Perfume layering is trending on TikTok right now as the perfect way to create a fully personalized signature fragrance that lasts all day—and it's easier than you might think.
How to layer scents (Getty Images)
When it comes to perfume, there's nothing quite like finding a scent that's truly yours. Choosing the right scent combination is a very personal thing. The right scent can boost your confidence as well as evoke some pretty strong nostalgic feelings and emotional responses. But sometimes, your favorite perfume can lose its appeal and make you feel less special when you realize that hundreds of other people are wearing it.
Thankfully, TikTok always offers simple solutions to our beauty woes, and the latest technique taking social media by storm is scent layering. This method couldn't be simpler, but it creates a completely unique, bespoke scent so you don't have to worry about smelling the same as half the people in your office. Layering is also a great way to make your perfume last longer.
Emma @perfumerism on TikTok shares a perfume that can be used as a simple base fragrance (@perfumerism/TikTok)
TikToker Emma @perfumerism shared a handy how-to guide with three simple rules on the best way to layer scents: The first, and simplest, is to pick a scent you love and layer it with another similar scent.
For example, if you love vanilla scents, you can layer Eris Brooklyn's Vanilla Milk with Sabrina Carpenter's new Caramel Dream EDP. Both have vanilla as their main scent, but each combines different notes around the vanilla note to create a totally unique scent.
Another way to layer, Emma suggests, is to mix a more complex perfume with a simpler one. Examples of simple scents include vanilla, which is sweet enough to be mixed with almost anything, or musk, which has a fresh, clean smell. These make the perfect base for almost any perfume and can completely transform the scent of a stronger perfume within seconds.
Emma recommends either Kayali Vanilla 28 Eau de Parfum or Dead Cool Milk Layering + Enhancer Eau de Parfum as a base, then add your favourite perfume on top to create your favourite scent. We're big fans of the new Steve Madden Goldie perfume, which smells of sandalwood, patchouli and gardenia petals.
She also shared which types of perfume scents go well together (@perfumerism/TikTok).
Finally, you can layer well-known harmonious scents, like fruity and floral, or saffron and leather, to create a totally unique signature fragrance. Emma's top recommendation is layering the lychee-scented Kayali Eden Sparkling Lychee 39 with a more floral scent like Prada Paradoxe.
Her final advice is to avoid layering very complex perfumes, such as Obvious's Une Pistache, which contains notes of carrot, pistachio, and sandalwood and is much harder to blend and mix. Instead, she recommends sticking to designer and independent perfumes, which tend to have simpler, more straightforward scent profiles and reduce the risk of too many scents clashing. But the most important thing is to find the scent that's right for you. So have fun experimenting.
