Climate, the long-term conditions of the atmosphere for a certain region, is typically something we cannot control. At the mercy of the elements, perfume lovers will know that climate can be a key factor to consider when selecting perfumes as it can significantly affect how their favorite scents perform. Whether you live in a hot, humid region or a cold, dry area, your environmental conditions can influence how long a fragrance lasts on your skin and how far it projects. Living in the ever-hot and humid Singapore, it is even more important for us to consider which perfumes are best to keep in our daily rotations and which are simply ill-suited for our climate. Understanding these effects and knowing how to adapt your perfume use can ensure that your scent remains pleasant and captivating throughout the day. In this article, we will explore the impact of climate on perfume longevity and sillage and provide tips on how to enhance your fragrance performance in various conditions.
Understanding Longevity, Sillage, and Projection
Longevity: This refers to the duration a perfume lasts on your skin. A fragrance with good longevity will remain noticeable for several hours after application.
Sillage : Pronounced see-yazh, the word comes from the French word for "wake” and refers to the trail of scent left behind by the wearer. Perfumes with strong sillage can be detected by others from a distance, even after the wearer has left the space.
Projection: It refers to the distance a fragrance radiates from the wearer. While sillage describes the scent trail, projection measures how far the scent travels from its source.
*For a more in-depth explanation, check out our article on the importance of longevity, sillage, and projection, and how they are influenced by fixatives.
How Climate Affects Perfume Longevity, Sillage, and Projection
Different climates can affect these 3 factors in numerous ways.
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High Temperatures
Hotter climates increase our propensity to sweat and raise basal body temperature. The external heat and raised basal body temperature accelerate the evaporation of perfume molecules, which can shorten the longevity of the fragrance. However, increased evaporation also means that there will be a stronger projection and increased diffusion of the fragrance molecules over a wider area, potentially increasing sillage. Fragrances may also react differently with sweat, causing the overall scent to change. -
Low Temperatures
In cooler climates, the opposite is true as the perfume molecules will evaporate more slowly, thus enhancing longevity. However, the scent may not travel as far in colder air, resulting in reduced sillage and less projection. -
High Humidity
Humid conditions can help lock the fragrance into the skin's moisture, potentially enhancing longevity. Higher humidity levels can also allow the lighter top notes to bloom, giving your fragrance a different character. However, higher humidity also results in increased sweating, which as mentioned earlier, fragrances may react differently with sweat, causing the overall scent to change. -
Low Humidity
In dry climates, the lack of moisture will cause the skin to dry out, and dry skin does not hold onto fragrance oils as well as moist skin. Thus this can cause the fragrance to evaporate quickly, reducing longevity. Moreover, in dry conditions, the base notes might be emphasized more
Tips to Improve Perfume Performance in Different Climates
So, what now? We can’t control the weather, so we can only adapt our fragrances to the environment. Here are some of the things you can consider depending on your region’s climate.
