A Guide to Identifying Long Lasting Perfumes for Women

In this article we attempt to simplify the concept of long lasting perfumes for women. There is too much information clutter on this. In this blog we will cut this cuttler and present some key factors contributing to long lasting fragrances. It will help you make an informed decision about buying long lasting perfumes for women. 

We love the women folk; they like to get to the bottom of things. Almost every woman customer of ours with whom we interact desires a long lasting perfume. But they are overwhelmed with how to choose one. What factors contribute to making a fragrance last long? they ask. They have thoughtful questions – ‘that perfume lasts long on Sheena but it didn’t last that long on me, why?’, ‘so many articles list down brand names of long lasting perfume for ladies or top long lasting female perfumes, but who will us what to expect from a long lasting fragrance?’  While answering them, it occurred to us that it will be a great idea to make a guide that breaks down this concept of long lasting fragrances so that our lovely ladies are better equipped while selecting their perfume.  

As far as long lastingness in fragrances goes – there are things that are in our control while searching for a long lasting fragrance (for e.g. which fragrance family to pick) and there are the things that are not  (the environment in which we wear the perfume)  A particular name from the list of long lasting perfumes for women doesn’t necessarily mean everything. Its Odor profile should match her usage and personality too.  So, let’s demystify long lasting fragrances for our women 

How should ladies look at long lasting fragrance? What things in a perfume help it make the cut in the list of ‘Best Long-Lasting fragrance for Women?’ 

A fragrance is considered long lasting if you can still smell it on your skin or clothes after several hours; many brands claim this ‘several hours’ to be anywhere from 6 hours to 12 hours. Some of them even dare to say our perfumes lasts as long as 24 hrs! Wow. That’s how much a relationship lasts these days. But tell you what – cut all the noise out & first understand the below factors to a long lasting perfume. It's not the hours that it lasts, it's how it lasts through those hours.  

Factors to consider for long lasting female perfume 

• Is it Eau De Parfum or Extrait De Parfum; Perfumes or Parfums?

The concentration of fragrance oil in the perfume defines this. If the perfume has about 15-20% fragrance oil, it’s an Eau De Parfum. Higher than 20%, is Extrait De Parfum. Obviously higher concentration is more expensive. Funnily enough, because perfume brands are concentrated in Europe, a predominantly cooler region, brands have been formulating Eau De Parfum. This because perfumes evaporate slower in cooler climate. Hence Eau De Parfum was optimum for them. However, in India we certainly need more concentration due to our weather and hence Extrait De Parfums (also known as Parfums or Pure Parfums) are best suited for lasting long. All our Dopamine Perfumes are Extrait De Parfums with 25% oil concentration   

• Fragrance Family 

All perfumes are a bouquet of ingredients. Ingredients belong to different families – citrus belongs to ‘Fresh’ family, Oud belongs to ‘Woody’ family, Vanilla belongs to ‘Oriental or Amber’ family.  Some fragrance families smell tremendously well upon spraying – they are intense but not long lasting. Eg: Fresh fragrance family. Some don’t come across as intense upon spraying, but their profile grows over some time & hence such profiles are long lasting. E.g. ‘Amber’ family.    The historically ‘women’ fragrances are fresh floral & hence not long lasting. These days more and more women therefore prefer unisex perfumes as they provide more options in the fragrance families.  

• Dominant notes in a Perfume 

You must have heard of top notes, middle notes and base notes. Every perfume strikes a combination of these notes, and a fragrance profile emerges. Think about it as you trying to fit 3 types of things in a jar. If you add one thing more of one type, you will have to reduce another type. Why is this important?  A top note heavy perfume will not last long. A base note heavy perfume will not turn heads when you spray.  What do you want? 

• External Factors 

Every skin or should we say every body reacts differently to a fragrance.  The reaction depends on multiple factors which are, frankly beyond our control. The same perfume will smell and last differently between different people.  You need to, based on experience, arrive as what type of fragrance suits you best. The long lasting aspect will automatically get taken care of.  

Weather also plays a big role. Fragrances evaporates faster in heat and slower in colder places. India has a tropical climate -  a citrusy fragrance will smell great but will evaporate faster.  If your day involves you being more outdoors, the perfume will last lesser as compared to you having sit in air-conditioned environment. So perhaps you will have to pick an oriental or ambery fragrance.   

Here are some tips to make your perfume last longer: 

1. Spritz on your pulse points – wrists, behind the ears, on your forearms etc 
2. Spray it from a 15 cms distance so the molecules spread well on your skin 
3. You can also apply some moisturiser on the skin before spraying 
4. Spray some on your clothes too.  It may not open up the fragrance like body heat does but it will last long on clothes 

Conclusion 

To sum it up, here are some of practical things you should pay attention to while identifying the best long lasting fragrance for you: 

1. Firstly, always look at buying an Extrait De Parfum as they will naturally be more long lasting. They are longest lasing category in perfumery 
2. Unisex fragrances will offer you more choices in fragrance families than traditional women’s fresh floral perfume  
3. Evaluate your usage. If have important meetings during the day where you want to make an impression early on, wear a top note heavy fresh, floral fragrance. It may not last as long but you have would have achieved your objective. 
4. If you have longer days or you have to go on a date straight from work, you should look at wearing a woody, ambery fragrance as that will last till evening 
5. Don’t get swayed by number of hours being advertised. Firstly, it works differently for everyone and secondly you want to smell super and not just longer; even a mosquito repellent lasts longer. 

FAQs: 

What is the strongest perfume for women? 

Strongest perfume doesn’t necessarily mean long lasting. Citrus, Aqua or Floral fragrances come across as very strong when sprayed but they evaporate faster. On the other hand, woody and oriental fragrances, that have lower projection, last longer. You need to decide what kind of Strongest Perfumes do you want – high projection ones or high endurance ones. Overall, in terms of endurance and projection, Oud fragrances strike the most balance. They are instantly noticeable as well as long lasting.   

How do I choose a long-lasting perfume? 

Aside from higher concentration, the next thing to look at is unisex or gender-neutral perfumes. These fragrances tend to be stronger than historical fragrances for women. The most long lasting perfumes for ladies contain a balance of ingredients historically identified as female centric with strong male notes like leather and pink pepper  

What type of perfume stays longer? 

Fragrances with less intensity (upon spraying) but high tenacity (endurance) stay longer.  Woody, Oriental and White flower (neroli, jasmine etc) based fragrances will stay longer. If you look at the lists of best long-lasting perfumes, you will find more perfumes from these fragrance families. However, they will have lesser projection when sprayed. It’s always about striking a balance.  

How to smell good all day?

Pick a fragrance that is heavy on the bottom notes which will effectively mean fragrances that are woody, oriental etc, and follow the tips suggested above while applying the perfumes. Also, pay attention to storage of your perfume bottle. It should be stored in a cool dry place. This will ensure that the quality is intact, and it gives the same long-lasting effect.