The art of wearing perfume is not a one stop shop, one size fits all kind of deal.
In reality, the art of wearing a perfume is a very personal thing. Liking a particular scent on someone else, liking it on you, and liking it when you are in the store spraying it on paper — doesn’t mean your friend’s perfume will be perfect for you, your perfume is enjoyable to another person’s nose, or taking the perfume home from the store and spraying it will work.
Confused yet?
Maybe you have noticed that a few years ago you absolutely could not get enough of a particular perfume — but now when you wear it, it just doesn’t seem to smell right. Or maybe that some days your perfume seems to be stronger than on others. But, what is going on? Why do perfumes seem to change from time to time and person to person?
The answer lies in body chemistry — the very unique and personal make up for a human’s bodily functions.
As a matter of fact, “your body chemistry has a major effect on a fragrance.” And, to pick the perfect perfume, you must understand the different parts of your body chemistry and how to test perfumes for it.
So, how do you choose the right perfume for your body chemistry?
It’s actually kind of simple and takes some patience, but here goes. “Your body chemistry, heat, the oils, and even the bacteria on your skin play an important role that affects how the perfume diffuses from your person. It also has a significant influence on the duration a perfume wears on you, as well as the specific notes that emanate from the fragrance upon contact with your skin.” Forever changing, the factors mentioned above can vary from person to person and year to year.
And, there you have it. There are a few factors that come into play when thinking about how a perfume works with your bod’s unique chemistry.
Considering the factors.
1: Skin Type
First and foremost the most important thing that affects how a perfume smells on you is your skin type. And, “there’s a simple rule of thumb to follow: is your skin dry, or oily? The oilier your skin is, the less perfume you need for the scent to be impactful, and the longer the scent will last.”
A – Oily
“The sebaceous glands (microscopic exocrine glands in the skin) excrete sebum, which makes it way to the surface of the skin through the hair follicles. Our diet, lifestyle, stress levels, all of these things affect how this oily substance smells. When this mixes with our sweat and our perfume, there’s no telling what the result will be.” So, if you have more oily skin, your body will be making a more distinct odor and your aroma will mix more with a perfume.
B – Dry
“Rough skin traps fragrance molecules in its contours, leading to longer-lasting scent; fragrance evaporates extremely quickly on dry skin, dulling the scent quickly.” Oil being one of the ingredients in perfume that helps it stay, if you skin is leaking oil, a perfume will have less aroma and staying power.
2: pH
We all have a natural skin pH. Generally speaking, “if your skin’s pH is out of whack (i.e., if it’s too basic), it won’t absorb the scent as well as it will when it’s been rebalanced. Ideally, your skin is just slightly acidic. If your skin is dry, moisturize well before looking for chemistry.” Moisture seems to be the KEY to helping perfume stay and perform as expected.
3: Temperature
Keeping calm and paying attention to your mood can drastically help you know when to wear perfume and when to not. “Your body heat is also a factor to account for. A hotter basal body temperature means the pay-off from your perfume will be more concentrated, and vice versa.” So on warm days or days when you blood is boiling, your perfume may smell more intense.
4: Trial and Error
Just like trying on dresses, shoes, etc — no two senses of style and “no two noses are alike. You might think you smell great, but others might not enjoy the unique combination of your skin’s natural oils and your choice of perfume. Again, there’s no one-scent-fits-all perfume. We have more than 400 olfactory receptors in our noses, and no two are programmed exactly alike. The key is to find a perfume that leads to people frequently telling you how great you smell.” A good rule of thumb is to test before buying!
Top Notes, Middle Notes, Base Notes
So you tend to drift towards musky or woody scents. But, you should try one and feel NOPE while another you feel YES. “The problem might be with the perfume’s top notes, heart notes, or its base notes. If the disagreeable scent disappears after a few seconds, the problem is probably with the top notes. If it emerges gradually, the problem is deeper.” Paying attention to what notes and aromas smell great on your skin will help you narrow down what type of perfume to drift towards.
How to choose a perfume that suits you
Now comes the fun part! Choosing a perfume, and “here’s how to do it. Spray different perfumes into the air or onto a card just to smell their top notes. If you like a certain top note, put some on your wrist and sniff it again in 20 minutes (this will give you the middle note). If you like the base note when you smell it an hour later, then go ahead and buy the perfume.” When testing, take your time. Do not rush and let yourself get to know the perfume before buying.
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And there we have it — “our bodies produce their own distinct scent. How this scent—the product of our unique body chemistry—interacts with the perfumes we wear will determine whether the scent is a blazing fire or a fizzling flop. You need chemistry to work in your favor.”
We at Dossier have been in your shoes, wondering what perfume would best suit your chemistry at this time in your life. We also understand the “scaries” that can come along with buying online.
To help you with testing and figuring out your perfect body chemistry perfume combination, we not only offer all our premium perfumes at an affordable price of $29 — every bottle comes with a tester. Before opening the bottle you can test the perfume on your skin.
If it doesn’t work for you, simply send the unopened bottle back within 30 days for refund or exchange. We work with you to find the fragrance the BEST SUITS YOU!
Be sure to explore our large selection of designer inspired perfumes.
References:
1. https://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/style/body-scents-fragrances/body-chemistry-has-everything-to-do-with-fragrance.htm
2. https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/beauty-grooming/makeup/choose-right-perfume-skin-type/
3. https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/beauty-grooming/makeup/choose-right-perfume-skin-type/
4. https://dontsmellbad.com/blog/why-does-perfume-smell-different-on-different-people/
5. https://dontsmellbad.com/blog/finding-the-right-perfume-for-your-body-chemistry/x
6. https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/beauty-grooming/makeup/choose-right-perfume-skin-type/
7. https://dontsmellbad.com/blog/why-does-perfume-smell-different-on-different-people/
8. https://dontsmellbad.com/blog/why-does-perfume-smell-different-on-different-people/
9. https://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/style/body-scents-fragrances/body-chemistry-has-everything-to-do-with-fragrance1.htm
10. https://dontsmellbad.com/blog/finding-the-right-perfume-for-your-body-chemistry/
