I was at Sephora, sniffing fragrances. There was a woman who was asking the Beauty Adviser about smaller travel sizes. The lady told her they didn’t have any, but she could buy the full bottle. So, she thought about buying a full bottle of Tom Ford Bitter Peach. When the Beauty Adviser walked away, I told the woman, “You need to spray it on your skin.” She was a bit confused. I continued, “You might like the way it smells on paper, but you need to see how it smells on you.” She, thankfully, took the advice of a stranger and sprayed a bit on her wrist. “Oh, no, I don’t like that on me.” “See, you have to try it first. Fragrances can smell different once you get them on skin. Also, they definitely have smaller sizes online. And if she isn’t going to help you with that, you can definitely get them from Nordstrom.”
At the end of my fragrance reviews, I try and end with a recommendation that you try the fragrances out for yourself. Your skin, or rather your whole body, changes the expression of the fragrance. Here are all the different ways that can happen:
Skin’s pH level: Is your skin more alkaline or acidic?
Diet: What are you eating? Are your foods heavily spiced?
Hormonal profile: There are so many hormones beyond estrogen and testosterone. Think even of insulin and how that can affect someone’s scent
Menstrual cycle phase: What hormones are more prominent right now compared to the last time you tried the fragrance? How might have your personal preferences shifted in alignment with your current phase?
Body temperature: How warm are you?
Skin type: Do you tend to have oilier skin? Dry? Somewhere in between
These are just a few of the factors. Not to mention, I could do a whole separate post about sweat and how that could affect things. Keep all those individual differences in mind when you are trying to figure out what scents you like and which ones work best on you. Don’t just rely on that paper strip, make sure you try it on for yourself.
Here are some sources you can check:
Kessler, C. (December 12, 2019). Why does perfume smell different on my skin? Charlotte Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates, PA. https://www.ceenta.com/news-blog/why-does-perfume-smell-different-on-my-skin
Lawrenson, A. (March 8, 2022). Whoa! Skin Type Can Change the Way Perfume Smells. Byrdie. https://www.byrdie.com/why-does-perfume-smell-different-on-everyone
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