The present invention relates to an improved process for the hydrogenation of aromatics in hydrocarbon feedstocks containing thiopheneic compounds as impurities, the aromatics hydrogenation being conducted in a hydrogenation reactor in the presence of a nickel based catalyst. The improvement comprises operating the hydrogenation reactor at a reaction temperature sufficiently high from the start of a run, that the thiopheneic compounds are decomposed and substantially absorbed into the bulk of the nickel catalyst, thereby substantially extending the life of the catalyst.