Perfume and Skin Type: Dry or Oily, What to Wear

There is one kind of question we get almost every week: "This scent smelled lovely everywhere else, so why does it go so faint on me?" Or the opposite: "Why does Sauvage smell pleasant on my partner, but like a sauna on me?"

Most of the answer comes down to two words: skin type. Whether your skin is oily or dry, how hydrated it is, whether your body runs warm or cool - each of these affects how a perfume evaporates. This is not mysticism. Perfume is a mixture of scent molecules dissolved in alcohol, and the surface it sits on decides how quickly those molecules escape. This article is about that, and more importantly, about what you should do once you know which type of skin you have.

How oily and dry skin hold a scent differently

The most basic reason, and also the least disputed one: the aromatic compounds in perfume are largely oil-soluble. Skin with a thick lipid layer, that is oily skin, holds on to them for longer. Dry skin lacks that layer, so the scent molecules evaporate faster and the fragrance fades sooner. Research into the evaporation rate of fragrance molecules also shows that skin condition - hydration, transepidermal water loss, surface roughness - has an influence on this process.

What that means in practice:

• Oily skin: longevity is usually better, but the scent is also stronger in the first few hours. Bottles that are already heavy, such as Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille or Initio Oud for Greatness, can easily tip into too much on oily skin. Two sprays on oily skin can equal four on dry skin.
• Dry skin: the scent is softer, closer to the skin, but it tends to "vanish" after two or three hours. Light citrus bottles such as Acqua di Parma Colonia may only last an hour and a half on dry skin.
• Combination skin: very common, especially in hot weather. The neck and chest produce more oil than the wrists. Spraying on the oilier areas holds the scent noticeably better.

Body temperature belongs in this group too. People who run warm, or who sweat easily, push the top notes off faster and open the heart notes earlier. That is why the same bottle smells one way on a paper strip and another way on your own arm fifteen minutes later.

What about skin pH? Is it real

Yes, but it should be understood properly. Healthy human skin is slightly acidic, with a protective film called the acid mantle sitting at a pH of around 4.5 to 5.5. That acidity varies from person to person, from one area of the body to another, with the shower gel you use and with whether you have just been sweating.

Some materials are more sensitive to their environment than others. Citrus notes and aldehydes are volatile to begin with, so on hot, damp skin they disappear very quickly. Woods, amber and musks have heavier molecules, so they are more stable and less affected.

If a perfume turns sour or takes on a metallic edge on your skin after about an hour, it is most likely a reaction between your skin and the citrus or aldehyde notes in the formula. Switching to something built on a wood or amber base usually helps.

One thing should be said plainly: people blame pH for far more than it deserves. The amount of oil on your skin, its hydration and your body temperature explain most of the difference. pH is only one piece of it. Do not go to the trouble of measuring your skin's pH in order to choose a perfume, there is no need.

How to work out which group your skin belongs to

No equipment required. Try this:

1. Wash your face and hands with a gentle cleanser, pat dry, apply nothing afterwards.
2. Leave it alone in a cool room for about an hour.
3. Touch your neck, behind your ears, the inside of your wrist. If it feels slightly shiny and slick: you lean oily. If it feels tight, rough or slightly flaky: you lean dry.
4. One more thing to note: does your skin get dry and chapped during the Hanoi winter? If so, you almost certainly belong to the dry group in the cold months, even if you do not in summer.

That fourth point matters for people in the north. Your skin changes with the seasons, so your perfume should too. Hanoi summers are hot and humid, late spring brings long spells of nom am (the damp, muggy spring weather), skin produces more oil, and scents bloom quickly and project strongly. Winter is cold and dry, skin loses moisture, and that very same bottle seems weaker. Many people think their perfume has gone off, when in fact it is their skin that has changed.

In the south there is less variation. It is hot almost all year round, with only a rainy and a dry season, and most skin leans oily or combination; the usual problem is not a scent disappearing but a scent being far too much in an apartment block lift. Central Vietnam has two scenarios of its own: during the Lao wind season it is hot but dry, skin loses water fast and top notes fly off almost instantly; come the rainy and storm season the humidity is high and scents linger far longer.

Choosing a scent for your skin: specific directions

If your skin is dry and scents fade fast

Favour higher concentrations and heavy base notes. EDP or Parfum rather than EDT, and choose bottles with a clear drydown: woods, amber, vanilla, musk, tonka.

A few directions to consider:

• Parfums de Marly Layton (EDP): opens with apple, bergamot and lavender over a warm vanilla base, and holds well even on skin that struggles to keep a scent.
• Tom Ford Oud Wood: oud, sandalwood, tonka, fairly stable and not easily distorted by skin.
• Lattafa Khamrah (EDP): a spiced gourmand direction with cinnamon, nutmeg, dates, praline, vanilla and tonka, at an accessible price for testing whether your skin suits this style.

One more simple tip: moisturise before you spray. A layer of unscented lotion, or even a thin smear of Vaseline on the area you plan to spray, creates a base that holds the scent molecules. Many people find this step adds to how long the fragrance lasts.

If your skin is oily and scents go too strong

Your problem is the opposite: you need to dial down, not up.

• Cut down to one or two sprays, and avoid spraying right at the neck if you are heading to the office.
• Choose EDT or EDC rather than EDP for scent styles that are already heavy.
• Favour citrus, aquatics and green notes. Hermès Un Jardin sur le Nil (EDT) with green mango, grapefruit, lotus and a sycamore wood base, Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin, and Diptyque Philosykos are all bottles that oily skin handles beautifully, because your skin extends their life for you.
• Avoid spraying areas where you sweat a lot. Sweat mixed with heavy woods is not a pleasant combination.

If scents tend to turn sour on your skin

Try taking citrus out of the centre. Move to bottles where the top notes quickly give way to a woody base or a clean musk. Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume (EDP) is an extreme example in this direction: the formula revolves around what is essentially a single molecule, ambroxan, which is very hard for skin to spoil, and it tilts differently on each person while still staying clean. Le Labo Santal 33 is also in the stable group, though it is more divisive.