I believe skin hydration is important as well. Drinking water properly, really helps to hydrate your skin and you can lock in that moisture with a fragrance free lotion.
I started using heavier lotions at night after a shower and something lighter in the morning. It made a big difference in projection. Also my skin looks so much healthier. Amazing that we use fragrance to attract women but forget to keep our skin healthy 😂. Alcohol in perfume dries the skin out.
This should be one of the fundamental education videos every new fragrance enthusiast needs to see. It will cut down on the terrible reviews of excellent fragrances that cause olfactory fatigue or don’t last 24 hours.
Jeremy got me started on fragrances but Justin is my go to reviewer now after watching countless of them, nothing but straight class and knowledge with every video he drops 💯💯
Honestly i think a lot of us started that way, and now we have matured past the glam of Jeremy. Sorry Jeremy but I just want someone who isn't flashy and Justin you are never about yourself and I appreciate that.
Great stuff, easily my favorite reviewer. Spot on about concentration styles being vibes not performance. I agree and I prefer parfums the vast majority of the time because I like deeper, richer, smoother. I tend to find the parfums more refined, classy, complex, and just overall elevated/expensive smelling in my opinion. Not always, but most of the time. And I don’t need to fill a room, just my space. That said to the argument about performance - not to go there, but I’ll go there haha - I do think there is a minimum level of performance required when you’re paying a premium price. Obviously scent comes first, but It’s a crime how some expensive brands have reformulated their frags that were once good performers and now don’t last at all. That said if I can get it at a discounter for 25-50 bucks, I’m not worried about performance. But if I’m paying twice as much or many multiples of that, it needs to perform.
Certain notes work with the skin chemistry of some better than others. That's the lay of the land. Definitely agree on the concentration point - that is not even worth discussing since a winter EDT will typically outperform a summer parfum.
It's about note selection. A frag with amber in the base will dominate another with cedar. Atleast on my skin but note selection and frageance accord dictates strength. Like said an EDT will smell stronger than a summer parfum. Halston Z-14 and Davidoff Zino are both EDTs thst make most EDPs smell as strong as water.
I used to go nose blind to my fragrances pretty easily in spite of following the traditional method. Now -I only do concentrated sprays (3 to 5 depending on the fragrance) in one spot- mostly at the back of my neck. Thus, the perfume stays behind me: it is less annoying for me and the people around me. I get to smell it 'till it turns into a skin scent. I can also gauge whether or not to reapply or skip the reapplication.
I totally agree that fragrance concentration doesn't affect longevity. I have a bottle of Stetson and it says it's a cologne concentration, and it lasts longer than a lot of my fragrances.
I never spray in the front. Always behind my nose so I will catch whafts when I turn. I always spray either my hands or the outside of my arms depending on the type of fragrance. Performance can very with any fragrance and when I apply or occasion. Weather also plays a role. The more humidity kills any fragrance. Cooler breezy days seem the best but most of us spend our time indoors in a climate control area which ultimately excludes these “seasonal” fragrances. Love the videos Justin peace ✌🏻
It's the case with Ganymede for me. I spray 3 because it is really strong. I don't smell it in the air after 2-3 hours but I and others can still smell it after 12+ hours.
Exactly the same, after a long day you take of your shirt and the scent is still there. So most likely other people still smelled it even tho you didnt.
Ganymede is something else. It lasts 24 hours on my skin as a fresh scent that's kinda crazy. The main reason I bought it is the longetivity. It outlasted Carved Oud which is an extrait when I was testing.
Skin chemistry is the big thing. People don't think about enough. Some folks are just luckier than others in terms of how their skin works with different frags. And some frags that work for some folks absolutely fail for me. And then there's my spouse's reaction.
Of course Anthony. At the end of the day, there are several unquantifiable variables, so there really is no straight answer! This is just my opinion. As I said, your mileage can and will vary.
