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Post by Val the Cookie Queen
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New Year´s Salutations APJ.
I saw the New Year in wearing Bandit EdP and Extrait together. An old fragrance but new to me. I received a large decant of the EdP as a gift and went straight out and bought the Extrait. Sometimes you just know. I have made two perfume related resolutions for the new year. Not to walk around with my nose glued to my wrist, as it totally distorts my impressions, being the first. The scent sticks in my nose cavity and that is useless. Second, I am not going to investigate note lists before trying anything new, which will mean walking round the Esxence in Milan with a blindfold on I expect. Just looking at a list stops me from trying so much. Not that I expect to like any more than I usually do, but you never know!
Scent Eating Skin: Fact or Fiction
Each time I come across the phrase “on my scent eating skin” I roll my eyes loudly. I have done absolutely no research on this subject matter, presuming it to be a myth; but a more serious interest wast triggered by a panic phone call from a dear perfumista (S) friend about a month ago. She had ordered and received a bottle of perfume that she had loved on me. Not exactly a blind by as she had spent the best part of a day continually sniffing my hand. As we perfume geeks do.
“Val, I generously sprayed this perfume on and in less than ten minutes it is GONE.” Dead. Deceased. Departed. Finished. Spent. Exhausted. It is no more. Bringing to mind Monty Python´s Dead Parrot Sketch. I quietly rolled my eyes, a little unsure at this point. “Perhaps there has been mistake at the production end?” she asked me. I doubted it but stranger things have happened.
Weird. I hopped on a train to Vienna to smell this thing for myself. It is always better to have a witness in a serious situation so we called in the help of another perfumista (M). The three of us sat comfortably around a table, ordered breakfast and cracked out the bottle in question. With intently serious faces, for this was a scientific analysis, S and I heftily spritzed. M remained on the sideline as an impartial judge.
Before breakfast arrived the perfume (an EdP by the way) on S had disintegrated. Disappeared. Time elapsed was probably around ten minutes. I got about 12 hours out of it. WTF? M was equally stunned. S told us that this was not the only fragrance that disappeared on her. I must admit over the years I have been gobsmacked at the amount of fragrance that S sprays not to even mention the fact that she FINISHES bottles, something I have never done. I should add here that I also generously dabbed S in a favorite extrait of mine (guess) and within 45 minutes it was also history. Perturbed.
I don´t think I own a perfume that gives me less than 12 hours of pleasure minimum. It has truly got me wondering. Are skins really that different? Is that why S smells a million dollars in Amouage and I do not?
There is a happy ending to the story. I received the aforemetioned ordered bottle for Christmas. 🙂
Dear readers of APJ, perhaps you could be kind enough to take time for a quick comment? Do you have an opinion on the scent eating skin theory. Do some skins just outright reject fragrances? Are S and I at opposite ends of the spectrum, both being extreme? It is no wonder that I am scared spitless of spraying something unknown onto my skin if I have to live with it for the next fortnight.
Wishing you all strength for 2016.
Keep on truckin’.
Bussis
CQ
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Hello Val.
I wish this were a myth. I love big, gutsy perfumes (guess who grew up in the 80s), including Ysatis (original) and Tendre Poison (my all time love, nothing can replace it). I am constantly searching for something that will hold on my skin, but I struggle. I do not buy niche (not yet anyway!) and I would be frightened to spend that much money when I cannot be sure that I can smell it after a couple of hours. I find that perfumes that are huge on other people disappear on me. I have heard some say that they think dry skin may be a factor? If anyone else has problems with disappearing perfumes but has found any that do stay with them, please post!
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Hi Sue. I am siure that it being niche as opposed to anything else has no bearing on longevity. It really is an interesting topic and I am sure some scientist could tell us more.
Surely a skin thing, and I wonder if it might have anything at all to do with diet? Many theories. Don´t buy anything without giving it a seriously good test run! Thanks for your input, I shall be following this topic with interest. Love, Val xxxxx
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Dear Cookie Queen, what a useful and amazing experiment! I am curious b.t.w. which perfume it was. I think I am lucky like you, perfume, even a notorious disappearing act one like 28 La Pausa, lasts for a day or more on my skin. I have dry skin though, so I always use bodylotion before spritzing, a more or less unscented one by Weleda. I put some bodylotion on my wrists as well, and nape of the neck and anywhere else I spritz. My pet untested theory is that except moisturizer, hormones also play a big role in how scent behaves on skin.
