11 Expert-Backed Tips To Make Your Perfume Last All Day Long

It's a small price to pay for safer fragrance but, still, a bummer nonetheless. However! A few handy tricks can help your clean perfume last longer; it just may take some more time to get the most out of the juice. And honestly? Slowing down to connect with your fragrance only adds to the transformative experience—so we'd consider it a total win. 

Cat Chen, founder of clean fragrance brand Skylar, explains further: "All your pulse points are like little radiators," she tells mbg. "The warmth helps to diffuse the fragrance." 

If you would like to blend two fragrances together—or would like to blot away some of the juice—try tapping your wrists together instead of creating friction. You can also dab your wrist up your arm, onto your neck, or anywhere you'd like to deposit some scent without messing with its longevity. 

Chen also recommends using fragrance in an intention-setting practice: "You can get ready for the day by putting fragrance at your heart, which is linked to how you feel," she explains. Then whenever you catch a whiff of that fragrance from your heart's center, you'll be subtly reminded of those intentions. 

Of course, you don't want to spritz on a perfume while your skin is sopping wet. Johnston recommends patting dry, coating your body with a moisturizer to trap in all that hydration, then spritz a little fragrance. "You have this beautiful foundation of clean, hydrated skin," she says. 

Hydrated skin is important for a number of reasons, but in case you needed one more reason to baby your skin barrier: "Hydrated, moisturized skin is really going to hold fragrance a lot longer," says Johnston. 

Now, let's say you're partial to an evening rinse but want your morning fragrance to last all day long; you don't have to hop in the shower to help enhance your perfume. "A body oil, body lotion, or balm to hydrate will also help hold the fragrance longer as well," says Chen. Just apply your product of choice to the areas you want to spritz (or all over your body, while you're at it), and the splash of moisture should help the perfume leave a stronger trace. 

You can also layer your perfumes, if you choose: "When different scent notes hit together, then you have an even more robust collection of top, middle, and bottom notes. That definitely helps to make the fragrance last," Chen says. (Although, she recommends layering no more than three perfumes, or else they'll start to smell very similar.)

When using eau de parfum, Johnston typically sprays her clothes, not her skin. "It will hold longer on the fabric than it will on your skin," she notes, as your sweat and natural oils can accumulate throughout the day and make the scent wear off. Ever thrown on a sweater to discover it still smells like last week's perfume, or borrowed a loved one's scarf and notice how it carries their signature scent? Fabrics hold on to fragrance—and the memories tied to it. 

Chances are you've seen one of the two slapped on perfume labels: ​​eau de toilette and eau de parfum (sometimes written as EDT and EDP). EDPs have a higher concentration of fragrance oil (around 25%), which makes them typically stronger and longer-lasting. EDTs, on the other hand, are often beloved for a lighter, airier application, with about 15% of fragrance oil. See here for our full breakdown and which you should choose. 

Perfume oils also typically contain carriers like jojoba or coconut oil, which hydrate the skin simultaneously—and hydrated skin, as we mentioned, can help a fragrance last. Finally, they're easy to throw into your bag for touch-ups later on, if you notice the scent starting to drift off. 

Says Chen, you might want to look for gourmand fragrances (which include "edible" notes like honey, vanilla, chocolate, etc.), as these last an "incredibly long amount of time." Check out our full notes hierarchy guide, if you're curious. 

See here for more tips on how to keep your fragrance fresh and how to know when it's time to replace it.  

Experts have a ton of smart tricks to make your fragrance last longer; it's all about knowing your notes, scent profiles, and layering techniques. When all else fails, just know that you're probably more used to your signature scent than others: "Other people are not surrounded by your fragrance, so they can smell it much stronger than you can," says Johnston. So don't douse yourself in the juice just to give it some staying power. Want more tips on perfume application? Here's our guide to applying perfume.