I typically apply non scented lotion and in my spray areas I use unscented vasoline. Especially with non oil based colognes. Key is making sure your skin is moisturized. Also you have to take into account your own body chemistry.. things that smell good and work on others may not work on you. If it dries down and you can't smell it without sticking your nose to it that may mean it's blending with your natural chemistry wich I'd a good thing.
Me sat here thinking try ATH fragrances beast mode!! They are very well developed and tells you the percentage concentration. But ultimately the man said it skin chemistry does play a huge factor. Also dark and light skin types too makes a difference.
The more I obsessed about how my fragrance was performing and projecting, the less I could notice it...ironically, when I stopped caring, I now notice it all the time and actually enjoy it on a more subjective personal level
This is great! I 100% experienced this myself. I have the Flor del Sol EDT and it’s not a super strong performer for sillage, but it lasts beautifully for 8+ hours on me. I’ve had plenty of EDPs start out strong and fade quickly.
Yessss. You know what you're talking about. One of my "strongest" performers is an EDT, Guerlain Samsara, it will outperform many of my other fragrances and I have a collection of around 80.
I LOVED this video! Well presented, very informative. For those who are looking for their fragrances to last longer, I'd suggest you do this. After showering, put non-scented lotion on the areas you spray. Let that sit for a few minutes, then apply your fragrances.
I recently realized something about performance of fragrances, which I never really considered. One day I was out shopping and tried fragrances. I tried a fragrance which I liked a month ago again. However, this time I realized that the performance wasn't as good, and I was wondering why. I am sure the test bottle wasn't new (I was in the same shop). Then I got it. In the morning after showering, I didn't moisturize my skin. I think this could be one of the problems for you guys which complain about bad performance. Maybe you aren't moisturizing your skin enough. After that I tried the fragrance again with moisturized skin and the performance was as good as I remembered it from the first time.
People also need to remember that it doesn't make a fragrance bad if it doesn't project or last long. They all have their uses. I dance a lot and I don't want to wear strong, projecting fragrances to a dance. Even parfums that stay close to the skin can be a bit too much when I start to sweat (and that's inevitable). Parfums especially react to body heat and sweat in a way that might be undesirable and make them "too strong". So it's something light to the dance, because of the close proximity of the interactions and I don't want to suffocate anyone. I have stronger scents for outdoor events etc, but it's about time and place.
Example: YSL La Nuit L'homme. I would never want this fragrance to fill a room. Some scents are made for cuddling and others clubbing. The fragrance notes determine projection and performance.
I do like my office/work day fragrances to last at least 6 hours but that's me. The importance of performance FOR ME is how many sprays. I don't want to end up spraying Savauge Elixir like Nautica Voyage. Performance just lets me know how easy to go on the trigger.
Definitely agree with this video. Also, Brass and soul is such a classic scent that changes the longer you wear it and is just smooth as a Custin Jopeland trumpet solo!
Knowledge 💣. These are topics that get slept on a bit in the community and I'm all ears when it's delivered like this. Thanks Justin! Really enjoying the content lately.
So interesting. I have problems sometimes to feel the fragrance after a little while after applying it. Now I understand there are different factors involved and there’s nothing wrong with me. Thanks 🙏🏻
Your stuff is actually educating, Justin! Along with Sebastian aka the Perfume Guy you're the last fragrance-RU-vidr that i watch (and that i will keep watching). :)
Enjoyable video with good advice. I sometimes need to remember why I originally got into fragrances: I wanted to smell nice for myself, not for the whole world!
