How To Make Your Perfume Last Longer, According To TikTok

Here’s how it usually goes: You splurge on a perfume for its carefully curated notes of mandarin and sandalwood and excitedly spray it onto your pulse points only to have it dissipate by your mid-morning coffee break. It’s frustrating, but you’re also afraid to spritz on too much and be that person. Well, thanks to the world of TikTok beauty hacks, there’s a simple solution that’ll ensure you can enjoy sniffing your favorite fragrance throughout the day.

How do you make your perfume last longer? According to TikTok, all you need is a tub of Vaseline. Just spread a thin layer of the product over your pulse points, then spray your perfume on top. The idea is that the ointment will hold onto your fragrance a lot longer than your skin would. And beauty experts back this up.

Licensed esthetician and founder of Amethyst Skincare Nicole Simpson says fragrance needs something to hold onto in the form of lipids (or oils). “Vaseline is often used as a base for fragrance for this exact reason,” she tells Bustle. “It’s so rich in lipids that it acts like a sticker by holding fragrance on the skin for as long as possible.”

You don’t necessarily need Vaseline for the hack. Applying your favorite lotion or body cream will accomplish the same goal. Simpson recommends looking for those that contain avocado or olive oil, which are two lipid-rich botanical extracts.

Southern California-based dermatologist Dr. Shirley Chi, M.D., offers another pointer for making your fragrance last, and it has to do with the perfume you buy. “I usually recommend choosing the parfum rather than the eau de toilette,” she tells Bustle. Because eau de parfum is more concentrated and oil-based, it’ll last longer on the skin versus an eau de toilette, in which oils tend to be diluted with water or alcohol. Moral of the story? Oils are your fragrance’s BFF.

Studies referenced:

Loden, M. (2000). Skin-identical lipids versus petrolatum in the treatment of tape-stripped and detergent-perturbed human skin. Acta Derm Venereol. DOI: 10.1080/000155500300012774

Wei, M. (2020). Polymer carriers for controlled fragrance release. Mater. Res. Express7 082001

Experts:

Dr. Shirley Chi, M.D., board-certified dermatologist

Nicole Simpson, licensed esthetician and founder of Amethyst Skincare