Materials Other than Paper for Long-Lasting Perfume-Scent Holding and Smelling?

[jeff1]

Hello, This may seem a strange question, and I wasn't sure if the best 'forum' to use for it, but I’ve wanted to ask it for a long time, so here goes:

I wonder if people have recommendations for a material—or if ‘material’ isn’t the right word, maybe for like a ‘catalyst’—for placing a dab of perfume on that will last, if covered/sealed in something (like a ziplock plastic bag??) to preserve the scent for longer periods of time than just a paper blotter.

For background, while I will wear fragrances, I really just like to sniff them—like right out of the bottle. While this is nice, and I can pick up notes, it’s not the same as a fully opened up and dried-down fragrance over time (like a usual day's wear).

I’d like to try to mimic that process as best as possible (recognizing it is not the same as being placed on skin) on some kind of material—and keep it for as long as possible. Preferably weeks or longer, without needing to add perfume to it again. Then, ideally, I could just open the bag/box, etc, and just sniff and enjoy.

Does anyone have any recommendation for this? Does it make sense? Or am I just too weird??

I recall a conversation last year with someone recommending some kind of small stones that absorb and hold the perfume’s scent for a long time—like months, or even years. Or maybe some kind of fabric? Or like medical-grade silicone? Or anything??

I’m not expecting a miracle response here, but I’d gladly take any thoughts on the matter—and thanks!

 

[magnus611]

Articles of clothing can maintain the base scent(basenote) smell the best…

 

[hednic]

I guess it would depend on how dense or porous the clothing material is as to how long the scent would last.

 

[GoldWineMemories]

Silk is a good medium.

 

[grant]

You can get pourous ceramic discs for this purpose. Not entirely sure how long they last though

 

[C Rose]

I haven't tried the ceramic discs or silk, but cotton holds scent very well. A cotton ball in a zip lock would probably last a long time. (I think some cultures -- Japan? -- don't care to use scent on their skin and will spray a cotton ball or bit of cotton fabric and tuck into the bodice of their clothing. )

 

[PStoller]

Perhaps leather?

 

[ehou333]

When I visited an Aesop store, they sprayed their perfumes on some stone discs. Perhaps a visit to one will help?

 

[CookBot]

Don't some high-end boutique houses spray a piece of chamois and then keep that under a bell jar for you sniff, rather than spraying you from a tester? I'm thinking of those JAR perfumes that cost a thousand dollars a bottle.

if covered/sealed in something (like a ziplock plastic bag??) t

Plastic bags seem like a very poor vessel for this purpose, since any perfume is likely to absorb some of the plastic smell.

Perhaps leather?

That seems most skin-like, if you could find a leather that had no indigenous scent of its own.

 

[GoldWineMemories]

Don't some high-end boutique houses spray a piece of chamois and then keep that under a bell jar for you sniff, rather than spraying you from a tester? I'm thinking of those JAR perfumes that cost a thousand dollars a bottle.


Plastic bags seem like a very poor vessel for this purpose, since any perfume is likely to absorb some of the plastic smell.



That seems most skin-like, if you could find a leather that had no indigenous scent of its own.

The problem with leather is the pores are not open, so it's not going to work like skin does. Most of your leather goods are going to have a coating that prevents this idea from working well. Chamois would probably work fine.

 

[cheapimitation]

Fredric Malle boutiques used to spray a card then zip it in a little plastic branded envelope, I absolutely love this because it would keep the scent for weeks and also prevent the scents from mixing if you got multiple cards. I also felt that smelling inside the envelope really gave you a 3 dimensional sense of the scent and its sillage better than just smelling a card alone.

I think they still do it occasionally but the last few times I sampled at the boutique they just gave me the card. I hate the gradual elimination of these small gestures that make a brand experience really special (like their old 3.5ml samples which used to be given out generously and are now only occasional freebies with special promotion).

So yea, spray a card and seal it in a plastic bag. Or if you wanna be chic, spray some cotton balls and put them in jars or under a cloche. The downside I can see of most commercially available plastic bags is they have a plastic smell. The Malle ones were more like a silver plastic material inside, I dunno what that's called (not foil) but it didn't have any kind of smell.

