Making your scent last longer

Fragrances are designed to last for about four or five hours, and should be re-applied once or twice throughout the day in order to continue smelling as it is intended.

However, fragrances last longer on some people than others. This is not just a game of chance- rather, different skin types have differing abilities to hold the scent. Fragrances are basically oils that will be absorbed into the skin like a moisturizer. Oily skin has more natural moisture, and is therefore better equipped to hold the fragrance than those with dry skin. Blondes or people with fair colouring have a tendency towards dry skin and may find that their fragrance holding time is shorter than other people’s.

To help achieve a longer effect, you can try layering the fragrance. Most perfume ranges will offer a bath gel and moisturizer as well as the spray, which can help make the scent last. If your chosen fragrance does not have a matching body lotion, using an unscented moisturizer on the pulse points before applying the fragrance can make a difference. The pulse points give off heat and act as mini fragrance pumps.

There are other factors that influence the way a particular fragrance will smell on different people. Acidity levels in the skin vary from person to person, and this influences how each ingredient in the fragrance will react. Similarly, body chemistry, diet and age may also affect how the oils absorb into the skin. Certain essential oils are absorbed more easily than others, and this can create an imbalance on the skin that affects the overall harmony of the scent.