Best Places to Spray Perfume | 99Perfume
Best Places to Spray Perfume
Danielle Keating
99Perfume.com
March 16th, 2019
Perfume has been around for centuries, and the more humanity uses it, the more tips they discover on how to get the most out of each drop. Various fashion magazines and expert perfumers find that spraying fragrance on pulse points of the body allows the fragrance to smell stronger and last throughout the day. Although most of the information is directed toward female readers, men are also welcome to use the following fragrance application advice. Male or female, the result will be different based on many variables, such as body chemistry, the method of application, surroundings, and how much fragrance used. Despite the lack of similar results perfume use can have, research shows that spraying perfume and cologne on the back of the knees, the center of the chest, wrists, inside of the elbows, and hair has the best and longest lasting outcome.
The effectiveness and overall smell of any fragrance is dependent upon the user’s environment, their body's reaction, and especially temperature. A general, but famous guideline is Coco Chanel’s famous line of “spray wherever you want to be kissed.” Despite kissing’s association with the mouth, no perfume should ever be sprayed into the mouth and should be kept out of the eyes as well. Chanel’s marketing slogan encompasses a plethora of body parts, none of which are the lips. The best places to spray perfumes are “pulse points” and areas where heat concentration is the highest.[1] Pulse points are all across the upper and lower body. Another prime fragrance site was hair.
When using perfume, many do not think to go lower than the wrists, but this common practice is not allowing users to maximize their perfume use. Cosmopolitan (also called Cosmo) says to apply perfume in the middle of the legs because it is a warm part of the body. The heat will reactivate the fragrance, making it last longer. After the scent is once more released, it goes up and toward the nostrils.[2] The reason for the back of the knees being so warm and therefore an ideal location for wearing fragrances is because the blood flow is closer to the skin than in most areas of the body, which is true for many other ideal perfume and cologne spots.[3]
Cosmopolitan also advises readers to use fragrance on the chest area, specifically between the breasts. Cosmopolitan states using perfume on the chest is “sensual,” but it is also practical due to the possible pheromone production in the breast area[4].
The Merriam-Webster medical definition of a pheromone, which is also called an ectohormone, is “a chemical substance that is produced by an animal and serves especially as a stimulus to other individuals of the same species for one or more behavioral responses.”[5] Pheromones release a scent, which may impact the fragrance. Although it is still questionable of whether or not humans release pheromones, a 1970 article from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) says that if people did release pheromones, it would be through the areolas. The closest humanity has shown to a pheromone was the “breast odor” found in nursing mothers. The scent attracted newborns and encouraged bonding.[6] While the natural scent is released, the applied one can be strengthened.
The wrists are a more well-known pulse point, and blood flow is close to the skin, as evidenced in the visible veins in the area. Many perfume users will default to the wrists when using the product, but they will also default to a less effective form of applying: rubbing the wrists against one another.
Perfume.org along with many other perfume and cologne experts recommend not to rub perfumed wrists together because the mixture is “made to cycle through its top, middle, and base notes” and that the friction forces the perfume or cologne into the epidermis’ chemicals, “ which can affect the natural perfume cycle.” The best way to apply perfume is to spray it and then let it dry while on the skin. Do not touch it once it reaches the epidermis.[7] Leave clothing off the affected area as well.
Cosmopolitan recommends the inside of the elbows, and so does Vogue. The article advocating for this placement has advice from expert perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. He helped develop the famous perfume, Christian Dior Eau Noire.[8] Kurkdijan’s reason for his suggestion of spraying in the elbows was the same as the wrists. The inner elbow is also an ideal place for perfume and cologne, as it is yet another pressure point. It is easy to see veins from here too, which indicates blood flow near the skin. Like the wrists, cleavage, and back of the knees, the heat on this body part will trigger a re-release of the body spray.
Perfume Society also suggests spraying fragrance into the hair because it lasts longer than on the skin. Also, when the hair moves it releases the scent.[9] However, there is some controversy behind using perfume in hair.
Many men’s and women’s fragrances are alcohol-based, which dries out the hair. If using alcohol-based perfume, it is best to apply it conservatively and at a distance. The distance will make the perfume a mist and not a blast of alcohol. Alcohol is still drying, and those worried about its effects can opt for an alcohol-free perfume. Some companies that make alcohol-free products include Pacifica, Christy Organics, Kenneth Cole, and Burberry. As if these brands did not provide enough harmless options, there are still other products to add fragrance to the hair.
Having nice-smelling hair is easy, considering the abundance of scented shampoo and conditioner. However, since many people do not wash their hair every day, having freshly washed hair that still smells of shampoo and conditioner is not always an option. A way to perfume the hair while keeping it from drying is to use a non-alcoholic detangler or natural leave-in conditioner. Dry shampoo is not recommending for keeping hair moisture, for it dries up the oil naturally in hair. Some natural detangler brands are Thayers, SheaMoisture, and Carol’s Daughter. The degree of effectiveness for each fragrance depends on what part of the body the user sprays it on along with other products and methods used with it.