 

[jeff1]

First, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who replied. Honestly, I was expecting a big 'goose egg' on this question, but this is Basenotes, and we tend to come through for each other!

There are some very good--and varied--suggestions here. I am going to start with Cotton Balls, because they are cheap, and they do seem to make sense to me. For now, I will use a plastic ziplock-type bag, and test how long they last. (Definitely need to think better about storage, both for each Cotton Ball or material, and where to best place this 'collection' of perfumed cotton balls, too...)

I might spray several different fragrances on different cotton balls, especially some I know and wear well just to see how they do over the coming days and weeks (and months??).

Creed Green Irish Tweed, Aventus, Silver Mountain Water, Bleu de Chanel, Fahrenheit, Dior Leather Oud, Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan, Tom Ford Tuscan Leather, Oud Minerale, Oud Wood, Grey Vetiver, and Armani Acqua di Gio, and the like.

And maybe some tiny dab of attars and other more 'specialty'/niche/bespoke fragrances after the initial tests. If people are interested, I can report back.

I might also try some of the other suggestions given, too, and compare. Like the ceramic/stone discs, silk (if I can find any suitable for this...) and Chamois (ditto).

I might need some suggestions for better storing of each, as I agree over time, the plastic could theoretically make a difference. But I probably don't have room for those glass domes!!

Again, thanks for everyone's time and advice!

 

[smelted]

I myself had this question. After experimenting couple of months I have found that the best material to lock a smell is faux fur, the one that they use for winter jackets collars.

 

[imm0rtelle]

You don't need any fancy equipment at all. Here is how to achieve what you want.

1. spray on paper strip
2. trap paper strip underneath cup
3. smell perfumed air in the cup

This method stretches the fragrance and it is almost like you're watching the fragrance develop in slow motion.

 

[naylor]

Don't some high-end boutique houses spray a piece of chamois and then keep that under a bell jar for you sniff, rather than spraying you from a tester? I'm thinking of those JAR perfumes that cost a thousand dollars a bottle.

Yes, this is exactly like the JAR boutique -- they use silk cloths under the bell jars, if I remember correctly. Either way, it works very well to hold the scent and provide excellent sillage when the jar is lifted. Plus, they just look really classy

 

[hednic]

Yes, this is exactly like the JAR boutique -- they use silk cloths under the bell jars, if I remember correctly.

That's correct. I saw it first hand at the Paris boutique.

 

[jeff1]

Regarding the jar-over-the-cloth or cup-over-a-sprayed-paper-strip-- will that last a long time? Like many weeks or even longer? I will try this as part of my experiment, too, but portability, or at least "compactness" is important, because ultimately I want to do this with literally dozens of fragrances, and I dont have nearly the room, at least as I am picturing this! And thanks again for all the replies.

 

[naylor]

Regarding the jar-over-the-cloth or cup-over-a-sprayed-paper-strip-- will that last a long time? Like many weeks or even longer? I will try this as part of my experiment, too, but portability, or at least "compactness" is important, because ultimately I want to do this with literally dozens of fragrances, and I dont have nearly the room, at least as I am picturing this! And thanks again for all the replies.

I would think that the cloth under a jar would retain the scent for quite a long time, if you spray it a decent amount. But that type of solution certainly wouldn't be very portable, so it's probably not very practical for your needs.

 

[imm0rtelle]

Regarding the jar-over-the-cloth or cup-over-a-sprayed-paper-strip-- will that last a long time? Like many weeks or even longer? I will try this as part of my experiment, too, but portability, or at least "compactness" is important, because ultimately I want to do this with literally dozens of fragrances, and I dont have nearly the room, at least as I am picturing this! And thanks again for all the replies.

I have a test card of Baccarat Rouge 540, sprayed since Oct. 22, and I can still smell the drydown in the air underneath the cup I trapped the test card under. This has been 46 days, or almost 6 weeks and 4 days, or over 1 and 1/2 months.

