How & Where To Properly Apply Perfume For Best Performance

A fragrance or a perfume is one of those things that has always been a mystery because there are so many experts that say so many different things about how to apply them. Some say don’t rub it in, others say it’s fine, thirds say don’t use it on the neck… So you end up asking how to apply perfume all the time?

We’re going to teach you exactly how to apply perfume or fragrance to get the best results and to enjoy the scent for hours to come in this blog post!

There are a million ways that you can do this, but I have personally tested a million ways to do it, and these are the best for sure.

Using Perfume Properly Is One Of The Most Important Steps In The Process

The most important thing that you need to do is follow each of these steps, because only by doing this will you be able to get the most out of your perfume.

It is true that there is a great deal of misinformation out there when it comes to steps, but there is also a great deal of information that is not revealed by experts. In order to ensure that perfume is properly applied, here is how to do it:

Take a shower with hot water first before taking a bath

It is always recommended to apply perfume or fragrance to clean skin before applying the product.

Some people don’t feel the need to take a shower if they don’t smell bad by themselves. Is that wrong?

In any case, your skin breathes just like you do, but it also sweats, collects dust from the air, fights microbes, and disposes of dead skin cells. You just took a shower hours ago, and all of this happens in just a few hours.

You may be able to apply perfume without showering, but you will not achieve the best results.

Make sure you shower with hot water first. Allow the hot water to open up the pores on your skin after you have cleaned it.

When you apply fragrance to your skin, the skin will welcome it cleanly and it will absorb the perfume much better – so perfume will perform much better.

Fragrance should be applied to the appropriate areas

After your shower, apply the fragrance to your skin, but make sure to apply it to the appropriate areas.

As we discuss proper spots later, it’s very important to know that spraying the fragrance all over is not the right way because not all spots on our bodies are the same.

Maintain a distance of 4-6 inches between the sprayer and your skin when using the sprayer

Spray the perfume at a distance of 4-6 inches or 10-15 centimeters from the skin when spraying.

So you can cover a larger area of skin and the perfume will work much better since it’s not oversaturated on a single spot.

You won’t make a terrible mistake if you close the distance an inch or two, but I found that distancing the sprayer 4-6 inches (depending on the spot) works best.

It’s not a good idea to spray perfume from a distance greater than 6 inches because the perfume will go everywhere, and some of it will even fall.

Keeping it between 4 and 6 inches will give you the best results!

Each spot should be sprayed once

Don’t overapply perfume when selecting where to spray it, as you don’t want to overdo it.

When you spray multiple times on one spot, the fragrance will not open properly and will not perform as expected.

Some perfumers say you can easily overapply some fragrances, and it’s true – when you overapply a fragrance, it usually doesn’t smell the same.

Make sure you spray only one spot at a time because less is more!

You don’t want to rub it in!

Putting perfume on your skin shouldn’t be rubbed in – it’s a myth.

Most people spray the fragrance on their wrist and rub it with the other wrist, which is totally wrong.

When you rub a fragrance on your skin, you’re actually bruising the fragrance – top notes are always the most delicate, and rubbing the fragrance will mess them up.

It doesn’t need to be rubbed in. Wait a minute or two for your skin to absorb the fragrance, and you’re good to go!

How Should Perfume Be Applied?

It’s not the same to apply fragrance to every spot on our bodies.

You’ve probably heard that you should apply perfume where your pulse is strongest, and that’s true.

These spots are the best because they are usually warmer than the rest of the body, which allows the perfume to last longer and work better.

The best places to apply perfume are:

Located behind the ear

You should spray one spray behind each ear since the pulse is extremely strong there, and the perfume will definitely perform well!

Additionally, the ear and hair protect this spot from the wind, so it is always warm.

There is no doubt that this is a mandatory spot when applying fragrance!

It’s on the neck behind the head

It’s nice to leave a scent trail behind you when you pass, isn’t it?

Put one spray on your neck behind your head if that’s the case.

Your scent will linger in the air after you pass and you’ll leave a beautiful scent trail.

Around the collarbone dips

That’s not what you hear all the time, is it?

Dips of the collar bone are the main place to apply fragrance, according to me.

Because it’s under your shirt, the perfume is protected from the wind, and the skin on that spot is always warm.

This is awesome because as you move your head you can smell it, and someone coming to greet you, kiss you, or whisper sweet nothing in your ear is right above the hotspot – they’ll most certainly enjoy it!

Last but not least – the advantage of spraying perfume right on the dips of the clavicle bone is that when you move your arms and head, the shirt moves on you and small airy puffs filled with the scent of the fragrance are constantly blowing out, which definitely increases the projection of the scent!

As a matter of fact, I learned this tip from a master perfumer, Roja Dove. Roja Dove once told me in an interview that he enjoys applying fragrance to areas that are not so usual. I like his philosophy as well as the fact that it works so well for him, but even more so I like the fact that it works so well for him!

This is an area that should definitely be covered!

In the wrist area

One that you’ve heard multiple times and is 100% true – spraying a fragrance on your wrists is definitely a good idea!

There is usually a strong pulse at the wrists, so the skin is thin and warm.

When you wear perfume on your wrist, the scent is more likely to be projected because as you move your hands and talk, the scent comes to life, making the perfume more likely to be detected by the person you are talking to.

Remember not to rub it – you can gently touch your wrists after applying the perfume, but you do not need to rub them.

Spray one spray on each wrist, wait a minute or two, and you’re ready to go!

Place your hands behind your knees

That wasn’t what you expected, was it?

