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From cooling and hydrating to refreshing and energising, body mists are an easy way to revive the skin, providing a much-needed pick-me-up with a hint of fragrance. Whether you like a refreshing burst of citrus or prefer a soothing smell of lavender, they are ideal for refreshing your mind with a spritz of fresh aromatherapy. Yet, their tantalising scent doesn’t seem to linger for long. So how long can you expect body mist fragrance to last?
Body mist fragrances last between 2-4 hours, depending on their composition. Natural body mists prepared with low amounts of essential oils evaporate much quicker than those made with fixatives, alcohol or synthetic fragrances.
Apart from ingredients, other factors determining how long the body mist will last on your skin include skin type, where you spray it and storage. Let’s delve deeper into each of these factors.
Table of Contents
- 5 Factors That Impact Longevity of the Body Mist Fragrance
- 5 Tips to Make Your Body Mist Fragrance Last Longer
- FAQs
5 Factors That Impact Longevity of the Body Mist Fragrance
When it comes to the longevity of the body mist fragrance, a few factors determine how long the scent will last. These include:
1. Fragrances used
Fragrance notes: Fragrances make up the scent of the body mists. The perfume industry classifies them as top, middle and base notes. The top notes are light scents that provide the initial fragrance burst and are responsible for first impressions. They also evaporate quickly, usually within thirty minutes. These include clary sage, lemon, grapefruit, peppermint and thyme.
Middle notes provide the main body of the fragrance. They are usually heavier and linger on your skin for several hours. They include florals like jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang and geranium.
Base notes provide long-lasting fragrance and stay the longest. They are the heaviest and the least volatile; hence they are the last to evaporate. They include frankincense, vanilla and sandalwood.
Top, middle and base notes are often blended to create a well-balanced lasting scent.
Fragrance origin: Fragrance can be natural or synthetic. While natural scents like essential oils are beautiful, they don’t last long as they evaporate quickly. In addition, their smell can fluctuate depending on the climate conditions, water availability, or temperature, among other factors, making it challenging to recreate the same scent. Hence, the fragrance industry often opts for more stable synthetic fragrances that last longer and give consistent results.
2. Fixatives and alcohol
Fixatives help your body’s mist fragrance to last longer on your skin. They help prevent the essential oils and fragrance notes from evaporating too quickly. Mosses, resins and musks are some of the most common fixatives used in fragrances. Alcohol, on the other hand, prevents volatile compounds in essential oils from oxidising, preserving the aroma in the body mists.
3. Skin type
Oily skin often gets a bad rep. But oily skin has its benefits. It tends to hold on to fragrances better, deterring them from evaporating too quickly. So if you have oily skin, the fragrance will linger on your skin for longer than on dry skin. If your skin is dry, applying lotion or body oil over the body mist may help extend the longevity of the fragrance.
4. Where you spray it
It’s best to spray the body mists at the pulse point. Common pulse points include the wrist, inner elbows, and behind knees. Heat will help to release fragrance gradually. Spritzing the mist all over before walking out will also improve the longevity of the scent.
5. Storage
It’s essential to store your body mists in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight. A closet is perfect for your body mist as it prevents light and fluctuating temperatures from degrading the fragrance.
Now that we covered the factors that impact the longevity of the fragrance, let’s see how you can make body mist last longer.
5 Tips to Make Your Body Mist Fragrance Last Longer
One of my favourite things about body mists is their ability to refresh, energise, and invigorate. What’s not to love? But what if your body mist doesn’t last as long as you’d hoped? Luckily with a few steps and tricks, you can maximise the longevity of your body mist.
1. Apply body mist right after a shower
As soon as you step out of the shower and your skin is still warm, spritz body mist all over your body and moisturise.
2. Follow up with a moisturiser
Applying moisturiser right after the body mist will help seal the fragrance and prevent it from evaporating too quickly.
3. Reapply
As mentioned earlier, body mist fragrance is light and doesn’t last for as long as perfumes, so you will need to reapply during the day. To make the most out of the fragrance, apply body mist to warmer parts of your body such as wrists, inner elbows, behind knees and ankles.
“Do not spritz the body mist on your skin if it contains phototoxic essential oils and you plan to spend a day in the sun. Applying phototoxic essential oils to the skin and spending prolonged hours in the sun can cause inflammation and even cell damage.
4. Layer your fragrance
Wearing several scented beauty products will ensure the scent will linger on your skin for longer. Combining complimentary body wash, moisturiser, and body mist will add depth and intensity to the fragrance. You can also layer your scent with a complementary aroma. For example, you could spritz a rose body mist over your vanilla-scented lotion or vice versa.
5. Store your body mists in a cool and dry place away from sunlight
As mentioned above, light and fluctuating temperatures can degrade the fragrance of your body mist. Keep your body mists in a cool and dry location away from direct sunlight. You can keep it in the fridge for a cooling effect.
When we wear a fragrance for a long time, we might stop noticing it, which is totally normal and perfectly natural. It is part of a physiological process of olfaction. Basically, this means our sense of smell can become desensitised to a particular scent if exposed to it for too long. If you can’t smell your body mist anymore, take a break from it and swap it for a different scent. It will help to clear your nose.
Wrap Up
Body mists are a great way to refresh your body and mind. They are an easy way to revive our skin and senses throughout the day. Understanding the factors that impact the longevity of the fragrance and how to apply them will help you make the most out of them.
FAQs
How much body mist to use?
Apply around two spritzes of body mist at the pulse points (e.g. your wrists, behind knees, inside elbows and neck) after the morning shower and reapply during the day. If you use natural body mist free of essential oils and alcohol, apply it all over your body, even your hair, whenever you like.
How often to use body mists?
Body mists are a fantastic way to refresh. Suppose you use a natural body mist made of soothing and moisturising aloe vera and hydrosols. In that case, you can reapply as often as you like really. However, suppose you use body mists that contain alcohol and essential oils. In that case, you refer to the producer’s instructions on how to use the product.