For Hotter, Humid Climates
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Choose perfumes with higher concentrations and fresher scents
When temperatures are high, light, fresh fragrances with citrus, aquatic, or green notes are also favored over heavier, warm, and ambery notes like vanilla and benzoin in high heat conditions as these won't become overpowering or heavily cloying with the increased rates of evaporation. With lighter scents, you can opt for Eau de Parfum or Parfum over Eau de Toilette, as higher concentrations of fragrance oils (between 15-20%) make the scent stronger and have more fragrance molecules to evaporate, thus allowing it to to last longer in the heat. Suppose you find yourself more inclined to heavy denser fragrances. In that case, it may be better to opt for the less strong Eau de Toilette or Eau de Parfum over extraits, as these have higher concentrations of fragrance oils (greater than 20%) and thus could easily become overwhelming and heavy when amplified from the increased rate of evaporation. -
Apply to your Clothes or Hair
While applying to pulse points such as the wrist and neck is always a fan favorite, if you wish for your fragrance to last longer in the heat, lightly applying your favorite fragrance to fabrics allows them to absorb and be released more gradually than if they were on your skin. Alternatively, you could also apply the fragrance to your hair for the gradual release of fragrances throughout the day. Moreover, this avoids the issue of the fragrance interacting with sweat, causing the scent to change -
Apply Sparingly
A little goes a long way in humid conditions. Apply sparingly at any one time to avoid an overwhelming sillage. -
Layer Your Fragrance
You could use matching scented lotions or oils to create a base layer that helps the fragrance adhere to the skin and last longer. Layering with multiple perfumes, products (e.g. scented body soaps and lotions), and or application techniques (applying to both the clothes and pulse points) could also help your fragrance develop throughout the day and improve its overall longevity. -
Travel-sized Bottles
Carrying a travel-sized version of your favorite perfume in your bag allows for easy touch-ups throughout the day even if it completely evaporates after a few hours. A quick spritz can instantly refresh your scent, and you never have to worry about the scent disappearing midday. Our Scent Journer perfumes are offered in a travel-friendly size of 10ml, packaged in a sturdy yet sleek glass bottle that is safe and convenient to bring around for easy reapplications to keep you smelling fresh!
For Cool and Dry Climates
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Use Warmer Scents
Choose fragrances with rich, warm notes such as amber, vanilla, and spices, which can cut through the cold and last longer. -
Apply to Warm Areas
Apply perfume to areas where the body generates more heat, such as the chest and major pulse points such as the wrists and inner elbows, to enhance diffusion. -
Moisturize Your Skin
Apply an unscented moisturizer before applying perfume to help lock in the scent and improve longevity. -
Opt for Stronger Concentrations
Eau de Parfum or Parfum are favored over Eau de Toilette in cold weather, as these have higher concentrations of fragrance oils and thus will produce a stronger scent as more fragrance molecules can evaporate.
Conclusion
Climate plays a significant role in how perfumes perform, affecting both longevity, sillage, and projection. By understanding the impact of temperature and humidity on your fragrance, you can choose the right scents and application techniques to ensure your perfume remains effective and captivating come rain or shine. Whether you're battling the heat, embracing the cold, or navigating dry or humid conditions, these tips can help you enhance your fragrance experience and make your scent last longer.
Tailored to Singapore Weather
Singapore’s hot and muggy climate year-round makes it hard for perfumes to thrive, especially those designed with the cold harsh winters found elsewhere in mind. Unlike them and fully based in Singapore, our Scent Journer perfumes are designed to thrive in Singapore's hot and humid weather and are crafted with a focus on freshness, longevity, and resilience. Our perfumes are only offered at EDP concentrations (15-20%) as by incorporating higher concentrations of fragrance oils, we can ensure that it doesn't evaporate too quickly in the heat. We also will not offer oil-based perfumes like Attar or extremely high concentrations of perfume oils like extraits as those would be too dense and heavy for Singapore’s heat and humidity.
Our perfumes are crafted to be light with a perfect balance between the top, middle, and base notes such that our perfumes still have depth (referring to the complexity and scent evolution of the fragrance over time). It is important to note that depth and heaviness are two different aspects of a fragrance as heaviness in a perfume refers to its intensity and the weight of its scent. A heavy fragrance is typically strong, bold, and persistent, often characterized by dense, rich notes. Heavy fragrances can also be overwhelming if not balanced properly. Some heavy fragrance woods include amber, musk, and oud. Thus our Scent Journer fragrances use these ingredients in moderation as well as limiting overly sweet scents as these might become overpowering. Hence, with this understanding, it is possible for a perfume to be light and also have depth. In our Scent Journer fragrances, this is always at the front of our mind and ultimately what we aim to achieve with our perfumes such that they perform at their best even in Singapore’s heat.
With each spritz of Scent Journer’s perfume being a moment of indulgence and mindfulness, enjoy our perfumes knowing that our carefully crafted scents are made to endure and shine in the tropical heat. If you are interested in exploring our fragrance collection, check out our lineup of perfumes today!
