Here's why you should never mist your signature perfumes

It's actually a big no-no to mist your perfumes...

A woman spraying perfume on her wrist/ in a pink template
(Image credit: Getty Images/GlobalStock)

The temptation to waltz through a dreamy cloud of your best perfume is real, but here's why you should actually never mist your perfumes...

When it comes to fragrances—whether you're a lover of the best oud perfumes or vanilla perfumes—it can seem like a no-brainer that the more you spritz and coat your person, the longer you'll stay smelling great.

In fact, we've probably all doused the air with our signature scents at one time or another, creating a fog of irresistible perfume notes before strutting through it—with the desire to bask in all the tantalizing vapors—but according to the experts, this method could actually hinder the longevity of our scents, rather than boost them...

Why you should never mist your perfume

We get it, spraying your smellies all around seems like a surefire way to create your own sweet-smelling aura—so why is it actually detrimental?

Well, eau de parfums and toilettes are actually very different from body mists. As the name would suggest, a body mist is specifically designed to indeed be 'misted,' however, a perfume's formula requires a more specific environment to thrive. To put it simply, perfumes need your skin and body heat. 

As Vicken Arslanian, Re-Founder of perfume brand Commodity, notes: "it’s more effective to spray perfume directly onto the skin. Spraying a mist and walking into it exposes the scent to air, albeit briefly, triggering the oxidation process and decreasing a scent’s impact. Walking into a fragrance can be used as a secondary method of spraying, but isn’t ideal for longevity."

Arslanian adds, "the best way to apply fragrance is by spraying directly 1 or 2 times directly onto the pulse points," such as the wrists and neck—but remember not to rub your wrists together!

Holly Hutchinson, founder of Memoize London also weighed in, saying: "it's always best to apply perfume to the skin as it lasts longer and doesn't damage or stain clothing," adding that, "allowing the perfume to diffuse on the skin naturally allows it to perform in the way it should."

If you're a lover of misting though and don't want to break the habit, perhaps try swapping your daily scent for a body mist—which is designed for that method of application—and save your pricier perfumes for days when you have the time to spray on your pulse points and leave the perfume to seep in the skin. This will also ensure that your fragrances last longer, as you're not wasting product in the air.

Alternatively, if you find your favorite scent still doesn't stand the test of time even when sprayed directly onto the skin, it might be time to retire it and instead opt for one of the best long-lasting perfumes!

Naomi Jamieson
Lifestyle News Writer

Naomi is a Lifestyle News Writer with the Women's Lifestyle team, where she covers everything from entertainment to fashion and beauty, as well as TikTok trends for Woman&Home, after previously writing for My Imperfect Life and GoodTo. Interestingly though, Naomi actually has a background in design, having studied illustration at Plymouth University but lept into the media world in 2020, after always having a passion for writing and earned her Gold Standard diploma in Journalism with the NCTJ.


Before working for Future Publishing’s Lifestyle News team, she worked in the Ad production team. Here she wrote and designed adverts on all sorts of things, which then went into print magazines across all genres. Now, when she isn’t writing articles on celebs, fashion trends, or the newest shows on Netflix, you can find her drinking copious cups of coffee, drawing and probably online shopping.