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I use lots of Vaseline Intensive Care Unscented. have done for most of the last twenty years. But I don´t know if that makes any difference rally. Although it does mean I have soft wrinkles. 🙂 La Pausa lasts hours on me too. The only perfume I can think of that has ever disappeared on me is Bel Respire. It evaporates before it hits me, although the sir smells divine! The perfume question was aroma M Geisha Noire. The oil lasts about 24 hours on me and the EdP, as I mentioned at least half a day. More if I am honest. I adore it. Hamamelis, good to see you! xxxx
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ACK! Yes, some scents absolutely disappear on my skin.
It’s a major bummer.
Portia xx
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One can only hope that you have enough other perfumes that don´t. xxx
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I would love to have perfume loving skin, but I don’t. My gorgeous daughter can keep her perfume on well into the following day. I envy her skin scent longevity. I wonder how it is possible for her when she is half me. Even when I use a body oil and fragrance layer, most scents are gone in a couple of hours, never to be smelled again. I love when I find a fragrance I really like that sticks to me. Black Opium, Bal D’Afrique and Versace Blonde are clear winners for me. I have very dry skin. I tried M/Mink by Byredo and it stuck with me like a literal bad smell. Like I imagine Peppi La Pew would smell. I was shocked that it stuck and horrified because I hated it so much. If only Gucci Rush had the same sticking power on me.
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THAT Melissa would be a great theme. Why do the horriblest perfumes stick to us like superglue? To infinity and beyond? Holy Cow – I had a couple of traumatizing experiences in Milan I can tell you. I am learning that skins really do react to perfumes in a variety of ways. Hugs. xxxx
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Nice post, Val. It definitely does seem to be the case that some, like poor S, suffer from scent eating skin while others like you have such robust skin that spraying is an all-day commitment. My own skin reacts to perfume in a pretty average way which is fine with me.
I have read about people whose skin amplifies or swallows sweetness too so skin chemistry, or whatever you want to call it, plays a part for sure.
Your resolutions are great. I think it’ll generally be more fun to try perfumes with an open mind although there’s so many out there you can’t be blamed for wanting to narrow down the field.
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Tara Dearest, I AM trying to open my mind, I really am. See you spoon! xxxxxxx
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uhm, soon*
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Thanks Val for the good laugh! Gotcha to stop rolling your eyes didn’t I?! Certain brands definitely work better than others and I am ok with that. I can just sniff your wrist and be happy. Xoxo
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Hi Sandra,. My eyes are now relatively stable. It was an absolute revelation and I am definitely a kinder, gentler person because of it. 😉 xxxxx
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Scent-eating skin: a fact. Yep. Please, no more eye rolls.
I am a believer in skin chemistry as well – and I know that if you took a sniff of (for example) DelRae Bois de Paradis on ME, you would be as well. On me, it smells like turpentine and maple syrup. Trust me on this one – I’m very familiar with turpentine, and that’s what it is. On the card, wonderful. On a friend, rich and deeply lovely. On me, jerk-your-head-back truly horrendous.
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My eyeballs are level. I will not roll them again, at least not in regard to this issue. I seriously learned my lesson. I look forward to sniffing turpentine on your skin one day, MUWS. Big hug from here. xxxxxx
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Had to tell you about today’s experience: one goodly spritz of Demeter Ginger Ale lasted eight minutes.
No lie, eight minutes. Called my kid over and said, “hey, do you smell anything here?”, pointing to the spritz spot. Nope. Nothing.
I know, it’s a Demeter and it has the half-life of a fruit fly, but still, that’s ridiculous. Hugs back!