The Escentric Molecule series is a good example of not going by the concentration. Some people may not pick up the notes but I myself have used Molecule02 at the beginning of the day and still caught whiffs at the end of the day
Great thoughts Justin. I have built up a collection of roughly 50 fragrances (mostly Chanel, Creed, and TF) since getting into the hobby early last year, and can say that “almost” all of them got considerably stronger 4-6 months after spraying them the first time, which I assume starts the oxidation process by introducing oxygen into the bottle. What’s interesting about everyone’s thoughts on TF Noir Extreme Parfum is that they are smelling bottles in August 2022 that were made in May 2022. I bought the Edp in August 2021, which coincidentally was also made the previous May, and it was very weak and did not smell like the tester. It is now almost unbearable beast mode sweetness, so who knows what the parfum will be like after a bit of time. Though it’s hard to come by for most of us, I think patience is key to this hobby, and is actually one of the few good reasons to have a decent size collection of fragrances to wear while your new purchases are coming into their own.
I find natural perfumes are very prone to developing over time. I know that with wine, you have to give it time to develop and time to settle after shipping.
Well put, my Rochas Moustache smells more rich and intense Vs when I picked it up last year. It’s a fall scent for me since my best compliment came on Halloween taking my daughter trick or treating so I randomly give it a sniff.
@@catherinelynnfraser2001 agreed. I first sprayed a new 2019 bottle of Bois du Portugal (probably my most natural frag) this February or March, and couldn't smell it on paper the next day. I've used it just a few times since then, sprayed it on paper again in July and it lasted over two weeks. I've no science to back it up, but something about letting a bottle sit 24 hours after shipping before spraying just feels right :)
I agree with most points, the ingredients and how the molecules dissipate in the air is important, (citrus molecules disappear quickly but tonka bean less so)... Overall if you have 2 fragrances that are the same but one has a higher oil concentration then the other (Reflection man 43 for example versus Reflection man) it will last longer because surely more oil needs more time to evaporate. Where I do agree is you should not think about it too much because there are too many variables to consider to predict the outcome. Good video. 😁
Very well said Justin. It’s easy for many people to assume a fragrance that is a Parfum or Eau de Parfum is way stronger than the Eau to toilette version. I have fragrances that I wish had a longer, lasting projection and better performance, but I have them anyways, just because I love how they smell, plain and simple.
I have to credit you with the change I have made to how I apply my fragrances. I've begun using the back of the neck spray to try and prevent fatigue and it does seem to work pretty damn well. I'm also somewhat blessed that even an EDC like my favored Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa lasts a good time on me (6 hours, plus or minus).
Spraying the back of the neck also creates amazing sillage. There is alot of blood flow near the ears so the fragrance naturally wafts heavier the higher your heart rate. I love walking and stopping and having a blast of Issey Miyake I sprayed on in the morning hit me in the nose.
Dry skin vs oily skin affects the performance as well, the former behaving poorly regardless of concentration, and it so happened to be my type lf skin unfortunately. Great video
I spiked my fragrances with ambroxan. I mix 2-3 pumps in a a 10ml travel spray bottle, and fill the rest with my fragrance; I have multiple traveling bottles, and multiple parfumes... Keep everything separated, one travel bottle for one parfum. If apply to my shirts, they smell for days on my dirty laundry basket. And on my skin, I would say 10+ hours, and on the 12 hour I'm down to smelling the ambroxan.
Yea, the particular ingredients used have a bigger impact on performance than the concentration itself. You could have a drop of 0.10% dilution real civet in an EDT that you could pick up on your skin the next day whereas a drop of 10% dilution bergamot in an Extrait de Parfum could be undetectable in an hour.
What is also interesting is something like Chanel Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme (I know you love that one Justin) or Edition Blanche WAS an EDT and NOW is an EDP. Many say the older EDT version performs better.
Thank you so much for this video. You explained it in Waze I can understand and have helped me decide to apply my fragrance to my back instead of my front. I hope that helps because my nose must just go numb after a few minutes.
