Your perfume is your olfactory signature: it reveals to the world who you are. It is also part of an intimate ritual that each of us repeats whenever we go out in society, or want to feel good in private. But many people are asking the question of how to perform the right hand movements. How do you put perfume on? Are there any guidelines to follow? Or are there techniques to make the perfume last all day long? How can you wear perfume so that it diffuses well? We want to go over the basics so that the perfume ritual will no longer be a mystery to you.
Let’s start by going back in time and find out how people used to wear perfume in the past
The history of perfume is rich and goes back to the dawn of time. Since the time of the pharaohs, humans (and demigods!) have been perfuming themselves for sanctification, protection, to create desire, or to signify their social status. Through the ages, the uses of perfume and the form it has taken have evolved a lot.
You may not know it, but the term “perfume” comes from the Latin “per fumum”, which means “through the smoke”. Yes, in the old days, we used to burn herbs and incense and bend over the fire to perfume ourselves! In ancient Egypt, perfumes were used to communicate with the gods, but also to demonstrate one’s status as a quasi-divinity. For example, through the process of mummification, the rulers became “Perfumed”. A “Perfume” was the equivalent of a God. The perfumes used to fill the bodies were meant to enable them to go to the Beyond.
It was also at this time that solid perfumes appeared. Both men and women would rub themselves with ointments that had floral and spicy scents. Liquid perfumes were not used until the 9th century! It was around this time that alchemists discovered distillation in the Middle East. Perfume was then sprinkled on the body using sprinklers. In Europe, it was not until the 17th century that distillation became widely used and reached perfumery.
In Europe
In the Middle Ages, it was fashionable to wear scented pendants to protect oneself from diseases. People also chewed herbs and rubbed their bodies with vinegar to ward off evil. Perfume was considered magical, and sometimes even associated with witchcraft. The pomanders or apples of scent were jewels that rich people wore all the time. They contained ambergris, civet, or musk, to scent the air around them and protect themselves from vices.
During the Renaissance, perfume was pervasive: people perfumed their
bodies; they poured scented essences on furniture and all sorts of objects; they even perfumed animals for festivities. At a time when people didn’t wash much, the role of perfume was essentially that of concealing bad odours. This is also how the profession of “glove perfumer” was born. Glovemakers tried to hide the smell of tanned leather by scenting their hides. They thus acquired an unequalled know-how, and they soon replaced apothecaries in the perfume trade. All fashion accessories, including gloves, belts, and purses, were perfumed.
Gestures began developing in the 20th century with the appearance of the vaporizer. Until then, people used to sprinkle themselves with cologne using a dropper pipette that was inherited from the medical world. The more concentrated extracts and perfumes were applied with the stem caps of the crystal bottles. This made it possible to deposit a precise drop behind the ear.
And today, how do you perfume yourself with our liquid perfumes?
If you like to perfume your skin:
“Perfume yourself where you want to be kissed,” Gabrielle Chanel used to say. It is often said that you have to spray your perfume on the pulse points. Why is that? Because that’s where the body diffuses the most heat, so the diffusion of the scent is the best. (It’s a bit like the principle of a perfume burner.)
Our advice is to aim at the inside of the wrist, behind the ears, in the neck, and on the chest. A vaporization at the back of the knee or in your joints is also very effective. The result: when you move, your body heat brings the fragrance up to your nose!
Can we use perfume on our hair?
Perfuming your hair can be very tempting, especially if you have long hair and like to shake it around!
But perfumes contain a minimum of 80% alcohol in their composition, which is why we don’t recommend it. Perfumes can dry out your hair and irritate your skin. Rather, opt for non-alcoholic mists specially designed for hair 😉.
And perfuming our clothes?
Clothes retain smells for a very long time, which is an advantage when you want to mark an accessory you’re wearing with your perfume, or leave your scent on someone’s scarf or T-shirt. In addition, perfuming a piece of clothing allows people with sensitive skin who can’t tolerate alcohol to keep the scent of their dreams!
However, you have to pay attention to a few details. Because of the natural colouring of certain perfumes (some ingredients make juices more or less dark), there is a risk of stains! Therefore, avoid spraying directly on white or light-coloured clothes. You should also be aware that not all textiles absorb odours in the same way. Synthetic fabrics do not diffuse scents well. It is better to spray your perfume on natural fibre fabrics.
Silk, wool, velvet, cotton, cashmere… these natural materials will enhance your olfactory imprint more than polyamide or viscose.
What does it take to make a perfume last?
We often hear that it’s hard to find a perfume that lasts all day! Well, the quality of the ingredients and the concentration of the perfume have a lot to do with it. That’s what makes all the difference between a luxury perfume and a cheap perfume. For example, at Sillages Paris, we use large quantities of natural ingredients in high concentrations. Our formulas are among the most expensive on the market because we consider perfumery to be an art, and a luxury! But not necessarily inaccessible. So there is no mystery: our perfumes, even the “lightest” ones, last all day long on the skin.
But there are a few perfumery “tricks” to make the pleasure last longer. For starters, make sure you spray the fragrance about 20 centimetres away from your skin. The fragrance will last longer if it’s sprayed evenly over a large area, rather than generously over a small area!
You can also perfume yourself on top of a moisturizing cream or oil as the fragrance will last longer on an oily surface 😉. Basically, the more your skin is moisturized, the longer your perfume will last on it. But beware: to avoid altering the smell of your perfume, remember to choose a fragrance-free cream.
What not to do
Sometimes you spray perfume on one wrist and rub it on the other to distribute the perfume. Please don’t do it! It damages the notes and accelerates the evolution of the perfume.
Also, don’t re-perfume yourself regularly during the day unless you have confirmed with someone else if they can still smell your perfume. This is because it’s normal not to smell your perfume after a while! It’s called olfactory adaptation. When the brain doesn’t consider a smell to be synonymous with danger, it no longer pays attention to it. But those around you, however, will always smell you! So best not to overwhelm them.
So, do you want to put it into practice?
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