Why do I stop smelling my perfume, but still smell everyone else’s?

Perfumer Ramón Monegal explains it this way: "Smell exists because it transmits information. It's one of nature's great miracles." The nose works out of curiosity and, "when it becomes saturated, it switches off," he warns.

That's why, a new perfume always feels more intense at first. "If you wear the same perfume for a while, your sense of smell gets bored and you stop noticing it, while others still do. And even if you apply more, you still won't smell it," he explains. His advice is simple: rotate your perfumes to avoid habituation.

This can also happen when you try several perfumes in a row, a phenomenon closer to olfactory saturation. It feels the same as fatigue because the result is identical: we stop smelling clearly. His recommendation? Take a break and step outside. "Smelling coffee beans doesn't help at all, you need to air out your nose," he adds.

Perfume is part of the image we project today. Just as you change your makeup or clothes, your "olfactory image" can change too.

Perfumers train their noses for years to avoid olfactory fatigue, but you can start with these simple steps:

1. Use a mouillette (blotting strip) to observe how the fragrance evolves.
2. Inhale in short, gentle breaths rather than deep ones.
3. Rest between tests by ventilating the space or going outside (no coffee!).

Did you know that perfumers actually use olfactory fatigue to better detect the nuances that distinguish very similar fragrances? They saturate the nose with one scent, then smell another to identify subtle differences more clearly.

How to properly smell a mouillette:

1. Hold the strip a few centimeters from your nose (don't press it too close).
2. Smell it several times over a few minutes to follow its evolution.
3. Avoid touching the scented area.

Tip: Try no more than three to five perfumes at a time to prevent olfactory fatigue.