The end of a love affair-Scents that have lost their magic ?

Stop with the shouting. Are you okay?

Oh. On my planet we call that shouting, but whatever you say darling.

Everyone is free to make up their own mind and make conclusions based on their own experience and knowledge.

Cryptic,
Please save your brilliant mind for stuff that matters.

Summary of what I have observed in this heated debate:

Cruella thinks that we think that the skin is changing the manufacturer's perfume. She says, skin cannot do this.

Nobody says that skin changes the molecules of the manufactured scent. All we say is that the

EFFECT (and here I am "shouting" for emphasis) is such that

the unique body scent of an individual mixes with the perfume that has been sprayed on the top of the skin. It is then a COMBINATION.

Different skin types have different skin temperatures, and that influences the release of the top notes.

So top notes mix with body scent at varying speeds with different individuals, and the

RESULT IS DIFFERENT.

It may not be much, but it is there. Like Dulcemio says, she has experienced it. So have others.

What we have here is two different streams of scent - one from the body and the other from the applied perfume, and the two of them mix. In tandem.

Skin stays intact and exudes a personal scent. Parfum stays intact and is layed on top of the skin.

Together they make a symphony.

The notes vary from person to person.

Just 3 quick things because this has become tiresome:
- 'salt' is an ionic compound if you mean table salt. Hence why it is crystalline. There are about 1000 other salts. If anyone's skin is exuding table salt seek medical attention now. Sweat is mostly water with some other bits and pieces, minerals etc including minute traces of sodium etc
- I often walk about and clearly recognize perfumes on various people. Does this mean they have precisely the same body chemistry as me? The same odor fingerprint?
- look up olfactory receptors - read about how our brains are programmed to perceive smells - our skin only changes the rate at which perfumes evaporate and how long they last. If you sweat a lot the water will wash off the perfume.

It's not rocket science but it is science.

As this debate is going on and on and on, I am beginning to ask myself whether this not feeding a Troll.

Cruella, correct me if I am wrong.

I think the dissonance between opinions here is mostly due to the use of terms that not all understand in the same way. I don't think anyone is saying that perfumes have various and palpable chemical reactions on different people's skin. That's flatly ridiculous unless you're some kind of mutant or the perfume had ingredients that really shouldn't be in a perfume.

On the other hand, people do have individual scents. Whether these individual scents are natural, a factor of individual make-up, hormones and environment, things like daily scented products (shampoo, soap, clothing detergent) is not really important to the point, so others can argue where that individual aroma comes from. But it is there.

If someone completely baseline, an almost impossibly neutral control subject were to wear a perfume, it would smell one way. I imagine the perfume on them would smell almost like it would on paper.
But... if you were to spray that same perfume on someone that had any combination of the following:

- oilier skin (and skin oils are important... anyone with an appreciation of perfume fixatives can come to this realisation as it effects both the tone and longevity of the perfume)
- products that have left other perfume notes on the skin
- perhaps their skin temperature is higher/lower and causes the perfume to dry down in a slightly different fashion, which can change the natural unfolding of the note structure, something I'm sure we've all experienced before
- also, if sunlight can effect scent molecules in bottled perfume over time, consider that the molecules in a thin layer on the skin will be broken under sunlight... so whether the perfume is being worn indoors, outdoors
- the environment itself coming into play adds myriad more factors.

I'm just listing a few factors off the top of my head, I'm sure those reading could add more. But all of these factors will change the scent a little as someone is wearing it.

Is it "skin chemistry"? I don't think it's a helpful term to use as apparently it seeds a lot of misunderstanding. Does it have to do with the chemicals on someone's skin? Yes, sure. Is it a chemical reaction with the skin itself? No. Or, at most, barely. Other factors are much more influential.

Are perfumes going to be different on various people? Unless you can isolate yourself from all the points on that list, your perfume is going to smell at least a little different from how it does on the impossible control or a paper strip. That said, it may not always be perceptible. And if the person next to you shares most of those factors with you, you'll probably end up smelling very similar!

Are some perfumes more likely to change scent than others? I'd say yes. Perfumes that have better fixatives, perfumes that have higher odour impact and longevity are going to remain "true" longer than others. They're just not as easily pushed around.

Can we stop with the dick-sizing and slapping now? Or, if you guys are still super keen on it, can I join in?

Cruella,

Why do you care SO much what other people think about this?

You sound very angry and upset, and your rants are becoming more and more hostile.

Don't let us get to you! Life is too short.

How about this bombshell:

Is it true that fragrance reacts differently on blondes, brunettes and redheads?

Probably. True blondes often have a dry skin that lacks the oils needed to hold scent. As a result, fragrances evaporate more rapidly from their skin.

Brunettes, on the other hand, usually have skin that holds fragrance well because it is much richer in natural oils.

True redheads generally have skin that’s fair and delicate, characterised by fine pores and a slightly higher body temperature. Their skin releases the true notes of most fragrances but its warmth tends to make fragrances fade quite quickly.

From "Top 100 perfume questions", as answered by Michael Edwards, the author of Fragrances of the World, a.k.a “The Fragrance Industry Bible”. 29th Edition as of 2013.

http://www.fragrancesoftheworld.com/Top100Ques tions.aspx

I know this is not going to change anyone's position in this debate. I will shut up now

If what I wrote is "mumbo jumbo" to you, I imagine you either didn't read it or are completely incapable of even considering points that don't align with your own. In which case I'd suggest that forums are not a place for you, seeing as how they're about sharing opinions rather than simply yelling into a void and browbeating anyone that disagrees.

Almost every member has substantiated his/her post with a link to back up what was said.

You talk ... but you have not supplied one single link to back up your view.

"Putting people in their place"? Wow. You are as arrogant as you are narrow-minded. If you seriously think that every single factor I mentioned is "pseudoscience" than I'm not sure what kind of scientist you think you are.

*sigh*

Ugh.