Guest Author - Dwala Wishon

Blessed with oily skin, my fragrances have always worn well and for a long time, because oily skin holds perfumes and fragrances longer. Now, approaching 40, my skin has lost some of that natural oil, and with it the “make your fragrance last longer” benefits. Not to mention the other problems that come with aging skin, because for now we’re just going to focus on making your fragrance last longer.

You’ve probably heard (or could find very quickly) plenty of references to layering fragrances to keep them wearing and smelling good longer. First, you start with a shower gel, then a lotion, then a powder, then your fragrance. That doesn’t work for me, because I am not going to stock that many ingredients in my perfume arsenal, and most body products developed to match fragrances aren’t products I’d reach for anyway. Shower gel in particular has never been a friend of mine: I want cleansers that cleanse and don’t conflict with the way I smell after my shower. There’s not much point in spending a lot of money on something that will only be in contact with your skin for a short while, anyway. It may have an impact, but you’re better off using an extra spritz later than relying on a fragranced shower gel.

Body lotions can have a significant impact on a fragrance’s longevity on your skin. However, my experience is that even big name manufacturers quite often don’t get their lotions to match their fragrances, and the lotion isn’t the better smelling product! Nor am I convinced I want a product that contains ingredients I can’t even pronounce (and I make lotion!) slathered all over my skin for the evening. For instance, my favorite summer scent we don’t make at Body Moose Skin Care (bodymoose.com) right now is Amor Amor, by Cacharel. I have the lotion because it was offered in a gift set, and to my nose, the lotion has a definite plastic scent. It is cosmetically elegant and looks nice on, but it does not smell right.

What I decided to try was to create my own oily skin again, hoping it would make my perfumes last longer. Using squalane (squalaneoil.com), which is a greaseless, colorless, odorless oil, I rub a few drops inside my inner wrist, wait a minute or so, and then spritz equal amounts of perfume on both wrists. It seems to last longer on the oiled wrist! I can generally smell it the next morning on the wrist that had the oil.

I’ve tried to attribute it to many different things, such as sleeping postures (did I sleep harder on one hand?), using one hand more than the other, hanging one hand in the wind through my window, but I’ve also switched back and forth and I can’t figure out what could be doing it except maybe my trick actually works.

If you don’t have squalane at home, I think you could try this with any oil. I’d pick the one with the least odor and try it with a perfume other than the one you’re saving the last few drops of in case it doesn’t work for you, but I think it just might make your fragrance last longer.

The habit of rubbing a little oil on your skin isn’t a bad one to develop anyway. In my business, I have a lot of lotions and body butters available at all times, and I still love to use straight olive oil sometimes!

Please don’t hesitate to contact me and let me know how your experiment went. Happy spritzing!