The best place to apply perfume is behind your knees, especially if you are wearing a dress.

While this advice is mostly for women, men can also apply it behind the knees if they’re wearing shorts.

It is usually warm behind the knees, and when you are sitting in a cocktail bar or restaurant, the scent will definitely project further, so whoever sits opposite you will definitely enjoy the aroma!

Feel free to try it out and let me know how it works for you!

What are the places where perfume should not be applied?

I’m pretty sure you’ve already done this in the past, but there are definitely places where you shouldn’t apply perfume or fragrance.

It’s fine, just avoid spraying these spots in the future, since they don’t work.

Perfume shouldn’t be applied to the following areas:

In the neck

Your neck should never be exposed to fragrance!

In spite of the fact that the neck is always warm and has a lot of blood vessels, perfume should not be applied there.

Most fragrances and perfumes contain over 50% alcohol in their formulations, and alcohol is astringent. However, our neck area isn’t really the most hydrated and moisturized area of our body, and those two things combined will definitely cause premature wrinkles.

Saying that, if you want to keep your neck young and beautiful and if you don’t want to risk beautiful moments ruined with gross taste in his/her mouth definitely avoid applying perfume on the neck!

It’s cleavage time

That’s usually where women make mistakes – no one really taught you how to apply perfume properly, did they?

Almost as bad as the neck is the cleavage area.

Because it doesn’t have natural hydration, the skin on that area is often dry, and it’s often exposed to the sun.

In addition to being an astringent, alcohol also dries the skin, so when that’s combined with thin skin, you get wrinkles fast.

I always tell women not to apply fragrance in the forbidden triangle because it does more harm than good.

For reference, here’s a picture of where women shouldn’t apply perfume:

Wearables

There are also many people who disagree with this, and I’ve seen a lot of popular influencers in the niche advising you to spray your shoulders and collars with the spray.

Is it really necessary to put fragrance on your clothes?

Your clothes shouldn’t be sprayed with any kind of fragrance or perfume, that’s a no-no.

Perfume lasts longer on the clothes than on the skin, which is why you should avoid applying it on the clothes. There’s only one counterargument for why you should and you’re hearing it from everyone who advises it.

Yes, that’s true, but it’s not the reason to wear it on clothes because:

1. When perfume is applied to clothes, it doesn’t open up because perfume is designed to interact with human skin, not fabric.
2. Especially if you wear cotton or silk clothes, it damages them. The alcohol in the fragrance doesn’t really like these things.
3. Because perfume also contains essential oils, you’ll end up with bright yellow stains on your clothes

There should be more than enough reasons for you to avoid applying perfume to your clothes.

The dry down is what every nose is looking for, not just top notes, and there are much better places to apply fragrance.

However, you should preserve your clothes and make use of some of the places listed above.

Perfume Wearing Tips: What Is The Best Way?

There is no doubt that the best way to wear a perfume is to shower with hot water, dry your skin off, and apply perfume on the mentioned spots.

You will obtain the maximum performance and longevity from your fragrance if you follow this guide and these rules.

Obviously, this isn’t the only way to wear it – I always advise you to experiment and see what works for you – these are just the guidelines I’ve discovered to work best over the years.

What is the recommended amount of perfume?

There’s no definite answer to these questions, but the general rule is to apply 3-5 sprays for optimal results – 2 behind your ears, 1 on your neck. Feel free to add two more sprays on your wrists or in dips of your collarbone if that’s not enough for you.

There’s no definite answer because it depends on so many things – perfume, skin type, gender, etc.

It’s always best to experiment and see what works for you, as that’s the best way to figure out how much perfume to use.

Is it better to put perfume on your skin or your clothes?

You’re better off putting perfume on your skin than on clothes, since the skin will allow the perfume to open up and dry down. As opposed to perfume on the skin, perfume on clothes won’t open and won’t smell the same.

Fragrance can’t open on clothes since it’s designed to interact with human skin, so don’t expect the same scent on clothes and skin.

As skin breathes and changes, so does perfume. Skin absorbs alcohol and handles it easily, while clothes are only damaged by alcohol.

We already talked about why you shouldn’t wear fragrance on clothes, so (to answer your question), it’s better to wear perfume on your body.

When Should You Apply Fragrance?

Generally, you can reapply fragrance or even use a different one as soon as the one you’re wearing becomes a skin scent and disappears.

First, I’d recommend taking a hot shower, since clean skin and open pores will help a new application work better.

Also, some fragrances, like Dior Sauvage, don’t need reapplication because they’re so potent and projection lasts for hours.

For example, if you have a bad performing fragrance that you absolutely adore, such as Acqua Di Gio, then you can feel free to reapply it every three to four hours since it evaporates pretty quickly from your skin.

In case you are applying another fragrance, make sure the old one has fully evaporated before applying the new one and make sure you are not overapplying it.

In order to make perfume not too strong, how do I apply it so that it does not overpower me?

The proper way to apply perfume so that it won’t be too strong will depend on the potency of the perfume, but in general speaking, the proper way to apply perfume so that it won’t be too strong is to spray it once behind each ear and that’s all it takes. If the sprayer on your perfume is very powerful, you can apply half of it if the sprayer is too strong.

Some people don’t like their perfume to be a projection beast and a sillage monster, they prefer to have something that’s private that only those who come close to them can smell, and that’s perfectly fine if you want something like that.

If you are one of those people, then you should definitely try to choose perfumes that are moderate when it comes to performance.

If you are looking for something that you can wear all year round, look for something with light notes that will probably suit you better, such as a spring or summer fragrance.