Perfume makes you unique. How do you choose a perfume according to your skin type, the weather or how you feel?

I'm sure that more than once you've smelled your favourite perfume on someone else and it smells different. This happens because the ingredients of the fragrance interact with our skin and the odour molecules react, generating a different smell on each person. This is why perfume makes you unique and special. "Perfume is the complement that cannot be seen and that must go with us, with our personality and our way of being", in the words of perfumer Gregorio Sola, Lifestyle Brands Perfumer at Puig.

Our skin influences how we perceive perfume:


Oily skin

If you have oily skin, perfume tends to last longer, because it binds better.


In this case, lighter and fresher perfumes, as well as citrus and aquatic fragrances, will be perceived more on the skin.


Dry skin

Dry skin has less fragrance fixation, so the fragrance dissipates faster.



If this is your case, and you want to feel the scent's trail for hours, opt for more concentrated scents. Amber, woody and gourmand fragrances are often an excellent choice for this skin type. You can also apply moisturiser before spraying perfume. This way, you will increase its hold.


Gregorio Sola explains that even perspiration and the type of food you eat (for example, if you consume a lot of spices) can influence the perfume. However, "nowadays, perfumes are designed to be good on all skin types," he reveals.

Think about the season of the year when you are going to use the perfume and what occasions you are going to wear it for. Fresh fragrances are perfect for warmer climates, while more intense fragrances are best enjoyed when temperatures drop and more complex scents are desired.


Summer

Fresh fragrances with soft, citrus or aquatic notes are ideal for summer because they convey a pleasant feeling of freshness and cleanliness.


Keep in mind that high temperatures favour the evaporation of fragrances.


Winter

When temperatures are low, it is advisable to use more concentrated and comforting scents that convey warm sensations.


Cold weather favours the permanence of the fragrance on the skin, so we can enjoy richer, multi-faceted perfumes to the full.

One detail that often goes unnoticed is the state of mind we have when we smell a perfume. For example, perfumers work as a team when assessing the nuances and facets of a fragrance, as decision-making can be affected by this, explains Sola.


"A perfume is like a diamond with many facets and each of us 'enters' through a different sparkle. On the same perfume, I can focus on the fruity note and another person on the citrus or jasmine note", reveals the perfumer.


This has a scientific explanation, as Laura López Mascaraque, a CSIC researcher specialising in the sense of smell, points out, since "olfactory stimuli can affect the mood, causing anxiety, sadness or happiness". For this reason, perfume brands are researching neurological responses to smells in order to develop scents that help us feel better. Thus, lavender and neroli help us relax, and vanilla is generally associated with happy moments, as it is a common ingredient in desserts. Citrus, menthol notes and spices reactivate our energy and convey vitality and strength.

Normally, we usually test the perfume for the first time on a blotting paper or mouilette. This is the most common way to do a perfume tasting. But if you find the scent interesting and think you might like it, we recommend that you try the perfume on your skin before you buy it.


Apply a small amount to your wrist or the crook of your elbow and wait a few minutes to allow the fragrance to develop on your skin. You will then be able to see how it evolves.


After applying the perfume, it is advisable to wait a few hours to feel how the fragrance evolves. The top notes are the ones that are perceived immediately after application. Then come the heart notes. And finally, the base notes. Make sure you like all the stages of the fragrance on your skin before you go for it.

"My recommendation is to experience the perfume, wear it and see how it evolves. Try, at most, two perfumes, one on each arm, and evaluate the impressions you feel when you apply it and during its evolution. It should be like a symphony with its opening, development and ending", advises Sola.


The perfumer points out that a perfume is not better because it is more diffusive or attracts more attention. "There are people who prefer more intimate perfumes, close to their skin and that only the one who is very close to them can smell. On the other hand, there are also those who wear a perfume that can be seen from ten metres away," he points out.