You've Been Spraying Your Perfume Wrong - Here's The Right Way To Do It

Few people ever learn how to properly apply perfume. Whether we mimic the techniques we subconsciously picked up from our parents or just inherently feel that it's the right thing to do, many of us automatically revert to the most common method of application: spraying perfume on our wrists and then rubbing them vigorously together. But according to fragrance expert Emma of the popular Instagram account Perfumerism, the wrist-rubbing technique isn't the best way to apply perfume.

"Rubbing your wrists causes friction and heat, which can cause the volatile top notes to disappear more quickly," Emma explains in an exclusive chat with Glam. "Perfumers formulate fragrances with the entire top-to-bottom experience in mind, so adding friction will change the carefully crafted formula, and disrupt the experience. It will also make your perfume not last as long, as you are essentially evaporating away the fragrance." 

Luckily, Emma confirms that most wrist-rubbers don't rub hard enough to cause a huge problem with regard to their perfume disappearing or changing in a less-than-ideal way. However, for the best results, the fragrance guru recommends that this technique should still be avoided in favor of something better: "I recommend that instead of rubbing, you tap your wrists gently to transfer the formula."

To be clear, the issue with wrist application is the rubbing of the skin which can disrupt the perfume notes. The actual spraying of the fragrance onto the skin is generally fine (after all, one of the most important places to spray perfume is actually the belly button!). "Spraying fragrance too close to the body is not a problem, in my opinion," Emma tells us exclusively. "Your perfume will diffuse from where it is sprayed, so if you only spray on your wrists, you will only smell it on your wrists." Emma admits that she prefers to spray her fragrance on her chest so it hits both her clothing and her skin. "Your skin helps the fragrance develop, and the matrix of fabric is extremely efficient at holding onto fragrance and helping it last longer," she explains.

The other popular method of perfume spraying is to spritz it into the air and walk through it, which Emma also approves of. While both techniques can work, their efficacy tends to come down to the specific perfume you're using, with brands that tend to be more potent lending themselves toward less intense "walk-through application." One notable brand that Emma believes shouldn't be sprayed straight onto the skin is Mugler. However, with brands that produce fragrances that are less concentrated, light, and natural, such as Jo Malone London, "it would be better to spray closer to the body so that your fragrance does not get lost in the air," according to Emma.

Aside from matching your spraying technique to your fragrance brand, you can also make your perfume last longer by moisturizing your skin first. "I like the Lubriderm unscented body lotion, also DedCool Milk Hand + Body Lotion is a nice neutral scent for layering," Emma exclusively tells Glam. However, it's crucial to apply your lotion before your perfume rather than afterward. "You always want to do lotion first!" Emma warns.

In addition to moisturizing, Emma recommends spraying your fragrance on your clothing to make it last longer, particularly if you're wearing a less intense perfume. "If your perfume is on the lighter side, there is an 'overspraying' technique you can do, where you spray just a little more than you would regularly do, so that your fragrance lasts longer and weakens to the perfect amount when you are out at special events, etc.," Emma explains. The only thing to be careful of when it comes to spraying your clothing is ensuring the fragrance you're using doesn't have dark-colored ingredients (like vanilla), and isn't colored itself. If it is, it may stain your white clothes.