How to Make a Perfume Last Longer?

Sounds like another cliché, but finding the right perfume is like finding your soulmate; they don’t come easy. You can’t leave life to serendipitous moments (which frankly, rarely happen). You need to get out there and play the whole field. 

Once you discover the right fragrance just for you, your natural inclination is to immediately share it with the world. When your new scent doesn’t linger with you, however, you can’t help but feel the rug pulled out from under you.

We’ve got some good news though! You don’t have to settle for a scent that disappears as soon as you walk out your front door. With a few tweaks to the way you choose, apply, and maintain your perfume, you’ll smell just as good at the end of your day as you did in the beginning! 

Tips for perfect harmony

Believe it or not, the key to a longer-lasting perfume begins before you even apply it. 

To get a scent that lasts all day, you need to make sure you’re wearing a perfume that sets you up for this success. Otherwise, even your most conscientious and creative application techniques will fail.

Go stronger

You obviously want your fragrance to stay with you, but to what degree? Perfume oil concentrations vary depending on what you get and coverage time depends enormously on your selection. For example, ones labeled as eau de parfum or extrait de parfum have a higher concentration of fragrance oils than ones labeled eau de toilette, so they have a stronger, longer-lasting aroma.  

Change it up

While spray-on perfumes are more traditional and classic, roll-on perfumes are a great option to try as well. They tend to have an even higher concentration of oils, as well as moisturizing properties to help the fragrances permeate better to your skin. And because you apply them directly to your skin instead of spritzing into the air, you’ll get the full effect (and waste less). 

Perfect notes are key

All perfumes are composed of top, middle, and base notes, with the base typically lasting the longest. If you’re concerned about longevity of the scent, make sure to prioritize notes with strong base notes like vanilla, sandalwood, and patchouli. Perfumes with stronger citrus or floral top and middle notes naturally dissipate quicker. 

Can’t get enough: Embrace long-lasting applications

Applying perfume is easy — you just spritz and go, right? Not so fast. How, where, and when you apply your perfume makes a big difference in whether it lasts all day or fades rapidly.  

Once you have the right perfume, follow these application tips to make perfume last longer:

So fresh and so clean

A hydrated skin holds fragrance better than dry skin, so applying a body oil or lotion before your perfume can help it last all day. Additionally, after a shower is a great time to apply perfume because your pores are open and your body temperature is higher, which helps your body accept and activate the scent. Just don’t spray it on while wet—pat yourself dry first, so the fragrance doesn’t evaporate or wipe off. 

Apply to your pulse points

Curious to know where to target to maximize your new scent? Look no further than your pulse points. These popular spots, like your wrists, the back of your neck and knees, behind your ears, and even your chest, are where the skin is thinnest and closest to your blood vessels, which help activate the scent as your body heats up. 

Don’t rub it in

This common technique actually breaks down the fragrance instead of reinforcing it. If your wrists feel damp, tap them together to blot away the extra liquid, or dab them on other areas of your body, like your neck, to provide extra fragrance elsewhere. 

Mix it up

If you can’t get one fragrance to last all day, add more to the mix. Layer your perfume with a scented body lotion or oil, or even other perfumes to create a new scent with even stronger, longer-lasting top, middle, and bottom notes. 

Don’t go the conventional route

You don’t have to apply perfume only to your skin. Since fabrics are great at holding onto scents, make your fragrance last longer by spritzing some on your clothes or accessories. You can also spray some on your hairbrush or even your hair itself, but be careful not to overdo it — you don’t want to damage your hair color or texture.

Maximize your fragrance’s shelf life

You may not give a lot of thought to where or how you store your perfumes, but the way you keep and maintain them can have a big impact on the quality of the fragrance and its longevity. 

To make sure your perfumes stay their best:

Don’t forget the expiration date

Unfortunately, fragrances don’t age like wine; they weaken as they age. If you have a perfume that’s nearing or past its expiration date, you won’t get the same effectiveness from it. Always keep an eye on expiration dates, and discard any perfume that’s too old. 

Store your perfume correctly

It’s very tempting to want to store your perfumes in the bathroom, where they’re within easy reach after a shower or a bath. But light, heat, and humidity can speed up the expiration process, and your bathroom has plenty of both. To help prolong your perfume’s life, store it somewhere cool and dark — even in its original box, if you still have it. It would be all too easy to just spritz yourself and run out the door. Finding a harmonious and balanced scent through your daily routine may take some time, but once you get it, you’re only inching yourself closer to sharing your remarkable new self to the world —and that’s certainly worth the wait!