I got some testers from Olfactive Studios the other day. Very gentle and creative mixes. But the light ones last 5 minutes on my skin (even with moisturizing) and the darker ones fade in 40 leaving only base notes (amazing base notes btw) and within 2 hours there's nothing more than the remnants of a woody shower gel. I can not use flagrances that are weak. Sure, it's not my luck. But I would argue that this means concentration, ingredients or quality of ingredients is crucially important as a consumer for me. All factors that I feel influencers and companies are downplaying hard. Probably because "fresh florals with white musk" can be achieved with a wide variety of production costs, while 20% concentration, with Orris, Jasmine and Bulgarian Rose - is pretty damn expensive to make. Quality matters(Shoutout Francesca Bianchi perfumes), both for consumers and it should for the voices of the consumers, the influencers. If we don't hold the line, quality will just drop - and they will just say - yeah but look how nice it smells for the first few minutes. (John Varvados, Anything Versace or even recent Tom Ford releases)
I think you are avoiding the fragrance free rules. A lot of scents are made to be close, discrete and hardly detectable. A lot of people want something that escapes detection and smells good. Quality matters to a lot of fragrance aficionados but we are not a big enough sampling to shift the zeitgeist.
@@catherinelynnfraser2001 I can understand the sentiment to have discrete colognes, or close to the skin eau de parfumes. They just seem to be pushed as the norm - that's just how a perfume is supposed to perform. Just as ambroxan heavy perfumes are pushed as being the definition of "projection". These are clearly PR talking points that people take as a given. I think the "community" is large enough - I just think the tone is led by the companies. There's periodic pushes for certain brands and notes among frag content producers, while at the same time, legitimate complaints are being held off - at least during a flagrance's first year of sales. Jan - March is always a time where people can criticize - while durring spring launch season or holiday sales season, every fragrance is the best thing ever. Lists on top of lists of "the best" "most complimented" "beast mode" juices that will definitely get you a wife and 6 children, and make your boss like you on top of everything.
Justin speakin facts as always. I would say the strongest Eau De Toilette that I have in my collection is Thierry Mugler's Pure Tonka. That thing is a monster. It lasts on my skin until I wash it off. The strongest EDP that I have is the CD Elixer, which the sales associate actually told me was an Extrait. She said that Dior decided to go with the term "Elixer" for marketing purposes. Performance-wise, the Thierry Mugler Pure Tonka outperforms CD Elixer by hours on my skin. So yeah man, Justin you are so right on this subject brotha.
As an example I purposely oversprayed on myself and my top. After one hour I asked someone if they liked it. They could not smell anything. It was Al Haramain oud tobacco edition by the way.
So yes, prime example, I received a comment a few days ago, regarding what I said about a particular fragrance. They asked me how did I like it, and I said the performance was pretty weak. With that being said, I dont have buyers remorse because I love the scent itself.
Great explanation Justin the strength of a fragrance isn't relevant to me! The smell is what makes fragrances interesting or irresistible! Therefore I fully understand and agree with you mate! 👍🏽💪🏾😎👏🏽🙋🏽
Youd think this info is common knowledge and yet it just isnt. Thank you for making videos like this which may not lead to likes nor views but is gonna help your subscribers. :)
nice video , Justin! IMO it is prerequisite for a fragrance to last (at least 5-6H and to project. We often wear fragrances to also get noticed from other people. Especially when the price tag is high the expectations (apart from the smell itself) for performance and projection are even higher.
Sung is a beast. the Sung women's version heavy as it is in florals and as it is designated will hang in there air forever. crazy beast mode . ive seen extraits not even do that :) Elixir. ill do one spray on the belt line low and i can smell and it'll radiate for hours. that one is crazy! In the end , i love a great blend as it relates to scent signature . That'll be a nice indication of quality. Crucial dialogue here .
@@raphael9197 so you should get a decant and see what you think . What's most important ultimately is whether you feel it's dated or not. Some say muskeir scents wear dated and others see that as sign of quality. So it's most important to check out and gauge your reactions . I'm curious as to what you think. One thing on a performance stand point .the women's version you can smell from the next zip code . So performance isnt everything.
