A. There are many ways to apply and wear perfume. Yet there are also many misconceptions, and many people apply it in ways that are not ideal. Let us explore better ways to wear it, along with the reasons behind them.
Where to Wear It
Coco Chanel once said, “Apply perfume where you want to be kissed.” But my recommendation is to apply it near where you want to be kissed. If you put it right where you want to be kissed, it will taste of perfume. Ha ha ha.
Francis Kurkdjian
①The most important thing is to apply it to clean, bare skin, such as after a shower.
Cleanliness matters because mixing perfume with another odor, including body odor, may prevent you from enjoying its intended scent.
The reason for applying it to bare skin is that perfumers consider how a fragrance will smell when it merges with the skin. Warmed by body heat and mingling with a person’s inherent smell, it becomes the wearer’s own scent.
②After a bath or before getting dressed, applying perfume to the sides of the waist or behind the knees can give it a gentle presence. For a stronger impression, try the shoulders, inner elbows, wrists, décolletage, or hollows at the collarbones.
Body heat evaporates the alcohol and disperses the scent along with it, so the closer you apply it to warm areas, or pulse points, the more readily the scent spreads.
・When perfume is applied to the wrists, moving your hands disperses the scent, so take care when eating or speaking with someone face to face.
・If you apply perfume near your face, such as on the chest, your nose becomes accustomed to its strength, so take care not to apply too much.
・When applying perfume to bare skin, avoid areas with many sebaceous glands, such as behind the ears or on the scalp. Applying it to areas that tend to be oily will produce an unpleasant odor.
③If you apply perfume to your skin and find that it smells different from when you tried it on a blotter (in Japanese) and is unpleasant to you, you can also apply it to clothing. The artistic side of the fragrance, its evolution, will be harder to discern, but you can still enjoy the scent. Applying it inside a jacket or coat lets it waft gently when you take the garment off.
Unlike skin, jackets and coats are not washed repeatedly, so take care not to apply perfume every time. Otherwise, the base notes can build up and you may end up spreading an unpleasant smell.
④For those with sensitive skin, another option is to apply perfume to a handkerchief and tuck it into a pocket or bag, or apply it to the lining at the hem of underwear, skirts, or similar garments.
⑤If you want your perfume to smell clear and unclouded, I recommend choosing fragrance-free body wash, laundry detergent, fabric softener, and similar products throughout. As perfume does not last as readily on dry skin, I also recommend using a fragrance-free body lotion.
Perfume does not last long on dry skin. I therefore recommend applying a body lotion with the same scent, or a fragrance-free body lotion, before wearing perfume. It is better not to cover the area with clothing.
Francis Kurkdjian
How Much to Apply
As a guide, use one spray per area, spreading the application across several areas, two to five depending on the scent’s strength. Even if you cannot smell it yourself, people around you often can. If you are concerned, you might ask someone nearby whether they can smell it.
・When going out or meeting someone, apply perfume 30 minutes to one hour beforehand. Top notes tend to project most strongly, so it is a good idea to time your outing or meeting for when the top notes (in Japanese) to middle notes (in Japanese) have settled.
How to Apply It
①Hold the bottle about 20 cm from the area and apply the perfume over a surface, allowing it to spread. If the bottle is too close, the liquid lands in one spot and the alcohol evaporates less readily. The smell of alcohol is then strong, making the intended fragrance harder to discern. Applying it over a wider area also spreads the scent evenly over the skin and helps prevent the liquid from running.
②The important caution here is: “Do not rub.” Rubbing generates frictional heat, causing perfume to evaporate faster. Fragrance, too, is a collection of molecules, and molecules are in motion. The higher the temperature, the more vigorous that motion becomes. Thus, friction generates heat in that area, making the transition from top to middle to base notes harder to discern.
Rubbing the skin can also mix together sweat and dirt on its surface, potentially producing an odor.
・Never rub vigorously.