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Scent-eating skin is a sad reality. It happens to me with most perfumes. Average longevity is 60-90 minutes and a few with exceptional performance last up to four hours. Never longer. No amount of moisturizing or layering seems to make a bit of difference. I consider it an opportunity to wear three or four scents in a day without overlap or conflict, but it is a real drag when it comes to expensive scents ( and what scents aren’t expensive these days?)
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Hi FJ. Gosh I had no idea how lucky I am. I wonder if it is anything to do with climate?
I did find that my perfume disappeared a quicker than normal when I was in LA. No, I don´t think moisturizing makes a difference, but what do I know? Nothing as is very clear from all the comments. Bussis xxxx
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Happy New Year Val!
No particular wisdom to share from my side! It sounds to me like your experiment proved the point that there is scent-eating skin.
I think I’m pretty much middle-of-the-pack, but I often wonder if my skin amplifies base notes or if my nose is just more sensitive to them. I generally don’t like ambers for that reason. Just last week I was inwardly shrieking no! this smells like benzoin! WHY does it just smell like benzoin?
Yesterday I sampled AG’s Grand Amour and I could barely smell it at all. I think that’s a first. I wasted some time wondering about it, reading up on the notes and blah blah blah. My cat liked it well enough.
I’ve read about the dry skin thingie, and if anyone wants to experiment, Neutrogena Body Oil (fragrance-free light sesame formula) is cheap and worth a shot. YMMV. There’s also the spritz on hair and/or clothes maneuver. There’s probably all kinds of science involved too, like hormones, skin density and pH, blood pressure and flow and quackety quack.
It really is fascinating to realize that we are each of us so unique that it’s quite possible that none of us experiences the same smell at all!
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Hello Holly. 🙂 Me neother- Ambers. Ugh. Geisha Noire is an exception as it is not a proper amber like thrones I dislike, if you know what I mean. I too inwardly shriek – but I though that was hormonal? hahahahahah. I am sure there is science involved but that is way too much for me. And I am sure you are right, we do all smell things a little differently. Fascinating huh? I love this fragrant world. xxxxxx
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Gosh. That will teach me to look up when I type.
neither*
thrones = the ones*
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Hi Val!
Almost everything lasts forever on me. There are a very few exceptions. The Different Company’s Tokyo Bloom is the most recent and most notable. The scent was gone almost as soon as it touched my skin. I’d never experienced anything quite like that before. It really WAS different! I kept spraying and spraying to no avail. Perhaps I was simply anosmic that day and if I try Tokyo Bloom again it will last longer? But, alas, I used up my sample.
Years ago I developed an occasional anosmia to a very strong fragrance. Today I don’t recall just what it was, perhaps Sirroco, Youth Dew or something similar. I couldn’t really tell how much I was using because I’d used it so often that I simply couldn’t detect it. One of my old professors let me know about my inappropriate use of fragrance and that everyone else could smell me coming a long way off 🙂
Azarxx
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Hello Azar. 🙂 I shall give that a whirl in London. See of Tokyo Bloom is the same on me or not. That will be fun to try. An overdose of Youth Dew could be a little on the too much side huh? Love to you both. xxxxxx
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I believe there is “scent eating skin” chemistry. Most perfumes last a really long time on me. I do notice though that some people consistently can’t smell as much some of the notes that are particularly loud and offensive to me. Those end up being their favorites because they can at least smell them! And on me they are a roaring train wreck that I can’t remove. Then on the other hand some of my favorite beautiful, subtle lovely skin scents they can’t smell at all and they wonder that I would waste my money!
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Hi Ceil! What can I add? You summed it up to perfection. I have had a couple of train wrecks on my skin, but fortunately I own none. Thanks for the contribution to the subject!
Bussis. xxxxx
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I’ve got a friend that has perfume-eating skin, it’s quite a thing to behold. Half an hour in and BOOM! gone. I’m not sure I would have believed it could be that severe until she showed me (and is very grateful I shared with her the scarf-spraying trick).
My own “people-think-I’m-exaggerating” thing is how much of an outlier my own skin chemistry is – a LOT of mainstream perfumes go perfectly horrible on me, floral blends especially. I’ve had SA’s recoil after I spray and sputter, “It’s not supposed to smell like that!”
