Do you wonder why fragrances like perfumes are expensive? Do you find that these small bottles don’t last as long for what they’re worth? Several factors contribute to how long the scent of your perfumes last:
The Composition
One of the main factors to how long scents last is by how much essential oil they contain. The higher the concentration, the longer-lasting, the more high-quality, and the pricier the scent usually is. Some of these oils are sourced from reliable wholesale fragrance oil suppliers and are becoming rarer, hence, their premium prices. That being said, this is usually how scents are usually categorized:
- Perfumes – more than 30 percent
- Eau de parfum – more than 20 percent
- Eau de toilette – more than 15 percent
- Eau de cologne – more than 4 percent
- Eau fraiche – more than 3 percent
If you may not know yet, a scent also consists of several layers of ingredients called notes. There are top, middle, as well as base notes in which order you smell the entirety of your perfume. It’s worth noting that only when you get past the top layers can you smell the ones underneath. The scientific explanation behind this dynamic rather than flat olfactory experience is that these ingredients have varying molecular structures.
Applying a specific scent, you’re initially met by notes that are composed of simpler bonds, those fruity and herbal notes like basil and citric acid, which are lighter and, therefore, easier to dissipate. You are then met by denser middle notes usually characterized as being floral such as lavender and ylang-ylang. Musky and earthy notes such as amber and vanilla, which are composed of more complex bonds, usually form the base and which you will smell for the longest time wearing a particular formula.
How You Put It On
Sometimes, the issue lies not in your perfume but in how you apply it. As a tip, scents stay prominent on warm areas of your body such as your neck, the inside of your elbows, wrists, pulse points, and even the back of your knees. So, keep this in mind rather than spraying that precious liquid in the air and catching the droplets because that would be very wasteful.
Another common mistake perfume users make is spraying then rubbing where the perfume landed. Your body, specifically the parts mentioned beforehand, is already warm enough to cause the reaction that will unravel the perfume’s aroma. The friction you cause not only adds more heat but also disrupts this process.
Likewise, spraying from at least a 20-centimeter distance will help the perfume’s particles to land gently on your skin. Spraying too close will harshly push the liquid onto your skin, which could ruin the scent. Also, it would be a waste of product concentrating it only on a small area of your body.
To better impress that scent you fell in love with on your body, it is also important to spray right after taking a bath. Spraying on fresh skin will lock in the fragrance without sweat interfering. Those with dry skin will find it hard to keep scents to their body. And so, applying lotion or body oil, preferably unscented ones, on the aforementioned hot spots before spraying your perfume will solve this minor problem.
Olfactory Fatigue
Also called nose fatigue, olfactory fatigue happens when we become desensitized to the scent that we applied to ourselves although it did not necessarily dissipate yet. Other people could sense a strong scent from you. This is enough reason for you to not give up on your perfume just yet.
Notice, too, how perfume shops have coffee beans lying on their shelves. This is for clients to sniff to cleanse their nose from one scent and leave them to a neutral smelling slate before they move on to checking another scent. As such, being overwhelmed by a scent for smelling it for long periods often leads us to no longer being able to smell it later.
How You Keep It
You would be thankful if you store your perfume somewhere cool and dark. The environment plays a big role in preserving your perfume’s potency. You want to keep it away from somewhere bright and warm, which hastens the ripening of the notes in your perfume.
Maintaining a scent collection is a big investment. Of course, you don’t want it to be a waste. Follow the steps we shared and make the most out of every drop of your perfume. You bought those perfumes to give a good impression to others, after all.