like you have nothing to lose! I would definitely decant that one.
Let us know how this works out (PLEASE).
I had the exact same experience.
Theory: The volatile plastic scent compounds present in the liquid must form bonds with other ingredients and lose their scent profile, and the move to glass stops new reactions between the liquid and the plastic. Maybe?????
It's illogical because, the container is closed. The plastic nastiness didn't go anywhere.
It works though.
I agree it could be leeching and issues with the plastic.
I am not an expert about this, but another possibility to consider is that some plastics, if not coated, can allow gases to diffuse through them. I believe some plastics are also known to fairly readily absorb carbon dioxide. Obviously this depends on the type of plastic, size of gas molecules, etc etc. But it's one thing glass may be better at.
I decant all my AS into glass and find they do improve the scents of some ( The Veg and Special Reserve ). I use Texas Pete and Red Hot bottles that have been thoroughly cleaned.
Obviously some reaction is taking place here. Too many people have confirmed the phenomenon for it to be imaginary.
It could be "off-gasing" of the plastic into the liquid, or some kind of chemical reaction taking place between the two, but it's real and wants fixing!
I'm surprised Pinaud hasn't addressed the complaints by offering a glass bottle option. Glass would seem a logical choice for the smaller 6-7 ounce bottles, which are the ones usually bought by the public. They could continue to use plastic for the larger bottles that are generally bought by barber-shops and very quickly consumed anyway.
I say we light our torches and head for Paris!
It could be "off-gasing" of the plastic into the liquid, or some kind of chemical reaction taking place between the two, but it's real and wants fixing!
I'm surprised Pinaud hasn't addressed the complaints by offering a glass bottle option. Glass would seem a logical choice for the smaller 6-7 ounce bottles, which are the ones usually bought by the public. They could continue to use plastic for the larger bottles that are generally bought by barber-shops and very quickly consumed anyway.
I say we light our torches and head for Paris!
I decanted all of my flavors of Pinaud and I would side with the opinion that the scents do improve. I especially think Clubman reserve improved a great deal when I decanted it.
P.S. See my profile pic for inspiration.
P.S. See my profile pic for inspiration.
The bottles were from a vendor online that I found via a thread here.
For the labels, once I emptied the bottles I filled them with boiling water which allowed me to peel the labels off and stick them to the glass bottles using their original adhesive.
These were all ideas credited to users from this amazing forum.
@MrBeez
For the labels, once I emptied the bottles I filled them with boiling water which allowed me to peel the labels off and stick them to the glass bottles using their original adhesive.
These were all ideas credited to users from this amazing forum.
@MrBeez
What a bloody great idea! And I'll bet it's cheaper than buying vintage glass bottles of the same brand and scent.
Yup. That's what I do for the 80 ml travel spray bottles that I decant mine into.
It's usually from plastic to plastic, so I don't notice a difference. I don't actually travel with them, I just like the convenience and control.
I also give it a wrap of clear wide packing tape to protect it.
I’m rummaging thru the fridge and cupboards looking for bottles. My wife suspects it’s shaving related.
I ended up going with two 6oz bottles of Crystal Hot Sauce. There’s no restrictor on the bottle but it’s a smaller opening so still works nicely for me. Decanted a Clubman Whiskey Woods and the standard Pinnaud. I’m happy with them. I opted for putting a clipping of the label on the bottom of the bottle cos I just like looking at the color of the liquid in the clear glass. Next up a larger bottle for the Aqua Velva!