 

[snowy white owl]

Hello, This may seem a strange question, and I wasn't sure if the best 'forum' to use for it, but I’ve wanted to ask it for a long time, so here goes:

I wonder if people have recommendations for a material—or if ‘material’ isn’t the right word, maybe for like a ‘catalyst’—for placing a dab of perfume on that will last, if covered/sealed in something (like a ziplock plastic bag??) to preserve the scent for longer periods of time than just a paper blotter.

For background, while I will wear fragrances, I really just like to sniff them—like right out of the bottle. While this is nice, and I can pick up notes, it’s not the same as a fully opened up and dried-down fragrance over time (like a usual day's wear).

I’d like to try to mimic that process as best as possible (recognizing it is not the same as being placed on skin) on some kind of material—and keep it for as long as possible. Preferably weeks or longer, without needing to add perfume to it again. Then, ideally, I could just open the bag/box, etc, and just sniff and enjoy.

Does anyone have any recommendation for this? Does it make sense? Or am I just too weird??

I recall a conversation last year with someone recommending some kind of small stones that absorb and hold the perfume’s scent for a long time—like months, or even years. Or maybe some kind of fabric? Or like medical-grade silicone? Or anything??

I’m not expecting a miracle response here, but I’d gladly take any thoughts on the matter—and thanks!

Hi! If you want to try making it last a bit longer on the skin, try mixing, or dabbing it with some liquid glycerin. This helps to bond the perfume on the skin, so to speak. Also, an ISO scent mixed with your regular scent will help sustainability. But, the thing that works best for me is putting a bit of the fragrance onto a cotton ball. I keep mine in a perfume locket. You can opt for a small plastic baggie. Usually, one cotton ball will last up to two weeks when I take it out and blot it on my skin. I've found this to be great for me. Scent melts right off my skin. Hope this may help.

 

[vrosej10]

I haven't tried the ceramic discs or silk, but cotton holds scent very well. A cotton ball in a zip lock would probably last a long time. (I think some cultures -- Japan? -- don't care to use scent on their skin and will spray a cotton ball or bit of cotton fabric and tuck into the bodice of their clothing. )

Unbleached calico is brilliant and does not adversely alter scent progression

 

[PerfumePorMoi]

I have a test card of Baccarat Rouge 540, sprayed since Oct. 22, and I can still smell the drydown in the air underneath the cup I trapped the test card under. This has been 46 days, or almost 6 weeks and 4 days, or over 1 and 1/2 months.

I left a carded sample of BR 540 in my car cup holder and it perfumed the interior for WEEKS. Need to do that again because it smells incredible that way. On my skin? Not so much.

To the OP: I find that scent sticks most tenaciously to silk.

 

[sjg3839]

cashmere holds fragrance very well.

 

[Ronin Leigh]

Hello, This may seem a strange question, and I wasn't sure if the best 'forum' to use for it, but I’ve wanted to ask it for a long time, so here goes:

I wonder if people have recommendations for a material—or if ‘material’ isn’t the right word, maybe for like a ‘catalyst’—for placing a dab of perfume on that will last, if covered/sealed in something (like a ziplock plastic bag??) to preserve the scent for longer periods of time than just a paper blotter.

For background, while I will wear fragrances, I really just like to sniff them—like right out of the bottle. While this is nice, and I can pick up notes, it’s not the same as a fully opened up and dried-down fragrance over time (like a usual day's wear).

I’d like to try to mimic that process as best as possible (recognizing it is not the same as being placed on skin) on some kind of material—and keep it for as long as possible. Preferably weeks or longer, without needing to add perfume to it again. Then, ideally, I could just open the bag/box, etc, and just sniff and enjoy.

Does anyone have any recommendation for this? Does it make sense? Or am I just too weird??

I recall a conversation last year with someone recommending some kind of small stones that absorb and hold the perfume’s scent for a long time—like months, or even years. Or maybe some kind of fabric? Or like medical-grade silicone? Or anything??

I’m not expecting a miracle response here, but I’d gladly take any thoughts on the matter—and thanks!

I bought a vial of Halston for a girlfriend back in 1977 and have a leather wristband she used to wear. The Halston scent is still easily detectable on that leather to this day and I've used no special means to retain it. So, if 44 years is long enough for you, I'd suggest using leather.