You love the scent of your perfume, but it fades too quickly… You’re not alone, this is a common situation and there are various possible explanations.
Your nose has become accustomed to the scent.
Known as the habituation phenomenon, this frequent scenario basically means that your sense of smell has become accustomed to your perfume. It is caused by a physiological process that is vital for human survival. To find out whether this is the case, simply ask someone if he or she can smell your perfume. If the answer is yes, this indicates that it must be your nose that has become accustomed to the scent: you can no longer smell it, but others can.
Our brain analyses the different smells transmitted by our olfactory receptors, and once it has identified a smell as familiar and without danger, it can mask it. This enables us to remain alert for unfamiliar smells, which could potentially signal danger or an alarm. This explains why we no longer smell the scent of our own home. In the distant past, this allowed our ancestors to detect the presence of an intruder in their home (perhaps a bear in the cave!). It’s the same with our perfume. When the brain considers it to be part of the surroundings, it hides the scent. It takes about 3 days to get used to a perfume. So if you want to continue to smell your fragrance, you should, paradoxically, change it every 2-3 days.
Your skin does not hold the scent
Each person’s skin is unique and interacts differently with each perfume. Some skin cannot hold a scent, and in this case, we sometimes say the skin ‘drinks’ perfume. If you ask someone if they can smell your perfume, the answer will be no. Unfortunately, there is no miracle solution: rather than being caused by the perfume or your skin, it is simply the combination that does not work. To try to improve its performance, remember to moisturise/nourish your skin, as properly moisturised skin holds perfume better. If they are available, you can use scented products from the same range (soaps, scented oils, shower gels, moisturising lotions, etc.) along with your perfume to intensify the aroma. You can also spray the perfume over your clothes. This changes the way it develops and brings out the core notes, but it also makes the perfume last significantly longer.
The scent lacks staying power
Sometimes, despite moisturising and frequent changes of perfume, nothing can stop a scent from dissipating too quickly. It happens and it’s often due to the materials used. Some more volatile raw materials, such as citrus fruits, fade more quickly on the skin. This explains, for example, why an Eau de Cologne needs more frequent application. The tip is to choose a perfume with more persistent base notes. Notes such as vanilla, patchouli or musk make a perfume last longer. These help the fresher and more volatile notes last until the end of the day!