“After a shower, your clean pores will open in the steam, making it the perfect time to apply your perfume,” says Vince Spinnato, a celebrity fragrance developer, “certified nose,” and CEO of TurnKey Beauty Ltd. “However, don’t apply the perfume while your skin is still wet as it will only rub off when you dry yourself.” “Dry skin will not hold on to your fragrance as long as moisturized skin will, so moisturize, moisturize, moisturize,” says Cordelia Smith, fragrance expert and founder of Formulary 55. “Fragrances will ‘stick’ to moisturized skin longer, and you will smell the scent throughout the day.” For best results, shower, pat dry, then moisturize before spritzing. “The fragrance will permeate your strands and last throughout the day,” says Spinnato. There are even hair fragrances and mists you can shop, which are usually slightly less concentrated and formulated with additional oils to nourish hair. That said, there are some ways you can prolong your fragrance’s shelf life. “Although your perfume collection makes a lovely #shelfie in your bathroom, this is really the last place you want to store your fragrances,” says Smith. “Light and humidity will alter the scents of your perfumes. Keep your perfume bottles somewhere cool and dark.” Smith provided us with a helpful cheat sheet:
Extract/extrait/solid perfume: 20 percent to 30 percentPerfume: 15 percent to 25 percentEau de Parfum (EDP): 8 percent to 15 percentEau de Toilette (EDT): 4 percent to 8 percentCologne (EDC): 2 percent to 4 percentBody cream/lotion: 3 percent to 4 percentAfter Shave/Splash: 2 percent to 4 percent
