Tailoring Your Own Scent
Brittan Bates
Global Brand Storytelling
4 min read
Creating your own unique scent requires knowledge of layering fragrances and an understanding of fragrance families and notes. Different perfume combinations yield different results, but with a bit of experimentation, it’s possible to come up with your own distinct scent.
To layer perfume is one way of tailoring scents and making them unique and distinct. Familiarising yourself with the process of fragrance layering can open you up to a world of interesting scents. It can impact and reflect your personal styles and mood, and it ties in with fresh's diverse fragrance collection, giving you all you need to tailor the process and experience fragrance layering for yourself.
Layering fragrances and creating perfume combinations is nothing new. In fact, it’s been practised since the times of ancient Egyptians. Renowned for their extravagance and use of scents, ancient Egyptians created unique aromatic profiles. Although it has evolved over the years, this tradition was passed down to the Greeks and Romans before becoming a global phenomenon.
Nowadays, layering fragrances is on the rise yet again. With more fragrances on the market for customers to choose from, this trend is allowing individuals to tailor their scent and reflect who they are. Social media influencers have also heightened the revival of this trend.
Despite popular belief, there’s more to fragrance layering than just mixing perfumes – it’s an art. Layering fragrances leads to a nuanced scent profile that changes throughout the day.
Fragrances are essentially volatile compounds categorised into “notes”:
Top notes: Prominent scent and easy to identify upon application.
Heart notes: Sturdy scent that forms the core of the fragrance.
Base notes: Longer-lasting scent that becomes evident once the top and heart notes have dissipated.
To get the most out of the fragrance layering experience, you need to grasp these three concepts and note categories.
If you’re wondering how to layer perfume, a common approach to achieve a harmonious scent is by layering fragrances from the same family. A prime example of this is fresh's Hesperides Grapefruit Eau de Parfum, which boasts a vibrant citrus character and can be layered with Fresh Life Eau de Parfum with its top notes of amber citrus, resulting in a refreshingly unique scent.
For those who want to take it a step further, you may want to layer complementary notes or try to achieve contrasting scents. The Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum, a distinctly fruity scent, can be paired with the Rose Morning Eau de Parfum, which has a warm, floral fragrance. This contrasting combination can lead to a playful yet romantic scent.
Another option for a contrasting scent is layering fresh's Sugar Lemon Eau de Parfum with a fragrance containing fiery notes. The end result is bound to be a delightful mix of sweet and spicy, which is quite a unique scent.
Fragrance families are categorised according to their dominant notes. Some of the common ones are floral, citrus, woody, and oriental. For example, the Rose Morning Eau de Parfum falls under the floral family, but the Hesperides Grapefruit Eau de Parfum belongs to the citrus family. Being able to differentiate between these families is vital for the perfume mixing process for more effective layering.
Beginners should be mindful and avoid some common mistakes made when starting out, such as over-layering. It’s advised to start with just two scents and gradually increase the number as you become more proficient at the art. It’s best to also allow each layer to settle before adding the next, for better efficacy.
For best results when it comes to fragrance layering, begin with a light base. Thereafter, select fragrances from the same or complementing families. Start off modestly but don’t be afraid to experiment. The range of fragrances available at fresh is varied and sure to spark some creativity. We have a fantastic selection of top, heart, and base notes so you can explore and create just the right scent for you.
Written by Brittan Bates for Fresh. Brittan is an NYC-based writer, editor, and storyteller with 9 years of experience spanning digital and print journalism, copywriting, brand strategy, and more. Her work has appeared in publications such as Teen Vogue and brands including Diane von Furstenberg, abc carpet & home, FRĒDA SALVADOR, and more.
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