We may earn a commission from links on our website, but this doesn't influence the opinions of our editors.

Fragrance Layering Guide: Here’s How To Layer Perfume

Last Updated: March 17, 2023

Perfume girlies, this guide is for you! 

So you’ve found the scents you love and work well with your body (which was probably already hard enough), and now you want to start mixing because one lovely scent just isn’t enough.

If you’ve heard of fragrance layering and are wondering how to layer perfume, you’ve come to the right place.

To discover how to wear more than one perfume at once and mix fragrances without causing headaches, read this guide on fragrance layering to learn exactly how to layer perfumes.

What Is Fragrance Layering?

Fragrance layering is precisely how it sounds—putting one fragrance or scent on top of the other. 

Fragrance layering is a technique people use when they want to create a new personalized fragrance or when they want to amplify and intensify a scent. Not only does this technique allow perfume fanatics to experiment with different scents, but it can also help fragrances linger longer on the skin!

How To Layer Perfume

There are different ways to layer scents that aren’t limited to perfumes. Fragrance layering can also include scented lotions and creams, so we’re going to show you the different ways you can go about layering your scents. 

Mixing Perfumes

  1. Find perfumes you want to experiment with. There are a number of scents that you can mix and match, and you’ll never know what will work unless you try it! One of the best ways to mix and match, though, is to look at a fragrance’s notes. 

Perfumes are identified by their notes:

  • Top Notes: Typically includes the lighter and citrusry smells. Top notes can be sweet or bitter and can also include aromatic herbs. 
  • Heart Notes: Makes up a majority of a fragrance. Usually fruity or floral and includes body oils.
  • Base Notes: Usually made up of the scents that’ll linger the longest. These scents are rich and heavy and forms the perfume’s foundation. 

Find different perfumes that’ll compliment each other and bring out the best of each fragrance. You can try mixing florals with woodsy smells, minty scents with citrusy smells, and more. The possibilities are truly endless. 

Just remember, we recommend mixing a maximum of three scents. Otherwise, the end result might be a little chaotic. Try starting with simple notes like vanilla and building from there.

Note: If you don’t have a variety of fragrances in your collection to test, Microperfumes is a great place to get affordable fragrance samples (check out our Microperfumes review for more details). You can also get samples from other online perfume stores and many local department stores.

  1. Figure out where you want to layer your scents. When layering perfumes, you don’t necessarily need to spray one fragrance on top of the other. Instead, you can apply different perfumes to different parts of your body.

Here are the most common places to apply perfume:

  • Pulse Points
  • The inside of the wrist
  • Behind the ears
  • Cleavage
  • Behind the knees
  1. Spritz away and smell the magic. When layering fragrances on top of one another, a rule of thumb is that the heaviest, strongest, and richest scent goes first. Then, follow up with the lightest scent. If you do it the other way around, it’s likely that the light scent will just get swallowed up by the heavier one. 

Fragrance layering is all about balance, but it also involves experimentation. So don’t be discouraged if your first try’s result isn’t the vibe you were going for, you can always try again.

RELATED: 9 Best Perfume Subscription Boxes to Try New Scents

Layering Perfumes With Lotions & Creams

As mentioned, fragrance layering includes all fragrances—like scented lotions and body creams. 

In fact, a long-standing beauty tip to keeping your perfume last longer is to spray it on top of a lotion, and here’s why. 

When you’re putting on a scented lotion or cream, that can be seen as your base scent. By moisturizing the skin, you’re essentially prepping it to receive the perfume. This is because moisturized skin helps the perfume “stick” longer, similar to when you apply a primer before applying makeup.  

And if you want to lock in the perfume to help it last longer, you can put another light layer of lotion on top.

In Conclusion

Layering and mixing perfumes is all about experimenting and having fun, so don’t worry if you’re having some trouble initially.

We hope you learned everything you need to know regarding how to layer perfume! Finding your perfect scent and knowing what works for you is an incredible feeling, so go out there and find your signature fragrance.

UP NEXT: Our Perfume.com Reviews: Are They Reliable?

Leave a Comment