7 Tips to Make Your Perfume Last Longer

Smelling good is an art form, and the trick to smelling good is not just about your perfume, but your entire body care routine. If you’re someone who feels like their perfume fades quickly or doesn’t last throughout the day, it may very well be the body wash and body lotion that you use. That’s right, how moisturized your body is or the lotion you use can help your perfume last longer — or fade faster if it’s not the right one. 

Take notes as we share how to get your perfume to last longer with your body care routine so you can smell like a decadent treat all day long.  

7 Ways to Make Your Perfume Last Longer With Body Care

You have a skin care routine, a makeup routine, a hair care routine, and a body care routine, so might as well make some room for a perfume routine. Here are seven tips you can easily implement to help your perfume last longer. 

1. Cleanse and Moisturize With Unscented Body Wash and Body Lotion 

If your perfume is competing with different scents from your body wash and body lotion, that may be why you feel like your perfume doesn’t last because you’re smelling a myriad of scents. 

Go for scentless formulas so your perfume doesn’t have to compete. A fragrance-free, hydrating body cream is a great canvas for perfume because fragrance holds on to moisturized skin better than dry, dehydrated skin. 

2. Or, Use Body Wash and Body Lotion With Scents That Match Your Perfume

If you’re using an eau de toilette or perfume that doesn’t have the greatest lasting power, layer it with scented body wash and body lotion. You can either use the body wash and body moisturizer from the same brand as your perfume, or you can look for similar scented products. If your perfume of choice is a vanilla, gourmand type of scent, then use vanilla-scented body wash and body lotion. 

Editor’s tip: Consider the type of perfume you’re using and the formula. Extraits, oils and eau de parfums last longer because the formulas have a higher concentration of fragrance, whereas eau de toilettes and body mists don’t last as long due to the lower concentrations.

3. Apply Perfume to Your Pressure Points and Don’t Rub In

Misting a cloud of perfume into the air and walking into it, or applying perfume to your wrists and rubbing them together is not the way to do it. Applying perfume into the air wastes your precious (not to mention expensive!) fragrance, while rubbing your wrists together, breaks down the perfume, causing the scent trail to fade faster. Keep things simple and spritz your perfume onto the intended areas and don’t rub it in.

4. Apply Perfume to Your Pulse Points

Perfume reacts well with heat, which means applying perfume to your pulse points (which emanate heat) can help the scent to release throughout the day. The pulse points include the insides of your wrists, your neck, inner elbows and the backs of the knees. 

5. Apply Petroleum Jelly Before Spritzing on Perfume

Petroleum jelly is as versatile and multi-use as a skin care ingredient can get. Applying a layer of petroleum jelly on the pressure points before applying perfume not only adds moisture but helps to lock the scent in, making it last longer. 

6. Use a Hair Perfume or Try Mixing Perfume Oil With Your Hair Oil

Perfumes contain drying alcohol which is why they aren’t supposed to be applied to your hair. If you want your hair to smell good (and last), consider spraying your perfume in your hair. Look for a scented hair mist that’s formulated specifically for your strands. 

If you use perfume oil, you can add a drop or two to your hair oil before rubbing it through your length. Use a lightly fragranced oil, like the L’Oréal Paris Everpure Sulfate Free Simply Clean Sheer Oil with your perfume oil to enhance the scent profile.

7. Invest in a Travel-Sized Scent

This seems simple enough but, if you really want to smell your perfume all day long, invest in a travel-sized option and reapply throughout the day. Remember, focus the perfume on your skin, not your clothes and one spritz is more than enough because you just want to refresh your fragrance, not swim in it. 

Next: Skip the Splurge With These Makeup, Hair and Skin Care Dupes From the Drugstore

Photographer: Chaunte Vaughn, Art Director: Hannah Packer, Associate Creative Producer: Becca Solovay, Production Assistant: Jason Parigian, Digital Tech: Sam Kang, Photo Assistant: Hannah Lewis-Lopes, Makeup Artist: Jonet Williamson, Hair Stylist: Akihisa Yamaguchi, Wardrobe Stylist: Melina Kemph, Wardrobe Assistant: Kayla Martinez, Prop Stylist: Katrina Rozeville, Prop Assistant: Zach Molina, Model: Avery McMahon