How to Make Your Perfume Last Longer
Buying a favourite perfume only for it to fade quickly is frustrating. Taking care of your perfume is as important as choosing the right one.
On this page, we explore how to make perfume scent last longer. We aim to provide readers with practical tips and advice on enhancing the longevity of their perfume and body lotion.
More than one factor matters when increasing the longevity of women’s fragrances. Many of these tips can also be used to enhance your perfume. Enhancing your fragrance is another way how to make perfume last longer.
Understanding Perfume Composition
Crucial to appreciating the endurance of perfume is understanding how different notes and individual fragrances affect perfume.
Top notes are the first notes you smell when applying perfume. They are also the notes which fade faster than middle and base notes. Popular top notes include fresh scents such as lemon and citrus notes. Other top notes include essential oils from berries and fruits.
Another factor impacting women’s fragrances and men’s perfumes is the strength of perfume. Confusion reigns supreme when it comes to understanding the strength of perfume. Perfume brand selection has a role to play as well. Some manufacturers offer higher concentrations of essential oils.
Strength is the wrong word to use when explaining the endurance of perfume. Concentration is a much better word. Eau de parfum is more concentrated compared to eau de toilette. Does that mean you should always choose an eau de parfum? No, it doesn’t.
Eau de toilette perfumes are great for daytime wear while eau de parfum wears better in the evening. As eau de toilette fragrances are lighter, they are less likely to overpower a space. Also, during the day, you have more opportunities to top up your fragrances.
Eau de parfums make fantastic evening and nighttime fragrances. As they are more concentrated, they are more intense. Furthermore, you may have fewer opportunities to top up your evening perfume.
Projection
What is perfume projection? This is the distance a scent radiates from the wearer’s skin, hair or clothing. At what distance does a perfume stop “working?”
It is an interesting question. There is no easy answer. The distance a perfume smells can depend on how someone perceives scents and the length of the essential oil molecules in the perfume. When a perfume contains many long molecules, it has a great reach. Jasmine is a good example and so are many other floral notes. This makes sense. After all, insects follow the scent of flowers to extract nectar.
Other fragrances are more intimate. They don’t fill a room, but you can certainly smell them when you get closer to a person. Surprisingly, scents including oakmoss are a more up-close experience.
How do you handle projection? During the day, you probably want to wear a fragrance which projects less. At night opt for a more projective fragrance that works better in crowded spaces.
The way we perceive projection is strongly linked to our olfactory system.
Sillage
Sillage is a French term. It refers to the scent trail a certain fragrance leaves behind. All perfumes do this, but some scent trails are more delicate.
The strength of a fragrance’s sillage varies. The top factors that play a role are the quality and concentration of oils, overall ingredients and environmental influences. Pollution and temperature widely distort scents.
As with projection, some fragrances are better suited for daytime and nighttime wear. Many wear perfumes with a stronger sillage in the evening while others prefer a fragrance with less sillage. Sillage is very much a personal choice.
If you are wondering how to make perfume scent last longer, here’s a top tip. Apply a body lotion in the same fragrance or add your perfume to a neutral body lotion.
Skin Scent
What happens when sillage and projection fade?
Once sillage and projection fade, the scent experience of your perfume becomes more intimate. This is when someone can only smell your fragrance when they are closer to you. Great for more intimate occasions.
When you have been wearing your fragrance for a while, the base notes of the fragrance are more noticeable. What are the base notes?
Good examples include musk, ambergris and oakmoss. If you like, they make your fragrance more sensual and seductive.
Once the top and middle notes fade, this is when it is important to know how to make perfume last longer on skin. As mentioned, the best way is to use a body lotion.
When you like to apply perfume to your hair, you can add it to your hair shampoo. Use an unscented shampoo such as Timotei Pure. Before you apply the shampoo to your hair, put it in your hand and add perfume. Leave the shampoo in your hair for slightly longer and then rinse.
Factors Affecting Perfume Longevity
Many factors play a role.
When you want to make the most of perfume, look after your hygiene. Take a hot shower which opens up the pores and then apply perfume.
Don’t confuse matters by using too many other scented products such as hair spray and stronger-smelling deodorants with a clashing fragrance. If you can find a deodorant, in the same scent, you should buy it. This is a good tip when it comes to men’s perfumes.
When we get warmer, our body produces more pheromones. The armpit is the richest source of pheromones.
Your natural skin type matters. Medical treatments and hormonal changes affect how skin smells and interacts with perfume. Many women in peri-menopause or after menopause, say they need a stronger scent.
Pollution and even seasonal changes also have a role to play. Changing to a new perfume with the seasons is a great idea how to make perfume smell last longer.
Fragrance Type
When you buy perfume finding the perfect combination which lasts longer is challenging. Unless you have a very experienced “nose” or are familiar with essential oils, it is hard to know what fragrance type is right for you.
Offering buying advice unless you have met a person is difficult. The best advice is to choose between an eau de toilette or eau de parfum.
Secondly, what is the purpose of your fragrance? If you are planning a night out, the right choice is perfume with rich base notes which continue to release notes throughout the night. For daytime wear, shopping with the girls or going to work opt for a refreshing perfume with plenty of citrus notes. Flowery perfumes are also excellent for daytime wear.
Remember that eau de parfum offers more concentrated oils.
