How to Apply Perfume For a Lasting Scent

Getting a hint of your perfume during the day is one of the few simple pleasures we can enjoy these days. However, having to get up and reapply your favorite fragrance every hour isn't exactly ideal.

Thankfully, there are several ways to ensure your scent lasts all day. But whether or not you're applying it correctly in the first place has a lot to do with how long it will stay put.

That's why we reached out to a handful of master perfumers to get their expert insight on how to properly spray on your go to perfumes so you'll only have to do it once.

All of their best tips, ahead.

Apply Fragrance Directly to Skin

"Perfume is designed to interact with your own body's chemistry and the warmth from your body," explains Ixchel Leigh, a 40-year and counting master perfumer, founder of Artisan Parfums, and author of the fragrance anthology, Aromatic Alchemy.

In other words, to apply fragrance anywhere other than onto the skin directly actually disrupts and works against how the formulation was built and intended to be used.

"How long the scent lasts on your skin is dependent on the perfume and how dry your skin is," Gerard Camme, president of the fragrance house Atelier Cologne adds. "If your skin is dry, the scent will fade more quickly. So if you want it to last longer, moisturize prior to application." This is exactly why everything smells more fragrant (for better or worse) in the summer.

Avoid the Mist-and-Walk

We're all guilty of the mist-and-walk-through strategy at one time or another, which Leigh considers not only an absolute waste but can also impact the surrounding furniture or decor.

"With spritzing perfumes into the air, it will also drop onto your clothes and the floor or furniture and can stain from the residue," she cautions. "I'm not a fan of spraying it in your hair either, particularly if your fragrance is alcohol-based because it dries the hair."

So let's all agree to stop spraying expensive things into thin air.

Focus on Pulse Points

"Pulse points are the warmest parts of your body and heat lends to the dry down process and helps to emit the scent," says Camme.

The wrists and neck are the go-to spots for most people, but there are also plenty of other lesser-known pulse points on your body that will maximize the perfume's intensity and longevity. Camme suggests giving your elbow creases and behind the knees a whirl, while Leigh reminds us of the sneaky pulse points behind the ear, in the hollow of the throat (near the clavicle), and abdomen above the pubic bone. But definitely skip areas with broken or sensitive skin, as perfume may be irritating.

With all the spots to choose from, "it's up to people to decide for themselves," says David Moltz, perfumer, and co-founder of D.S. & Durga, who personally prefers applying fragrance to the top of the wrist, "where there's a little hair," to help the scent last.

Above all, abide by the golden rule: "Do you," he says. "If you apply somewhere once and don't like it, don't do it again. Like anything else."