If your perfume has faded by lunchtime, the fragrance itself is only part of the reason. How long a scent lasts depends on how concentrated it is, what it is made of, your skin, the weather and how you apply it. Some of those you can't change. The ones you can change make a clear difference, and none of them needs a new bottle.
Why perfume fades
- Concentration. An eau de toilette has less fragrance in it than an eau de parfum, and a body mist much less again. Less fragrance means less to evaporate. Our guide to the difference between eau de parfum, eau de toilette and cologne compares them.
- The notes. Citrus, mint and other fresh top notes are light molecules that evaporate within an hour whatever you do. A fresh citrus cologne will never last like a woody oud. Woods, resins, musks, amber and vanilla are heavy and slow, so perfumes built on them last longer.
- Dry skin. Fragrance holds onto oil. Dry skin has less of it, so the scent evaporates faster.
- Heat. Warmth speeds up evaporation. In UAE summer a perfume projects more strongly for the first hour and fades sooner.
- Your nose. After twenty minutes or so your brain stops registering a smell it is surrounded by. Often the perfume is still there and people around you can smell it, even though you no longer can.
How to make perfume last longer
1. Apply it to moisturised skin
Put perfume on straight after a shower, once your skin is dry, and after an unscented moisturiser. A thin layer of an unscented balm or petroleum jelly on the spots where you spray works too. This single step makes the biggest difference for most people.
2. Choose where you apply it
Apply to warm areas where the scent can rise: the sides of the neck, behind the ears, the inside of the wrists and elbows, the chest. The warmth releases the fragrance slowly through the day. Avoid spraying only onto clothes over the skin, which blocks it.
3. Don't rub your wrists together
Rubbing warms the skin and speeds up the evaporation of the top notes, so you lose the opening faster. Spray or dab, then leave it to dry on its own.
4. Scent your clothes and hair lightly
Fabric holds fragrance much longer than skin. A light mist on a scarf or the inside of a jacket collar lasts all day (test on a hidden spot first, since some perfumes can mark light fabrics). For hair, spray onto a brush rather than directly: the alcohol in most perfumes dries hair out.
5. Layer it
Using a body wash, lotion or body oil in the same scent, or one that shares its base notes, gives the perfume something to hold on to. Layering a simple base note underneath, such as a white musk or vanilla oil, extends almost any perfume.
6. Try a perfume oil
Perfume oils have no alcohol to speed up evaporation. They sit closer to the skin, project less than a spray in the first hour, and usually last longer. Many people wear an oil as a base and a spray on top. You can wear a perfume oil diluted in a roll-on bottle, or choose an inspired perfume oil made to the scent profile of a fragrance you already know.
7. Pick a stronger concentration or a heavier base
If a scent never lasts on you, look for the eau de parfum or extrait version rather than the eau de toilette, or for perfumes with woody, ambery, musky or oud bases. Perfumers add fixatives such as Ambroxan and Iso E Super for exactly this reason. Our guide to perfume fixatives explains how they work.
8. Store it properly
A perfume that has been sitting in a hot car or a sunny bathroom has already lost its top notes before you spray it. Keep bottles cool, dark and closed. See how to store perfume.
9. Carry a small bottle for top-ups
For a long day, decant a little into a 10ml travel spray or a roll-on and reapply in the afternoon. Reapplying once is normal, even with a long-lasting perfume.
A note on making your own
If you make your own perfume, longevity comes down to the formula: the share of base notes, the concentration you dilute to and any fixative you add. Letting a new blend rest for a few weeks before wearing it also helps it settle. Our guide to making perfume oil at home covers each step.