Why You May Want To Try A Solid Perfume

Creating a magnetic glow in beauty always entails the perfect fragrance. The perfume market is one of the most saturated in the cosmetic beauty industry, with endless options for every taste and mood. Creating a brand fragrance is nearly essential for any fashion label — a trend that was nonexistent before the legendary Coco Chanel (via Brittanica). She was the first fashion designer ever to introduce their own fragrance, in 1921. Fast forward to the second millennium, and every major label has multiple fragrances to add the power of scent to their brand universe. Now, an ancient form of scent magic is making a comeback.

Solid perfumes are some of the earliest documented perfume recipes originating from ancient Greece and Egypt (via Illuminated Perfume). Made from a hearty blend of botanicals, herbs, and oils, solid perfume was worn as an adornment and sign of beauty and status. Now, modern brands are bringing back fragrance balms in chic compacts to be tucked away as the new beauty accessory.

Upon first glance, a solid perfume may appear to be a dainty mirror or compact blush. But pop open the case, and you'll find a buttery balm bursting with aroma. According to Lili Bermuda, solid perfumes differ from sprays in that they are made with a solid or congealed base carrier like beeswax, shea butter, or petroleum jelly. Spray perfumes use alcohol as their carrier because it allows fragrance oils to blend and dissolve seamlessly together. 

Essentially, alcohol functions as a solvent for the aromatic compounds to create a distilled perfume formula (via Carrément Belle). This creates a tiered complexity to experiencing a spray perfume, however. Your first impression of a perfume is typically not the same fragrance after an hour or so after wear. That's because ethanol diffuses and aids in the vaporization of perfume, creating a fading scent that changes over time once it hits the skin. Perfume balms, on the other hand, tend to stay on the skin longer since they are highly concentrated with a solid base. 

Unlike alcohol-based sprays that can dehydrate and irritate the skin, balm perfumes are incredibly nourishing and moisturizing. They're blended with vitamin-rich carrier oils that hydrate and pour moisture back into the skin. Earth Tu Face's mermaid-like compact perfumes are made with safflower and beeswax, both of which can protect and heal the skin from sun and environmental damage. Their jasmine perfume utilizes real jasmine blossoms to create an invigorating and exotic aroma. 

French masters of fragrance Diptyque has an extensive line of alcohol-free wax balms made to blend with one's skin, revealing a unique and luxurious scent. Their authentically French-inspired perfumes come after nailing the art of the luxury candle. Likewise, Glossier recently developed a solid perfume after successfully creating its first scent, You, known for its warm and spicy formula made to enhance one's natural aroma. The pink balm comes in a sleek disk and smells of sparkling ambrox, pink pepper, and musk.