When it comes to fragrance application, people tend to fall into different camps. You might be a fan of the traditional method: spritz both wrists, gently bash them together and go about your day. Some like to daub a little perfume on their collarbones, behind their ears and neck and on their sternum, so that the heat of their body encourages the scent to warm and bloom around them through the day. Others spray a generous amount of their favourite fragrance in the air, creating a mist they then walk through and allow to settle all over them.
According to experts in the field, spraying a veil of “perfume rain” actually means fewer fragrance molecules stick to the skin, making it harder for the scent to diffuse fully. This can compromise both the longevity and overall performance of the fragrance.
In fact, the most effective way to apply perfume is to think of the body as an inverted triangle, with your shoulders being the two widest points, tapering down towards the centre of your chest. When scent is distributed in this pattern, it surrounds the upper body and creates what the experts call a “fragrance aura”. This cocoon of fragrance makes it more likely that people passing by or those you interact with at close range will notice the scent.
Because fragrance molecules rise upwards, spraying it on your shoulders and chest means the scent stays closer to you than if you were to spray it on your wrists. When you turn your head, look down or move around, the scent naturally drifts into your olfactory range, allowing you to catch a trail of scent. The inverted triangle method allows the perfume to envelop you.
