As a perfume lover you probably read about the principle of layering, but what exactly is that? Our perfume expert and passionate layerer Phine, explains what layering is.

aardlagen - annindriya perfume loungeLayer by layer
Layering, literally: building up in layers, is wearing different scents on top of each other. This can be multiple perfumes, but also a combination of scented body care together with a perfume.

Why layering?
Layering is the way to give your perfume a new twist and personalize it, or to breathe new life into a perfume that has been in your closet for years. So you can give your scents that exciting edge or a heavy perfume can get a fresh or mild lift.
Basic layering is using bath and body products from the same fragrant line as your favorite perfume. This gives your fragrance more depth and makes it stay longer. Using a moisturizing body product under your perfume is the easiest and most rewarding way of layering. By wearing a body lotion, body oil, or body cream under your perfume, the perfume sticks better and is longer perceptible. This is because the fragrance molecules can, as it were, settle better. It works as a primer with makeup; you create an even 'canvas' for your perfume. It can be a scentless body product, but of course also a perfumed variant.

Practical tips
In practice, it is a matter of experimenting and finding the right combinations through trial and error. If you want to start experimenting with layering yourself, it's good to start carefully. Combine scents before you shower or if you don't have to leave the house and try your way.

Photo by Deniz Altindas on Unsplash

Fragrance notes such as amber, rose, musk, and citrus are great ones for layering. Musk, for example, gives the whole a creamier, rounder feeling. While citrus provides a clear, refreshing note. If you want to accentuate a certain ingredient in a perfume (amp up the volume), for example, the orange blossom in the Terre de Sarment by Frapin, or the iris in Tabac Blond, it is best to layer the fragrance with a perfume (or body cream) in which orange blossom or iris is very prominent. 

Always work from heavy to light. This applies on the one hand to the texture - fat goes before alcohol - but also to the smell. Spray heavier perfumes, such as woody and orientals, first so that they don't dominate their lighter, more volatile counterparts. You may need to experiment with the correct ratio, such as one spray from the heavy and two from the light.
Also ideal for layering are minimalist scents with only one or two main ingredients, such as Iso-E-super or Ambroxan. Minimalist perfumes invite you to and are often intended to play and combine.

Also view our collection with scents for layering. 
Below a list of fragrances that combine well with most other fragrances:

  • Le Musc & la Peau, Pierre Guillaume, eau de parfum: creamy fragrance ideal for layering to give warmth, and a sensual depth to other fragrances. Works especially well with 'florals'.
  • Le Musc & la Peau body lotion: a similar effect but with a scented body lotion, for more subtle scents. Can be combined with many different perfumes.
  • Attache-moi van Attache-moi: gives a long-lasting warm, amber depth to fragrances.
  • Bergamote, The Different Company: will give any perfume a sunny bergamot lift.
  • À la Rose Bodycream, Maison Francis Kurkdjian: nourishing body cream which can be uses to give any fragrance a floral, rose twist.
  • Neroli Ad Astra bodylotion, Pierre Guillaume: will give the perfume that you wear on top of this a sunny neroli lift.


    • For inspiration some succesful combinations from our collection:

    Much has been written about layering, do you want to read more? Then we recommend these blogs: Bois de Jasmin and Perfume Shrine.

    We love to hear about your experiences, what are your favorite successful combinations? Leave a comment under this blog!