Skin Types and Fragrances

There are two basic skin types, dry and oily. Most fair-skinned and light haired people tend to have drier skin. This skin type can have trouble with fragrance longevity and generally they need to reapply after a few hours. This is because the fragrance is absorbed by the skin due to the skin's dryness.

On the other, hand brunettes generally have oilier skin with more natural moisture. Oiler skin will hold fragrance for many hours without any longevity issues. Generally, brunettes should be careful of this and apply less fragrance.

Acidity or alkalinity, otherwise known as pH levels, are different from person to person. The amount of acidity in you skin will also effect how a fragrance's ingredients will react with your body chemistry. A healthy normal skin pH is slightly acidic at pH 4 - 6.4, a neutral pH is pH 7 and an alkaline pH is usually pH 7 or above. Fragrances can smell differently on skin that is alkaline (pH 7 or above). They can be directly effected or altered by this alkaline pH in the skin. This is one reason that testing fragrances directly on the skin is the best evaluations to whether you truly like the scent. When testing on paper, you are not experiencing the fragrance's interaction with the pH of your skin.

There is a non-medical reason that skin can have an alkaline pH. Some bar soaps are actually alkaline. There are a few manufacturers that offer non alkaline soap such as Cetaphil, which is specifically made for people with dry skin. Alkaline bar soaps can upset your skin's natural balance. Medical conditions such as eczema, dermatitis and diabetes are the most common conditions that can lower the pH of a persons skin.

One method to make a fragrance last longer, especially for fair-skinned people, is to moisturize the skin before applying your fragrance. It is suggested that you choose a moisturizer that is unscented. This way you will not layer too many different scents on top of one another and subsequently combine your fragrance unintentionally. This method can be used by anyone that has an issue with fragrance holding to their skin.

One way to keep everyone happy about your zest for wearing fragrances is to practice the Perfume Bubble theory. People should not be able to smell your fragrance before they actually see you. If people can smell your fragrance in less than an arm's reach, you've applied too much.