To show friends just what I’m talking about, I’ve occasionally sprayed their favorite fragrances on my skin so they can smell for themselves. One said, “Stop that! Stop ruining my perfume! What are you doing?” and another exclaimed, “But… you smell like cat pee! Dionne, are you some kind of freak?” (Such comments don’t always translate well into writing, you’ll just have to trust me they were teasing in good fun and not just being mean.)
It’s because I’m such an outlier that I fell down the rabbit hole into niche and indie perfumes in the first place, because I was determined to find something that smelled good on me. It turns out that my skin is just a bit more “exclusive” than most. 😉
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Hello Sistah! 😉 Blimey. That does sound extreme. I totally believe you, although I wouldn´t have done a short month ago. When S put a Vero Extrait on and it disappeared in less than an hour AND smelled not good, I was absolutely stunned. It is like you hear stories but don´t believe them. “Exclusive” skin gives me something to ponder. We all have exclusive noses though don´t we? So nice to see you. Love to all the family. Hugs. Val xxxxxxx
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Hi Dionne,
It’s exactly the same for my mum – we call it the ‘toilet spray effect’ – what she loves on me and others on her turns into, well, the sort of scent you get in a can that is meant to disguise noxious odours in the bathroom! Luckily she has a few favourites that are gorgeous on her, so she still gets to enjoy them.
Best wishes,
Elena 🙂
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One of the best things about falling down the hole is discovering that, just like Lena’s mom, there are things that do smell fantastic on me. In fact, I’ve discovered by sharing samples with friends that I can pull off fragrances that don’t necessarily work as well on others. I’m thinking specifically of Black Cashmere, which is one of my faves, and frankly, smells far better on me than any other person I’ve sprayed it on. So yeah, there is an upside to being that outlier, if you find the right frag, you can just rock it in a way few others can.
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Truly fascinating post, Val. I guess I’m somewhere in-between, some seem to last pretty long but some just disappear within 2 hours. It would be interesting to experiment further. It might be difficult to organise but several volunteers receive a perfume in an identical vial or atomizer and everyone sprays the same amount and see what happens. In the name of science. 🙂
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Count me in TM. I would love to do that. It would be best done altogether in one place. I bet we could do it in Milan with at least four bloggers …….. Doing things in the name of science is very honourable. Counting the days now …… xxx
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Hi Val. Certain scents disappear on me like “that” and of course, there are often those that I really like. If I get 8 hours out of a perfume I consider myself lucky. I assume it’s a mix of skin chemistry, hormones, age, dehydration and whatnot else, and I now don’t mention longevity on the blog anymore, unless it’s a 5 minutes and gone number, which still makes me cross. May be your super healthy lifestyle and all the fresh mountain air make your scents last longer?
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Hi Sabine! I would say eight hours is fantastic compared to so many other huh? I will never mention longevity in a firm and knowing voice again. Never. Super healthy is little exaggerated my dear. We prefer to call it OCDs. Cannot wait for London. ❤
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Most scents vanish on me, or at the very least burn through the top and mid notes like a bush fire. Usually to get any go out of Amouage, Chanel, Guerlain… or anything really… I have to spray my clothing heftily. Means I can wear otherwise killer perfumes as a ‘light spritz.’ I can think of one that lasts for over 7 hours on me… that is it.
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Hi Anne. Thanks for chipping in with your experiences. I have never sprayed my clothing, although I do enjoy the smell of my thick wool scarf in the winter. With its many layers of perfume – the only layering I do! Go on then – what lasts over 7 hours?? Patchouli oil? 😉 xxxx
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If I want to smell my perfume it has to be my clothes. Sometimes this can end in a confusing piece of material if it doesn’t wash out fully. I also will keep handkerchief
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Now with the rest of the comment… a small handkerchief in my waistband or bra. It helps keep the scent.
Olfactive Studio – Lumiere Blanche. That musk is like glue and manages a full 7 hours. Only so much I can take of it though as it is pretty abrasive and I still miss the mid/top notes.