Skin Type
What is the best skin type for perfume?
As perfume is made from essential oils, it adheres better to oily skin. However, there is a problem with oily skin. It often picks up other particles which can interfere with the fragrance.
If you have oily skin, shower before applying perfume or clean the area with a neutral wipe.
What about dry skin? Applying perfume to dry skin takes more preparation. Dry skin benefits from the addition of a carrier oil. A good neutral carrier oil is almond oil. Once you have applied a small amount of carrier oil and rubbed it in, spray or dab on the perfume.
What about sensitive skin? This is an important point. If you have sensitive skin, spraying your perfume on your hair is a much better choice. Also, choose an eau de toilette. Individuals with sensitive skin risk undesired side effects when using an eau de parfum. Furthermore, make sure it is a quality branded perfume with natural essential oils.
Environmental Factors
Pollution is not the only environmental factor which can interfere with your fragrance.
Temperature plays a role. When on holiday in warm countries, you may initially have noticed your fragrance more intensely. But, after a while, you probably noticed the smell dissipating faster. Both heat and high humidity cause perfume to evaporate faster.
Your perfume evaporates faster in higher temperatures. In cooler weather, your scent should last longer. This is not always the case. In cold weather, when you wear layers, you risk “covering up” your scent. On such occasions, consider spraying the perfume on your clothes instead.
Always aim to change your perfume with the seasons. A slightly contrasting fragrance stands out so much better.
Application Techniques
Why should you never rub perfume onto your favourite spots? Rubbing any fragranced substance risks breaking the chain of scent. Dabbing or spraying on a scent is the best way to apply it.
Before you apply any fragrance, ensure the skin is clean and unbroken.
What about application points? We all have our favourite spots to apply perfume on. The pulse points on the back of the wrist are good options.
What about behind the ear? For more intimate occasions this works well, but you also risk losing the smell. Below the ear, where you have a natural pulse point is worth considering.
Spraying perfume on the hair also works well. This makes the perfume waft as your hair moves creating a natural scent trail. Try it and run your fingers through the hair. As you do so, the smell is released. Yes, applying perfume to your hair does work. Just make sure you do so after styling and hair spray.
Pre-Application Preparation
Some say that applying Vaseline helps your perfume last longer.
The problem with Vaseline is that it blocks the perfume’s access to the skin. You create a barrier.
A small amount of carrier oil or body lotion works better. Remember you want to give your skin a chance to absorb the fragrance.
Another top tip is to use a similar body lotion or the same body lotion as your perfume. What you are doing is creating different fragrance layers.
Pulse Points
The theory of pulse points is slightly controversial.
The thought behind pulse points is that the blood pulses more intensely heating the skin thus releasing the perfume.
In truth, the skin over our pulse points is the same temperature as the rest of the skin.
The neck, wrists and maybe behind the ears are traditional points for perfume application. Another good place to add to your list is just below the neck, on the front of the chest known as the decolletage. This area does get warmer and helps to boost a scent’s properties.
Spraying vs. Rubbing
Rubbing on perfume is not a smart thing to do. It limits the longevity of your perfume. Instead, opt for dabbing or spraying on the fragrance.
What about scented body lotion? Never rub it into your skin. Instead, apply in long or short strokes letting the skin naturally absorb the lotion.
Applying on Clothes vs. Skin
Applying perfume to hair or clothing ensures it lasts longer and carries better. If you are out of the house for a long time, and your bottle of scent is too heavy to bring, apply it to your clothes and hair. And yes, apply to the skin as well.
Perfume reacts with our body chemistry. This is why one fragrance may smell different on another person.
Body chemistry also interacts with the skin for a more personalised experience.
What method is the best? They both work. But in more intimate settings, applying perfume only to the skin is the best option. You don’t want your fragrance to overpower the occasion.
Storage Tips
The way you store your perfumes is important. Never store your fragrances in direct sunlight or over a radiator.
The perfect storage temperature for perfume is ambient - regular room temperature.
Cold also affects the quality of your perfume. Fragrances do not belong in the refrigerator. Keep them away from heat, cold and too much humidity which can cause them to degrade faster.
In a perfect world, keep your perfumes in their boxes.
Plan your perfume purchases. Buying smaller bottles is often better unless it is your favourite scent. That way, you can change your perfumes with the seasons.
When and How to Reapply
Layering with body lotions certainly helps the longevity of your fragrance.
Lighter perfumes need to be re-applied more frequently. Even if you still notice the scent of your perfume, dab on more every four hours or so. Top up sensual heavier perfumes less often.
You will probably notice the time your fragrances last differently under variable circumstances. If you are out about in town, you will need to spray it on more often.
Conclusion
Taking care of your fragrance ensures consistency and longevity. Never expose fragrances to sunlight or heat. Try new techniques when applying perfume. Find out what works for you.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with new scents and follow the seasons. A new fresh scent can change the way your mood and make you feel better.
Perfume Price offers the opportunity to explore designer brands including Mugler, Bvglary and Hugo Boss. Try new scents as they are launched. Top-class perfumers such as Guerlain and Dior add to their ranges regularly. Why not try a limited edition or discover the versatility of fragrance gift sets?
Shopping with Perfume Price is easy and pleasurable. The Perfume Price team has a passion for perfume and loves to share their experience with you. Customer satisfaction is at the top of their agenda.
