Why does bath and body works discontinue

Karima loves mixing and matching fragrances. Her favorites are musk, jasmine, and citrus!

Bath & Body Works retires certain fragrances over time to keep their inventory fresh. That doesn't mean that you still can't get your favorites.

Karima Reyes

Bath and Body Works Retired Scents

For many of people, Bath & Body Works creates more than scents—it creates memories. Sniffing Vanilla Bean Noel might take you back to a cozy Christmas morning, or putting on At the Beach lotion while at work will keep you dreaming of your Hawaiian getaway from many years ago. I received Wild Honeysuckle mist as a gift years ago, and that scent always reminds me of the person who gave it to me. So imagine my disappointment once I discovered I couldn't buy it in stores anymore once it had run out!

Fear not, however. Though Bath & Body Works often discontinues scents, there is still a way to get them. A few years ago, Bath & Body Works began listing several fan-favorite retired scents for sale on their website. However, it's worth bearing in mind that these scents are not available in-store (meaning you can't test out the scent before ordering).

List of Retired Bath and Body Works Scents

*These scents are available only as fragrances, not as lotions
**These scents are available only as lotions, not as fragrances

If Your Favorite Scent Still Isn't There, Keep an Eye Out

Bath & Body Works often retires old scents to make room for new ones, so if one of your favorite scents still hasn't been brought back, it might be worth going to a store and sniffing some of the new ones—it might be hiding somewhere under a different name.

They also don't keep all their retired fragrances on their site all at once—some, such as Snowy Morning and Frosted Snow Blossom—are only around during the holiday season. It's worth checking back at their site every so often so that you can catch your favorite seasonal scent. You wouldn't want to keep using the same bottle you've had for 10 years.

You also can find some fragrances on third-party seller sites, such as eBay or Amazon. Read the reviews closely, however, because some of them might be fake.

Mixing Your Own and Blending Scents

Like colors, spices, and any other form of self-expression, fragrances can be layered so that you can create your own unique olfactory signature. If you can't find the fragrance you want from Bath & Body Works, it may be a good idea to try layering different scents so that you can create the same desired effect.

For example, let's say that you wanted to get Coconut Lime Breeze (coconut, orange blossom, lime, jasmine) but it's out of stock. You could layer a coconut scent (like Sunset Glow) with a spritz of something citrusy like Gingham (citrus, florals). It won't be the exact same, of course, but you'd be surprised at how much fun you can have mixing and matching scents to create what you like the best.

And hey, if you still can't find what you're looking for, you might want to consider making your own scent.