Bois des Iles parfum is the worst – 3 minutes. It was a lovely 3 minutes though. 🙂
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Oh my gosh. BdI lasts forever on me and I am so glad. I wear it a lot. That Lumber Blanche does stay forever, not my cup of tea. xxx 😉
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Hey Val,
VERY interesting article, and yes my “scent sucking skin” reacts differently to different perfumes! Some that I love last forever, othere do not. Sadly I have a second whammy to deal with, which is the meds that I take. I’m convinced that the elusive “skin chemistry” is a very real thing. There are certain perfumes, that smelled amazing on both test strips and friends skin, but got right to sour on mine. Worse are the number of incense notes that go straight to dirty ashtray! Breaks my heart, but I’ve found a few that magically work somehow.
Yesterday on one of the FB forums there waa a lively discussion on how perfumes differ on right vs. left arm. It certainly does for me, and apparently many others as well.
I’ve always wished that some brain-trust somewhere would tackle the medications issue, what meds effect what notes etc….. I’ve just always wondered!
xoxo Robert H.
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Hey Robert! What a joy to see you here. The extrait turned sourish on S. I know that she is a celiac and adapts her diet to suit. I wonder if it plays a role? I have not tried the left arm, right arm thing. I perfume my left arm and chop chocolate with my right. 😉
But I will get onto it. I guess there are more pressing issues for the medical industry but I reckon it would be fascinating to know. Big hug. xxxxxx
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That’s a fantastic idea, Robert! Like you, I intuitively believe it *must* be the case that medications have at least some effect on one’s skin chemistry and thus on interactions with perfume. It would be fascinating to find out more about this.
Best wishes,
lena
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I have scent eating skin and a bunch of perfumes smell much different on me than on other people. Opus VII which smells like panther pee on most people actually smells good on me. Portia sprayed some on me in NYC. Most perfumes don’t last more than a few hours, usually less. People at work are stunned when I tell them I wear perfume every day because they so rarely smell it on me. It’s usually gone by the time I get to work or you need to get close to me to smell it. I’m a heavy sprayer too, sometimes 12 sprays depending on the scent. I can easily do 12 for Geisha Noire and you’d barely know an hour later. There are a handful that last a long time.
Hugs
Poodle
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Hello Poodle! Sheesh. I have so learned my lesson now. This all started with GN. I mean this stuff lasts for an eternity on me and smells absolutely divine. But it did not last 10 mins on S. Less. 12 sprays? I shall have to try that. I am sure it would last for a week, even with showers. Not being familiar with panther pee it would be unwise of me to comment but I will take your word for it. What lasts a long time then? I would be really interested to know. I now know that I am useless. I´m the one that gets 12 hours of of Rue Cambon. Hmmmm. Pondering a lot. Bussis. xxxxx
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My skin eats certain perfumes, and very few of the edp strength will last more than 4-6 hours. Good in a way, because I am able to use a different scent in the afternoon than whatever I wear for work. Also, I had a relative gifting me a Chanel no.5 many years ago because it turned to cat pee on her skin, luckily that has never happend to me!
My skin also seems to swallow sweetness in certain combinations, so Tea for Two and some Serge Lutens scents with woody notes have none of the honey others describe, or very little.
Becoming anosmic to certain scents for a period of time is another issue, annoying. I also think there must be a musk or two I can never smell, while white musk often cuts through everything and can completely ruin a scent for me.
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Hi Ingeborg! I have not had the cat pee thing either, at least to my nose. My family have run away on several occasions though so ……. I am not a fan of white musk, at least not if I recognize it as so. I have no doubt it is hidden in some things which is fine. When I become anosmic to my all time favorites then I will start to panic. xxxxx
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i think this is true. As most of us may know, oily skins are the best. It seems your friend S may have dry skin and it doesn’t help she lives in a city like Vienna which does experience very cold weather at times. Cold dries up skin a lot. If she starts wearing moisturizer and spray perfume over it, it could help her.