Great video Justin. I think skin chemistry (pH is a big factor) is THE main reason that perfumes perform better with some people. My personal experience goes back to the late 1980's were Drakkar Noir was the thing, I loved it and it was one the first perfumes I ever got. However, after a few hours it smells like cigarette smoke on my skin (I don't smoke)! I had issues with other perfumes such as Bvlgari Man (the one you don't care for), Dunhill X-centric and to a lesser degree Eros. That is why I prefer to remove from my collection those that don't last on my skin and opt for those that do, especially with my new downsizing policy where I try to keep it under 35 bottles.
What a fragrance smells like on paper and what it smells like on skin are two very different things. Your diet, hydration and skin care routine also affect the way fragrance smells and its longevity. There are people who have skin that seems to “eat” fragrance or that amplify or distort certain notes. Some people seem to be anomic to certain notes and that is fatal if it happens to be a base note. If longevity is that important to you, you have to sample before buying and you have to try it several times before you will get a true picture of performance. For myself, I don’t really care. I have great skin chemistry and I get 5-6 hours out of the lightest of fragrances. I don’t mind reapplying or showering and starting over. I have to echo your discussion on concentration. Some Colognes last forever and some extraits are very discrete and close. Buy what you love and maybe just buy what lasts forever on you.
Love your educational content. I appreciate you taking these topics and diving into them and debunking myths. Definitely one of my favorite videos within your content library. Thanks Justin
In a higher concentration, the perfumer needs to use larger molecules, i.e. “base notes” in larger quantities than in lower concentrations. There are many reasons for this, one of which is that in higher concentrations, top and mid notes will be screechy if used in high quantities. Since larger molecules sit closer to the skin and don’t project as much, the result is that perfumes with higher concentrations may have more longevity, but maybe less sillage than their EDT counterparts. This also means that EDP and Parfum flankers usually have very different formulas than the original EDT. So they’re definitely not just “stronger versions” of the EDT.
You explained it very well brother, I also want to add weather factor. I mean heat and humidity effects any scent's performance. And considering all these factors, it's better to concentrate on how much you like a scent, how it makes you feel and enjoying the experience imho.
If the room someone is in has a scent, maybe coffee in the morning, or just some light cleaning supplies if they work in a large office building, that can make it harder to detect the fragrance even though it's definitely there.
In my experience ( and I'm not a perfumer ) synthetic fragrances are much stronger than last longer. Most Gaultier fragrances are very strong and long lasting, and they are mostly synthetic.
I wish I would’ve known this stuff 239 bottles ago. I love fragrances that last a long time and filled the room but the smell to my nose now is more important than room feeling or long lasting sense
Justin, I don't remember which video it was, but I follow your spray routine, 2 behind each ear, one in the back and one on each collar bone. That's 7, I rarely go over that. Since I do that, I don't go noseblind anymore to any fragrance. Last summer and fall I got in the Curly, Don't be a Sissy sprayer mode (10 to 18 sprays) and I got olfactory fatigue most of the time. Now it's your spray routine, I love it, thanks bro :)
@@stayfreshproductions You're such a smart a reviewer, sensitive and cool, like the music you play :) I also appreciate the fact that you do collaborations with other content creators which is not common apparently ;) Peace, love and happiness through being fresh, smelling good and being kind to others :)
I also rotate fragrances. I force myself to wear weak performers, citrus freshies etc, all to help protect my nose. Because I can sometimes go overboard, I force myself to go easy sometimes.
Hmm, great video you hit the nail right on the head. Though I wouldn't purchase expensive fragrance just for it to last in a short while, my own opinion.
Well, this now explains a bit why my great-grandmother used to smell like a bunch of dead flowers. She was a lovely lady, but her perfume was toxic. Up to this day I kind of avoid scents with strong flowery notes! No offence to those who like them though! By the way, great content 👌
I LOVE THE WAY YOU THINK BUT CONCENTRATION SHOULD AFFECT PERFORMANCE. IN CASES WHERE WE HAVE HIGHLY VOLATILE (VERY REACTIVE WITH SKIN AND AIR AND TEMPERATURE) PARFUMERS SHOULD INCREASE CONCENTRATIONS WITHIN THE DICTATES OF INTERNATIONA CONVENTIONS.
