Have you ever worn a perfume, and realized when you walk pass people, no one noticed it, yes? And I bet you were disappointed, if not let down, Or did anyone leave the room and the trail of their perfume still lingers around long after they have left and you are looking to create sure effect, then you should continue reading. We would be giving you all the facts and juicy tips to get that fragrance trail or sillage but firstly let’s dive into a quick history on perfume.
How it started
Tapputi-belatekallim is considered the first perfume maker, mentioned in a cuneiform tablet dated around 1200 BC, making it a substantial prove of the existence of perfumes. In ancient Egypt which is said to be the birth place of perfumes, they were used to distinguish nobility, for divination and ceremonies. The word perfume is a Greek word meaning “through smoke”, because the ancient Egyptians firstly made perfumes from burning incense, herbs and myrrh. Now you are up to speed on the brief history/origin of perfumes, lets go to the juicy stuff.
So now what is Sillage?
Sillage is a French word meaning “wake” or “trail” used to describe the trail left behind by a boat, which was adopted into perfumery to describe the trail left behind by a perfume when it’s worn on the skin, hence the saying “The Sillage of a perfume”.
Well it is quite obvious why we wear perfume, but the most obvious is to be more memorable. The Sillage of a perfume is one of the determining factors of how memorable a fragrance can be to a person. Let’s dive into easy tips on how to increase the Sillage of your perfume.
HOW TO INCREASE SILLAGE OF A FRAGRANCE
MOISTURIZE SKIN: Moisturizing skin with non-scented lotion/creams will help lock-in the fragrance and create a lasting and memorable effect. Especially your pulse points (wrist, behind your neck, neckline) you should apply an extra moisturizing balm like a Vaseline, which serves as an extra base to lock-in your fragrance.
DON’T RUB IN YOU FRAGRANCE: Rubbing your wrists together breaks down the structure of the fragrance, causing the top notes to break down faster than they should. This messes with the Sillage of the fragrance. If you can’t spray your fragrance, gently dab it on your skin.
APPLY ON A PIECE OF CLOTHING: Spray fragrance on a piece of clothing like a leather jacket or a silk scarf, it can help hold down the fragrance and increase Sillage.
STORE PERFUME IN A COOL AND DARK PLACE: Fluctuating temperature and direct sunlight can also result to a breakdown in the structure of your fragrance and cause it to lose its Sillage and projection. Don’t store in your car or hot places!!!
KNOW YOUR PERFUME STRENGHT: Some factors play a role in why some fragrance last longer than others and have more Sillage, so buying the right strength or kind is important to create that trail effect;
Concentration: Which is the ratio of fragrance oil to alcohol. The more oil to alcohol ratio, the more concentrated the fragrance, chanel bleu de chanel eau de parfum and chanel bleu de chanel parfum an example of eau de parfum and pure parfum which has a high oil to alcohol ratio, while the less concentrated versions of the same scent, Chanel bleu de chanel eau de toilette which has less fragrance oil to alcohol ratio.
Ingredients: The more animalistic notes or oriental notes like Amber and Musk a perfume has, the more likely the fragrance will have more strength and Sillage despite the concentration, examples are Maison Oud Amber Oud, Amouage interlude 53, Intio fragrances and many other fragrances like them.
By using these tips and tricks you can get your fragrance to last as long as possible and also increase its Sillage. Also don’t forget to shop with essenza or Visit any Essenza store near you, our Beauty Advisors will be glad to help.
Author: Maryjane Nwokiwu