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Good day Fazal! I am still waiting for a breakfast date. 🙂 You could be right about the moisturizer, at least to a certain extent, but I don´t think that will always work. Luckily she smells a million dollars in Amouage and in NVC and they last so she is not suffering too badly. Lovely as ever to see you. xxxxxx
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Amouage has been a blessing for some… I guess her skin lightens the loud notes of Amouage which results in more beautiful scent on her skin than on other person where Amouage can be beastmode
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My hubby has oily acidic skin and it gobbles perfume like there’s no tomorrow. There were many a times when we go shopping for scents and they disappear on him within 15 minutes. They also change drastically on him than on me. My skin is a bit weird too. Certain perfumes get eaten up while certain notes are being amplified. I wore Flora Nerolia and the notes got amplified so much that I felt I was choking and had to scrub it off and pass it on, same with the older formulation Songes and so on. I suppose the fun is in the quest for what lasts and what not 🙂
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Hello BB Mc. The quest for perfume is always fun, if not always successful. I couldn´t imagine anything disappearing in 15 minutes, but having seen the perfume disappear on S before it had even started I now will believe pretty much anything. Such a fascinating subject. You know, I have never tried Songes, and I really must. I mean they even have it in my local parfumerie. No excuse. Thanks for the reminder. xxxxxx
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Very, very interesting. I had assumed that a variance in lasting power was more due to our noses than our skins. I’m anosmic to some musks, and my little experiments in that area showed that my mother and I seem to have issues with the same musks (we can smell the top notes of, for example Narciso Rodriguez for Her edt, but the scent disappears completely in less than half an hour), but other people can still smell the perfume on us.
I’ve only recently accepted the idea that perfumes don’t have to last all day. I got a bottle of Penhaligon’s Amaranthine for Christmas, and I’d love some 31 Rue Cambon as well, but I still feel a like a little bit of a sucker paying real money for something that’s gone in less than four hours.
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Hi Laurels. I don´t know if I agree. 🙂 Four lovely hours and then repeat? I mean gone in four or gone in eight ……. I am sure it has to do with our noses in some cases, yes. And I will be honest, I wish perfume did sometimes disappear on me in a few hours. Happy New Year and nice to see you. xxxxxx
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Val, I love this type of experiments: they are very much of the kind I or Vanessa would run, so I’m glad there are more of us! 🙂
I haven’t experienced the disappearing act as a rule but with one of my co-workers we had a discussion of how certain Jo Malone’s perfumes that she liked didn’t stay on my skin long enough for me to exit the store where I sprayed it to test while she really enjoyed them for hours. And just recently with Mimosa & Cardamom she and I had the opposite results: while I could smell it on my hair the next morning, she couldn’t detect anything in 20 minutes after the application.
Regardless of the topic, absolutely loved “I roll my eyes loudly” 🙂
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Hello Undina! I could not let it go because I found it so unbelievable. And any excuse for a day in Vienna. Yep, it was really weird. it was gone so fast, and mine just settled in for the long haul. Still, it would be interesting to know what causes it. Hmmmm. Something to do when I retire. Hugs. 🙂
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These comments and this line of questioning is fascinating. I like to think that scent perception is as unique as a fingerprint. Aroma chemicals, skin chemistry, and environment all must play a part in how a fragrance plays out for each of us. How else to explain the great differences experienced from person to person, or even on the same person from day to day.
I have average longevity with most scents, but some stick around forever, such as the amber scents which I usually dislike, like several others who commented here. One thing I do love is how the Guerlain vanilla/musk base sticks to my skin, sometimes for days. When my skin warms up in the sun or in a warm shower it reappears like a delicious surprise. It’s magic.
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Hi Tiffanie! Yep – I totally agree, scent perception is unique. The thin that blew my mind was that I could smell it just fine on my wrist and yet smell NOTHING on hers. Odd hmmm? Guerlain does seem to have great staying power but who am I to say? hahahaha. Nice of you to drop in! xxxx
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Hi There, I must chime in, if I may, to sympathise with S, there is something so frustrating about longing for a certain perfume, then trying it to find it gone AWOL! Dry skin and central heating is a trigger for this, though. I recently was gifted with the new Diptyque Oud Palao and it lasts for ages and is very beautiful. For some reason Diptyque perfumes last a long time on my skin as well as Serge Lutens.
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