No one wants to wish away the last days of summer. But there’s no escaping the fact that, as the high summer months wane, there are changes to come.
Longer, cooler nights. Changeable weather. Fresher temperatures. It will all be upon us sooner than we think. So while we want to make the most of summer while it lasts, thoughts inevitably turn to swapping out light warm weather clothes for cosier attire – cardigans and long-sleeve tops, jackets and pants, longer dresses and thicker tights.
The change of season is when many people start to think of a change (or at least an update) to their wardrobe. Better prepared for the cooler weather than caught short and cold after all. Shops have already rolled out their autumn collections.
But as well as clothes, the change from summer into autumn is when many people also think about a change in perfume. No, a new fragrance won’t help protect you from chilly winds and rain. But it isn’t all about practicalities. A new season is also an opportunity to give yourself a< bit of a makeover. Not just a new wardrobe selected from the season’s hottest trends, but perhaps a new haircut, new nails, new make-up. And yes, new perfume to go with it all
Just as it’s well established that each season has its own signature colours and hues – bright and vivid shades for summer, browns and oranges and golds for autumn – so it is that we associate different fragrances with different times of the year. As we will explore in this article, there are very good practical as well as aesthetic reasons for that.
But before we go into that, a good tip for how to pick a new favourite fragrance ready for the new season. If you don’t already have a go-to perfume for autumn, or you feel like something new, why not order a selection of women’s perfume samples online now and give yourself plenty of time to pick one out? Fragrance samples are a great way to trial all the biggest name brands at an affordable price and at your own pace, helping you make the right decision when it comes to investing in a new bottle. Go on, treat yourself.
The science bit
Ok, so onto the reasons why it’s a good idea to change your fragrances with the seasons. Starting with the practical considerations. Which really all comes down to science – and specifically, the chemistry behind fragrances. And our own bodies.
Here’s something you may not have known. Temperature affects the way fragrances smell. To understand why, you need to know a little about how fragrances work in the first place. Essentially, it’s all about volatile oils and evaporation. When you spray or dab a perfume onto your skin, you are applying a liquid that is made up of a blend of aromatic oils. The reason you can smell those oils is because they are slowly evaporating into gas – throwing up molecules into the air which then reach our nostrils and are detected as scents.
Different volatile oils evaporate at different rates. This is why a perfume will change character over time. The so-called ‘top notes’ that are the dominant scents when you first put on a perfume evaporate the fastest, leaving behind other aromas from slower-evaporating oils that cut through later on.
Temperature also affects how volatile oils evaporate. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the temperature, the faster any liquid evaporates. Just think of what happens to a puddle of water on a hot day compared to a cold day. But the way temperature affects the evaporation rate differs from oil to oil and scent to scent.
What this means is that temperature alters the way fragrances smell to us. On a very warm day, for example, you might have an oil in the perfume that is meant to linger around in the background, but instead evaporates very quickly and becomes a dominant aroma early on.
Added to this, our body chemistry changes with temperature, too – which means our natural body odour also changes. It’s not just to do with perspiration, although that is a part of it. The main thing is that as our body chemistry changes with temperature, the way our body odour interacts with the fragrances we wear changes. A scent that smells great on us at certain times might not smell so great at all in different conditions.
Perfume makers use all of this information to formulate fragrances that work better in different seasons. For example, one of the reasons why light, airy perfumes are sold as ‘summery’ fragrances is because the higher temperatures make floral, citrusy aromas project more. The increased evaporation rates give them more of a punch. But once temperatures drop, these kinds of fragrances can seem a little insipid.
On the flipside, autumn and winter are associated with deeper, richer, spicier scents. It’s not just because they seem to go well with dark nights, open fires and rich, hearty foods. These kinds of scents also project better in cooler temperatures, the chemistry of the oils they contain mean they continue to stand out. At the same time, wear them on a hot summer’s day and the increased rate of evaporation can make them overpowering.
The personal taste bit
So much for the science. As much as that matters, it’s equally the case that different aromas get pigeon-holed with different seasons because of the associations and perceptions they carry.
So going back to the examples above, we can’t discount the fact that bright, zesty, floral fragrances just feel ‘summery’ to us. They remind us of other summery scents, like cool drinks and tangy salad dressings, the aroma of gardens in bloom, cut grass and so on.
Equally, when the nights start drawing in, we look for something more comforting and heavier, like a big aromatic blanket to wrap ourselves in. Smoky, earthy aromas like musk and oud are rich and enveloping, while spicier scents remind us of a warm kitchen on cold nights with something delicious being cooked up.
Plus, of course, we all carry our own personal associations and preferences. Scents act on our brains in very primal, subconscious ways, reminding us of things we might struggle to articulate but being no less powerful for it. So what one person considers warm and comforting might not necessarily chime with anybody else.
That’s also another reason for trying out fragrance samples. It might take a bit of trial and error to find the perfect autumn scent for you.
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