For someone who makes no secret of her obsession with fragrance, I’m always surprised by how frequently people ask me to recommend one for someone who hates the stuff.
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Sometimes wearing more potent fragrances is impossible for those prone to allergies or migraines, but mostly it’s an instinctive aversion to being held captive all day by scent too pervasive for one’s liking. And in these instances, I invariably suggest the layering of two more subtly scented products with compatible aromas, to add depth and interest without the same strength as a power perfume.
The result is a sort of olfactory watercolour painting – gentler, translucent, less defined and kinder to a scent-sensitive nose, easier to wear and more appropriate in some settings.
Rare Beauty have run with this concept for its new Layering Balms, £18. There are four ungreasy balms to choose from: Woody Oak (my favourite), Amber Vanilla, Floral Peony Blossom and Bergamot, each created to stroke on to pulse points. They form a fragrant foundation on which to spray another scent – specifically, Rare’s own signature (£71), but I’ve experimented with others and they are versatile. The effect is longer-lasting without being overpowering and greater than the sum of its parts.
It is a sort of olfactory watercolour painting: gentler, less defined and kinder to a scent-sensitive nose
Body mist is another way to add depth and longevity to lighter scents without increasing potency. The new generation have more in common with cologne than with the school-changing-room sprays of yore. Salt & Stone do them particularly well. Their Santal & Vetiver Body Mist (£45), for example, can be layered all over after the excellent matching Deodorant stick (£20) or Body Lotion (£49), to the total exclusion of perfume if desired, and the warm, woody, very tasteful and gender-neutral scent will still carry throughout the day.
Gen Z favourite Phlur have a strong focus on layering in their collection of light, wearable eau de parfums, body sprays and bodycare. Here, scents are designed to be mixed and matched. For instance, Father Figure Eau de Parfum (from £32) sits beautifully over Cashmere Skin Hair and Body Mist (white flowers, musk, vanilla, from £25), and the mix is harmonious, not heady.
Of course, one may have an aversion to being upsold by one brand, and so I will say that Glossier’s musky You, (nothing short of a masterpiece as a standalone scent, from £32) is seemingly a polyamorous perfume that layers brilliantly with every cream, lotion, deodorant or perfume to which you care to introduce it.
