How strong do you like your perfumes?

[Kelly]

I somewhat recently started making perfume oils (which I love doing!) and my fiance and I have a disagreement. I hope someone can help us!

I like my perfumes (including body sprays) to be strong enough to be noticed by others even when they aren't standing in my personal space. I don't want to kill anyone with over-powering scent but I want them to be able to notice it.

My fiance says you shouldn't be able to smell someone's perfume unless you are in their personal space or a breeze happens to lightly carry it occassionally.

Who is right? He thinks I'm making my oils perfect but I think they are too light! I want to be able to smell it at all times, not just when I move my arm past my face or when some air moves it towards my sniffer!

(For those curious I do a 30-40% FO with the rest carrier oils. I have went up to 50% for some lighter scents and don't want to go much higher than that.)

Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?

[EmpressC]

I have the same disagreement with my wonderful boyfriend. He likes things lightly scented. But I keep telling him he's not the "average" consumer. My experience is that woman in particular want their scent moderately strong and want it to last as long as possible (i.e., all day). At least that's been my experience.

Think of the people you plan to sell to and what THEY might want. Natural products are somewhat more expected to have a not so strong scent. Fragrance perfumes, I think stronger is better...though not overpowering.

[Kelly]

Well, I would think the average consumer to be more like myself, like you said, wanting a strong, long lasting scent. Since I'm already using the "normal" recipe, and don't especially want to increase it (would you recommend stronger than what I'm doing?) maybe I just get used to the scent(s) because I wear them all day!

Same with my candles, after awhile I just don't smell them anymore, until I leave the room and come back into it.

[SheilaW]

I think your boyfriend is right. !!!!!

Even though you may love the fragrance that you have on everyone else may not want to taste it as you walk by.

If it's strong enough for you to smell it all day then I can assure you that it is much too strong for everyone else.

Just out of curiosity why would you want people to notice your perfume unless they are close to you???

[RobinInOR]

I'm with your boyfriend too. Nothing worse than having to smell someone else from a mile away. Think of people with allergies. If someone can smell you outside of your personal space, you've invaded *their* personal space.

We have horrible issues with people at work with strong perfumes, and even men with after shave that can gag you.

[Kelly]

Just out of curiosity why would you want people to notice your perfume unless they are close to you???

Good question. And I'm not sure I have a good answer! I think it's just because I love smells so much that I want to force them upon everyone else regardless of what they may want. I guess, I want to walk passed someone and them be like "Hey! She smells good!"

Haven't you ever been out somewhere and there is always that person that you can smell her perfume within a 6 foot radius of her? Ok, I don't want to be that smelly. And I want people to be happy with my product. I see people out there advertising how they use straight cosmetic grade FO for their perfume oils and it makes me nervous because they put down the types made with carrier oils. Even though, IMHO, those made with carriers are more natural and much safer for the skin. They say how theirs are so much stronger because they don't use carriers, I guess I want to be able to compete since I'm not just making oils for myself anymore.

I don't want to have to stick my wrist in someone's face and be like "See, doesn't this smell good? I put this on 6 hours ago isn't that amazing?" I want them to notice it and be like "Hey what's that you are wearing?"

Don't ask me questions! Then I feel like I have to answer them and then I feel like I'm being silly!!!

[elitenaildesign]

I am with your bf on this. I hate smelling someone else's perfume especially when its super strong. If its a nice light scent then no problem. Just like I love pink sugar, but it makes my husband gag. I usually douse myself in perfume everyday and in an hour its completley gone

[Meridith]

I work with 2 gals that wear their perfumes so heavily that you can smell them all over the office and their perfume lingers forever. Sometimes, many of us complain of the scent and how strong it is. Nothing like an instant headache.

If someone can smell you before they see you or long after you've left a room, then your perfume is way too strong. Your perfume should be subtle and only able to be detected if the person is right on you.

[ladysj]

I agree also with the being too strong part. I have a very sensitive nose and to have someone's perfume smell that strong especially when it's a scent that gag's me and or gives me an instant headache really ticks me off.

I've had people standing next to me tell me how good I smell or ask what I was wearing but they couldn't smell me coming from 10 blocks away either.

[P&V]

I'm with Meridith on this. We just had this conversation the other night at my friends house. Her husband swears that if a scent is so strong he smell her before he sees her or after she left, she's hiding the fact that she didn't bath.

I do think our nose gets used to smells. When I wear perfume & I can't smell it, others do.

[mizbizzyb]

Well I guess I am the odd ball - I like it midly strong where others can say "ooooh" I sell oils too - and since I have started and people ask what I have on they end up buying - example guy at work wore some and people like how he smelled - made $200 that day.

[blazerina]

You definitely can't forget that you WILL loose the trail of the scent while it will be available for others still.

