A Beginner’s Guide To Fragrance Layering
A Different Way To Look At Fragrance
Think about how you apply a fragrance – what probably springs to mind is the act of spraying an eau de toilette a couple of times in the general direction of your neck or chest.
But why just ‘spray and pray’ when you can create a longer lasting, all-over scent impression by layering several products from your favourite fragrance’s body range?
Or, if you’re feeling a bit more creative, how about layering completely different fragrances on top of each other to create something that’s unique to you? Whichever technique you fancy trying, here are a few useful tips…
Create A Lasting Impression
The easiest form of fragrance layering involves combining products from a brand’s body care range to create a more intense, longer lasting, top-to-toe scent. By using these products in tandem you don’t just increase its staying power though.
“Different toiletry mediums require different chemical adjustments, techniques and bases to carry the fragrance successfully,” says James Craven, Perfume Archivist at London’s oldest independent perfumery, Les Senteurs.
“A skilled perfumer will vary their original fragrance formula for each layer and according to each product. Take Creed’s Green Irish Tweed, for instance: the soap may be richer in the musky woody accords, the gel more predominantly green and minty, the lotion feature a touch more violet… and so on.”
Layering, then, can give your favourite fragrance even more complexity as well as longevity. “The fragrance will essentially be the same but each product will highlight a different aspect or a different mood,” he says.
What’s more, individual parts of the body have their own inherent smell and so will ‘wear’ fragrance in a different way and diffuse it at a different rate, making the effect continuous.
“Hair is an excellent conductor: it holds perfume most tenaciously,” says Craven, which is why fragranced shampoos and body washes are often a good investment.