I have two inexpensive perfumes, a musk and a sandalwood, both lovely, but - I just cannot smell them once I've sprayed them on me. I keep wondering if it's the cold weather, so I'll try them again come summer to see if there's a difference. If these two perfumes had a greater projection and longevity I wouldn't need to search for any other, because in all other ways they're perfect.
also 2 nonenal reacts against perfum, and soap doesn't remove it from our skin, its concentration in skin increases as we get older and older, that molecule is the source of "old dude smell"
where you spray matters... I use to spray on chest/front of neck and it will cause you to go "nose blind" - just my experience... also certain fragrances/certain weather - like citrus frags do better longevity wise in the colder weather... in heat - just seems to evaporate off skin faster (which sucks because that's the type of fragrance many people want to wear in summer) - The only house that consistently does well longevity wise (in my experience), no matter what notes hey use has been Xerjoff (there are other houses that hit some out of the park as well, im just talking consistency). As for sprays, and you may not agree... but no matter what im spraying... i do behind each ear, behind neck, and each wrist... summer fragrances maybe the whole forearm (depends)
Guys, nothing lasts on me, literally. The scents vaporating with l alhocol, after maybe one minute i can feel only base notes, which stay for maybe 2hr, but i can smell it only if i touch the sprayed spot with my nose. I've got good smell, i can smell it from my clothes very good, but on my skin it doesn't work at all. I use butter for skin, moisturizer with 5.5ph, also for just 5 mins before applying the scent, i use no parfum moisturizer. I drink enough water, i can say it just looking at colour of my urine. Also i tried, i think, more than 60 different feagrances. Amouage Beach Hunt lasted the longest: 30 minut of projection (i could smell it from me), albo then i could smell it on my skin (from 5cm), and that's it. I doesnt really Change anything, if i use 1, 2 or 10 sprays. I tried everything. Nothing can help me, maybe you'll have some idea? Also i eat healthy, most of time low carb, i do gym, i use good soap for washing, a lot of lotions, butters, just WTF? I'm sure it's not "noseblind"! Amouage Interlude lastst for 40 min. after heavly oversprayed, like 12 sprays on me. I should kill someone, or at leasts, some fly xd but no, the projection was about 20cm. help me.. i feel like i searched whole web and i can't find solution or someone like me. (xerjoff erba pura 30 minut of projection, and that's simply it. could feel after touching skin with my nose for about 4hr, that's a new record... bleu de chanel lasts form 30 min, 5 min of projection ~20cm, tuscan leather by TF lasts for 40 min, 3 mina of projection... )
One time I bought the same fragrance that I smelled on my friend, I used to feel it on him for a full day, I got it and turned out I could barely feel it on me after just one hour, and I checked with others and they had to get really close to feel it. What I forgot to consider was the fact that he s got an oilier skin type than me, my skin is usually very dry so if i want to get better performance i have to use non perfume moisturizer.
We had an elderly lady in my building that you could tell she was around without any problem. Her perfume was so strong it gave me a headache if she came within 5 feet of me. It'd be in the hallways for hours, stay in an office for at least 1/2 hour after she left. Horrible.
Application. I can still smell the Armaf Club De Nuit Intense (Creed Aventus clone) I hit myself with yesterday afternoon. It is now 2:30 pm the following day..
9:24 what i will usually do is look for patterns when it comes to performance. so if many people (on say, fragrantica) are saying that performance is strong, i will remember that. on the other hand, if users consistently claim that performance is weak, i will believe it.
There can always be exceptions...if a scent genuinely interests you, regardless of what people say about performance, I still encourage you to get a sample and see for yourself.
Speaking of skin chemistry. I’ve gotten only compliments from colognes with coffee listed. Maybe my skin is good with coffee idk. You have any suggestions? Polo red intense is great but discontinued