If you make other products besides the oil, why not play up the layering of product? It is more effective, lasts longer and you will sell more because they buy the matching products and because they will use it up more if you advocate ALL the pulse points. I don't think you need to make the product stronger per sey....but if someone wants it to be, it's just a matter of changing their application. The single biggest and best way to make scent last AND travel?? (other than layering...) is to apply it to the under side of hair. Hair moves almost constantly in some way or other. It is absorbant and porous so it has great holding power and it's warm there so it gives the scent off well. I'm sure there is some kind of easy hair perfume spray you can make to sell as well.

I have to say though, I have never been as gagged by any female perfume as much as I have by a mans cologne. Man that stuff is thick when it's in the air, lol.:rolleyes2

I think if someone's scent is waaay too strong, people wonder why he/she's trying so hard. And then a not so nice adjective comes to mind, lol. JMHO though.

[Kelly]

Funny thing, tonight we went out and one of our friends walked into the restaurant smelling strongly of some cologne. And then after a few minutes I didn't notice it anymore and totally forgot about it until I just got home and read this thread again.

Clearly whatever he was wearing didn't just vanish. He walked to the restaurant about 10 blocks, then got there so clearly it didn't just poof after he arrived... I must just get used to smells quickly.

If I put my wrist to my nose I can still smell a gentle hint of my perfume oil after 8 hours of being out in our humid weather. So I guess, maybe it is better than I think? Maybe I just get used to smells quicker than some people, like my fiance which makes me think my perfumes oils aren't strong enough.

And maybe it's 2am and I'm really tired!

[malaki]

i have to be a odd ball 2 i like to SMELL my perfumes. i think its kind of stupid to spend all that money on perfume and not be able to smell it 10 minutes later is a waste. just my 2 cents. i say do what you think is right.

[eugenia]

Your BF is correct; perfume should not be overpowering.

e

[evesorto]

I like it strong, too. I am rarely offended by any particular scent.

thats just me,

eve

[Sylvie]

I don't like being accosted by others' scents, especially when I'm in a situation that doesn't allow for escape, such as being a passenger in a car with someone wearing too-strong cologne or perfume. We do get anesthetized to our own scents, so your perfume is probably more effective than you realize.

[mizbizzyb]

I switch scents everyday - don't go 2 days smelling the same. so I don't get used to it - to prevent putting too much on cause "I" can't smell it. Depending on the day (special event, regular day, etc) I will probably go 7-10 days before wearing the same scent.

[coloresse]

Hi Kelly and all,

Great question! Fragrance evokes such an emotional response, doesn't it? I'm a complete perfume addict so this post caught my eye.

Lots of ppl are sensitive to perfume. Out of courtesy, if I'm going to be around others in an enclosed space, I stick to wearing fairly neutral, light scents. Or I might wear only a scented lotion and no spray. I wish more folks were considerate of others when it comes to wearing fragrance. Some fragrances can induce migraines. My DD and I have talked about this. Most days there is a wave of coconut-pineapple-cake-sugar-pinkness spilling out of her bedroom into the house! I adore fragrance and yet her stuff makes me gag. So my answer would be, scent your personal space and stay outta mine.

One of my favorite B&B makers offers the option to customers to adjust their scent strength. I think that's a brilliant idea! You can request Light, Med or Strong. She's pleasing her customers with this custom service. And in the end it saves her money too, I would imagine.

For my personal use, I like my perfume oils to be strong. Oils don't waft much (sillage). The scent lingers close to the body. In my experience, if they're blended strong, I use less and they last.

With sprays, it's nice to own a variety of strengths. In warmer months, a sheer veil - in Winter, pure parfum is nice IMO. So as a buyer, I like to have the option of light or strong, depending on how, when or where I will wear the scent.

Hope this helps somehow.

[Jadryga]

I'm with the boyfriend, I can't stand strong smells unless they're the crisp, "blue" sort of scent like Davidoff Cool Water. I'm particular about scents, certain ones give me headaches... can't even stand smelling myself if I don't like the scent. Maybe it's because Malaysia's hot and humid all year round as well, so scents are magnified somewhat.

[CareBear]

I think too strong perfume is obnoxious. It's actually a bit like being attacked to have someones perfume come at me. If I walk into your space then it's by choice. If I get a whiff of it as you walk by that's nice. If it stands on it's own or reaches out then I get very unhappy. And it had better leave with you.

If you want something YOU can smell consider applying a bit of the oil to your wrist, but don't spray it on like hairspray - ugh!

If I wanted that perfume lingering around me I'd be wearing it.

[Kelly]

Don't worry everyone, I told him last week that he won the "arguement". He was quite pleased. But I'll let him have one, since they are so rare.

[jaybyrd]

I prefer a more subtle fragrance, too. It's much more intriguing and attention getting (in the good way) just to catch a whiff as someone passes by.

[Crafty1]

I guess I am in the middle, I like my scents strong enough that it is noticed by others, when maybe not in my personal space but fairly close. I don't like the scent so strong that it is annoying to others. I hope this makes sense.