Why doesn’t my perfume last long?

2. Your perfume preferences: The style of perfume you enjoy wearing will dictate its longevity

Perfumers always talk about the olfactory pyramid, and for good reason. It provides the building blocks of any good perfume. But why? I hear you ask. The pyramid represents the stages in which fragrances evolve. Most perfume ingredients are volatile, meaning they have a shelf life.

Perfumes must be constructed with volatile compounds (better known as VOC or volatile organic compounds) to be smelled and enjoyed in the first place. If they are volatile, this means your fragrance is bound to evaporate over time. Some ingredients (or molecules) evaporate quicker than others!

The most volatile are those fresh-smelling citruses, aromatic and green notes. Each ingredient has an individual lifespan – generally speaking, top notes stay on the skin for up to 30 minutes.

Heart notes – the ingredients that provide the core of any good perfume last around one to two hours. Mellow florals, spices and some gourmand notes dominate this time frame.
Lastly, we have the base notes. These include rich scents such as woody (sandalwood, cedarwood), ambery (vanilla, labdanum, frankincense) and leather.

If you love these deeper scents, your perfume probably lasts longer than the average. Stronger scents will have a robust sillage for others to enjoy (or hate!). It is common for these notes to last all day, at the very least, a few hours.

On the contrary, if you favour fresh, citrusy and floral notes, you’ll find your fragrance lasts less, and you will need to re-spray throughout the day to continue enjoying your fragrance.
Each of these categories of notes comes with its olfactory characteristics, which is very much down to personal preferences. Your skin chemistry also plays a significant part in how each ingredient behaves and how long it lasts. Very dry or oily skin can dampen the longevity of any fragrance, no matter the notes.