・If the liquid bothers you after application, do no more than gently press it with your hand.
・If the perfume does not come in a spray bottle, briefly turn the closed bottle upside down to wet the stopper, then open it and apply the perfume by touching the stopper to your skin.
Too many people seem to have the lazy habit of considering an extremely cursory check sufficient. They put their nose to the mouth of the bottle, or place a drop on the back of the hand and rub the skin. This triggers an amino-acid reaction and, even if it does not produce a nauseating smell, may at least alter the perfume.
Edmond Roudnitska
The worst thing is to rub together arms that have been sprayed with perfume. It raises the skin’s temperature and changes how the fragrance evolves. For example, if you wear a floral fragrance and its temperature rises, it will eventually lose the clarity of its scent. If you want to preserve the intended fragrance and make it last longer, lightly spray your arms, wait for the liquid to settle, and do absolutely nothing.
Francis Kurkdjian
One way to wear perfume is to spray it in front of you to create a mist, then walk through it. This was the method Clinique promoted when it launched the celebrated Aromatics Elixir in 1971.
General Precautions
・Especially for women, body temperature can fluctuate with physical condition and the menstrual cycle, so I recommend avoiding application close to the face. Consider how you wear perfume in light of how you are feeling.
・If you are entering an enclosed space such as a train, elevator, or office, apply perfume with consideration for those around you. There is no fragrance that everyone likes. Wearing perfume is a form of invisible fashion, and this is something to keep in mind.
・Pearls are vulnerable to alcohol, so take care when wearing pearl jewelry. They will lose their luster.
・Colored perfume, or incorrect application, can stain clothing. Be careful with white fabrics, silk, and similar materials.
・Some citrus oils, such as bergamot and lime, are phototoxic. The phototoxic components are absent when the oils are extracted by steam distillation, but oils obtained by cold pressing or expression, methods not used much nowadays, may undergo a chemical reaction when exposed to light. This is just for reference.
Perfumers and Other Notable Figures on Wearing Perfume
The best way to try a fragrance is to apply it to the back of your hand rather than the inside of your elbow. This has been a tradition since the early nineteenth century. There were no atomizers then, so the only way to put perfume on the skin was to apply drops of liquid.
The back of the hand has a broad surface and is at just the right temperature, so you will be able to notice the scent throughout the day. However, once you have put perfume on your skin, never rub your wrists together or otherwise rub it.You can also apply perfume to your hair or shoulders. This brings the scent closer to you and allows people behind you to notice it as well.
Jacques Cavallier
In summer, I like to apply perfume inside my clothes, because we sweat in summer and this spoils the scent. So it is a good idea to spray broadly from a distance on the inside or outside of your clothing. But do not hold the bottle too close, as it may leave a stain.
Francis Kurkdjian
In winter there are fewer problems, so I recommend applying it to the skin.
I also recommend a light application to hair, a scarf, or a sarong, because the scent disperses with the air as you move.
Francis Kurkdjian
Many people say that applying perfume to pulse points or near veins makes it smell its best. But you can also apply perfume to clothing, scarves, and sweaters. There are two forms of expression: skin and clothing. One, skin, is more intimate and for your own enjoyment. The other, clothing, is a gentler expression.
Christine Nagel
A luxurious way to wear perfume is to apply it to the lining of a jacket.
Serge Lutens
Rather than applying perfume all over your body, try one quick spray in your hair. It will last longer than if you apply it to your skin and quickly rub it. When you move your head, a more natural scent will also waft gently around you.
Olivier Cresp
The right way to apply perfume is whatever way you want to apply it.
Dominique Ropion
Spray perfume into the air to create a fragrant mist, then walk through it. That is my recommendation.
Estée Lauder
Do not rub. It is not lotion. The heat of friction makes the scent evaporate quickly. (A simple experiment: spray a little on both arms and rub just one, then compare them.) Usually, simply bringing your wrists together to spread the perfume is enough.
Tania Sanchez
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