Cosmopolitan said to spray perfume on the skin, but they mention in another article that spraying it on clothing helps it last longer. To ensure the longevity, they advised readers to spray tissue paper and line their drawers with the scented paper, which will make the clothes smell like their fragrance of choice.[10] Lucky for users, clothing is not the only item that will extend each use of a fragrance.
Daily Vanity also has tips for perfume users. One of their articles says to apply Vaseline on the pulse points to lock in the fragrance. Vaseline especially works for alcohol-based products. The reason Vaseline works well with fragrances is because it moisturizes the skin, which aids in the absorption of the body mists. The best products for moisturizing and perfume application are unscented because the added scent may mix poorly with the perfume.[11] However, exercise caution when using any perfume. Alcohol-based perfume can dry out buyers' hair, but perfumes dark in color may accidentally dye the sprayed area. Perfume Society advises people using colored perfumes to test the product on a tissue before spritzing it into the hair .[12]
Resources
"Applying Perfume the Right Way." Perfume.org. Accessed March 11, 2019. http://perfume.org/all-about-perfume/Applying-perfume-the-right-way.
Brennan, Peter A. "Pheromones and Mammalian Behavior." The Neurobiology of Olfaction. January 01, 1970. Accessed March 11, 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK55973/.
Cardellino, C. (2017, October 05). 8 Spots to Spray Perfume That Will Draw Him Near. Retrieved March 11, 2019, from https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/how-to/g3024/places-to-spray-fragrance-on-your-body/?slide=8
"FAQs." The Perfume Society. Accessed March 24, 2019. https://perfumesociety.org/discover-perfume/an-introduction/faq/.
Molvar, Kari. "5 Mistakes Most Women Make When Wearing Perfume-And How to Fix Them." Vogue. December 10, 2018. Accessed March 12, 2019. https://www.vogue.com/article/how-to-buy-wear-store-perfume-best-fragrance-application-tips.
"Pheromone." Merriam-Webster. Accessed March 11, 2019. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pheromone#other-words.
Shunatona, B. (2018, November 05). 19 Fragrance Hacks to Make You Smell Amazing All the Time. Retrieved March 13, 2019, from https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/a34783/fragrance-hacks/
Nightingale, Suzy. "These 5 Tricks Help Your Fragrance Last Longer..." The Perfume Society. September 28, 2017. Accessed March 15, 2019. https://perfumesociety.org/make-perfume-last-longer/.
Teo, Huey Yun. "12 Perfume Hacks That Will Help You Get the Most out of Your Favourite Expensive Fragrances." Daily Vanity. October 15, 2017. Accessed March 15, 2019. https://dailyvanity.sg/beauty-tips/perfume-hacks/.
[1] "FAQs," The Perfume Society. Accessed March 24, 2019, https://perfumesociety.org/discover-perfume/an-introduction/faq/.
[2] Cardellino, Carly. "8 Spots to Spray Perfume That Will Draw Him Near." Cosmopolitan. October 05, 2017. Accessed March 11, 2019. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/how-to/g3024/places-to-spray-fragrance-on-your-body/?slide=8.
[3] "FAQs," The Perfume Society.
[4] Cardellino, Carly. "8 Spots to Spray Perfume That Will Draw Him Near."
[5] "Pheromone." Merriam-Webster. Accessed March 11, 2019. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pheromone#other-words.
[6] Brennan, Peter A. "Pheromones and Mammalian Behavior." The Neurobiology of Olfaction. January 01, 1970. Accessed March 11, 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK55973/.
[7] "Applying Perfume the Right Way." Perfume.org. Accessed March 11, 2019. http://perfume.org/all-about-perfume/Applying-perfume-the-right-way.
[8] Molvar, Kari. "5 Mistakes Most Women Make When Wearing Perfume-And How to Fix Them." Vogue. December 10, 2018. Accessed March 12, 2019. https://www.vogue.com/article/how-to-buy-wear-store-perfume-best-fragrance-application-tips.
[9] "FAQs," The Perfume Society.
[10] Molvar, Kari. "5 Mistakes Most Women Make When Wearing Perfume-And How to Fix Them." Vogue. December 10, 2018. Accessed March 12, 2019. https://www.vogue.com/article/how-to-buy-wear-store-perfume-best-fragrance-application-tips.
[11] Teo, Huey Yun. "12 Perfume Hacks That Will Help You Get the Most out of Your Favourite Expensive Fragrances." Daily Vanity. October 15, 2017. Accessed March 15, 2019. https://dailyvanity.sg/beauty-tips/perfume-hacks/.
[12] Nightingale, Suzy. "These 5 Tricks Help Your Fragrance Last Longer..." The Perfume Society. September 28, 2017. Accessed March 15, 2019. https://perfumesociety.org/make-perfume-last-longer/.