How to keep your perfume?

A fragrance you love, but which disappears too quickly... This is a common situation... which can be explained in different ways.

The phenomenon of habituation, which means that your sense of smell has become accustomed to your perfume, is very common. It's the result of a physiological process necessary to the survival of the species. To find out if this phenomenon is responsible for the disappearance of your perfume, simply ask someone if they smell it. If this is the case, it's probably your nose that has become accustomed to your fragrance: you no longer smell it, unlike others.

Our brain analyzes the different smells transmitted by olfactory receptors, and once an odor is identified as familiar and safe, it can block it out. This enables us to remain vigilant and detect unusual odors, which may be synonymous with danger or alarm. That's why we no longer smell our home. For our distant ancestors, this was a way of becoming aware of the presence of an intruder in the home (like a bear in a cave!). It's the same with our perfume. The brain considers it to be part of the décor, so it hides it. It takes about 3 days to get used to a fragrance. So if you want to keep smelling the perfume you're wearing, paradoxically, you need to change it every 2-3 days.

Every skin is unique and interacts differently with every fragrance. And some skins just don't hold perfume: we sometimes say that the skin drinks the perfume. In this case, if you ask someone if they smell your perfume, they won't. Unfortunately, there's no quick fix: it's not the perfume or your skin that's to blame, it's the duo that doesn't work. To try and improve hold, remember to moisturize / nourish your skin, as well-moisturized skin holds perfume better. If they exist, you can combine your perfume with its related care products (soaps, scented oils, shower gels, moisturizing milks, etc.) to intensify your sillage. You can also spray perfume on clothing. This may alter the fragrance's evolution and bring out the heart notes, but it clearly prolongs its staying power.

But sometimes, despite well-moisturized skin and frequent perfume changes, the perfume wears off too quickly. It happens, and it often depends on the materials used. Some more volatile raw materials, such as citrus, don't last as long on the skin. This explains why Eaux de Cologne, for example, need to be applied more frequently. The trick is to choose a fragrance with more persistent base notes. Notes such as vanilla, patchouli and musk add longevity to a fragrance. They help the fresher, more volatile notes last all day long!