Question about fragrance longevity

It is generally a good idea to avoid "deodorant" soaps. Thankfully the majority of soaps are not deodorizing. Avoid "sport" soaps and you're probably safe. Some soaps are so fragrant in and of themselves they can clash with scents, however, so there's something else to consider.

I would characterize my skin as oily but I haven't found myself to be any better than average in retaining scents. I like your idea of showering in the evening and have found this helps, but I just don't feel clean if I don't shower in the morning so this isn't for me.

Experiment a bit and i'm sure you'll find what works best for you and your perfumes.

Get some scentless Jojoba oil for $10 and apply a bit to your application spots after your shower. The fragrance will stick to it better.

I have found that if you put on a good moisturizer after I shower, then my fragrances will stick longer. Also, if you use a moisturizing cream on the spots that will have fragrance, they will stick longer.

I can see how that would make sense in principle, but I can personally attest that you can't count on it, especially in the presence of other factors.

While for me, fragrance longevity has been dramatically impacted by the passage of years and the biochemical hijinks of diabetes, having oily skin never gave me any advantage, at least that I perceived, over my normal to dry friends and relations.

It always depended on the fragrance - even now it does, the difference is that some perfumes that used to last a long time, or at least a reasonable amount of time on me, don't any more.

I think that the interaction between skin and fragrance is so complicated, with each fragrance and each skin forming a unique and individual array of chemical reaction events, that the only way to know how long something will last on you is to apply it and keep sniffing!


For you it might work that way, and for your nephew's cat's stylist's brother-in-law - or your identical twin - it might not.

It's an easy enough theory to test out, though! I'll be interested to hear how it turns out for you!


Well, I haven't heard anything about Castille soap "eating" other odors, any more than any other soap does, so I will leave that for someone with more knowledge in this area.

I have used plain old Mysore Sandalwood soap all my life, and it has not, to my nose, had any adverse effect on whatever perfume or cologne I put on after my bath!

Don't know about the Castile comment; sounds interesting & possible...the earlier comments about oily skin & showering make sense...comments & questions worth raising...the suggestion of using jojoba oil, mentioned earlier, sounds interesting and viable...thanks...

Here's also a suggestion:
I wish Basenotes had a Category (male & female) List of fragrances characterized as predominantly florals, fruits, fougeres, aquas or blues, grasses or greens, chypre or woods. orientals or spices, tobaccos, etc...or however best (professionally) they could/should be categorized...I know there is a certain amount of cross-over of elements...if Basenotes does have such a category page I have not as yet been able to find it...

If I sprayed some baby oil on my skin after showering, do you think that would help with the longevity?

Hmmmm, an interesting question; also sounds possible...have you received any answers to that possibility?...you also must have read the comments about jojoba oil...

That stuff is scented - baby powder in it? It'll mess with your frag. Regular mineral oil is the same thing without the scent.

I gather you are referring to the jojoba oil...Yes, something w/out any of its own fragrance (eg. regular mineral oil) in it makes sense...thanks...

Well, just based on reading about jojoba, which I don't have. I thought maybe Baby oil could work.

I have unscented. It's basically just mineral oil then. I guess the short answer is try it... I'll see how it goes and let you guys know if it works.

I think the easiest thing to do is just put on some unscented body lotion or cream. It's less messy than oil. Just leave your skin a bit damp before you apply the lotion.

If you have problems with fragrance longevity, you will gain more by applying to clothing or hair than by playing with moisturizers IMO.