Perfume Never Lasted on Me Until I Started Scent Layering—Here's the Low-Down

This cult scent is a huge fan favourite for good reason. The combination of rich cedarwood, spicy saffron and floral jasmine is a winner for adding warmth to the cosier months. Whether you already have the Baccarat Rouge 540 eau de parfum or use another woody pick to layer over, this will linger on your skin for the whole day.

Bal d’Afrique is a stunning, warm fragrance with a gentle woodiness, and this lotion amplifies that. It’s smooth to apply and sinks in so quickly, so it can be worked into the skin in a rush pre-commute. Trust me—I’ve done it.

This is the heaviest-duty moisturiser in the lightest formula containing shea butter, aloe vera, mango seed butter and coconut oil. The Great Day scent in the range scent is strong and uplifting with mint and mandarin combining for a fragrant pick-me-up. If you opt for citrus scents, this will layer underneath perfectly.

The undisputed best feeling in the world is getting into a bed with soft, freshly washed bedsheets, right? The scent Blanche from Byredo specifically evokes that feeling with notes like white rose, peony and musk. The body cream is incredibly moisturising thanks to the shea butter in the formula, so this is great for applying after a bath and before bed for that lingering clean feeling.

There’s nothing worse than when you spray on your favourite scent only for it to disappear a few hours into your day. Think of the Jo Loves Body Lotions as scent anchors. They’re light but potent and make your skin feel soft and supple. Sidenote: The Jo Loves Eucalyptus and Cedar Woods Hand Lotion is the perfect desk-side pick-me-up scent.

I’ll admit this isn’t the richest-feeling lotion. It’s pretty liquidy, and you need a few pumps to do your arms and more to cover your legs. However, the vitamin A and E, aloe vera, coconut and olive oil do give the skin a supple feeling, and the scent potency is incredibly long-lasting, especially paired with the eau de parfum. I have jumpers that still smell of Thé Noir weeks later.

I’m averse to recommending body wash to scent-layer, as I’ve found that there aren’t many that hold their smell enough to boost the fragrance it’s paired with; not in the way many body lotions do. But I put this one on the list, as it ticks all boxes the surrounding lotions do. The formula isn’t drying, and the scent fills your shower and truly engulfs your skin.

Ouai might be on your radar for excellent haircare, but the scents in its bodycare line are also pretty sublime. While the scent used in this body cream is yet to be formulated into a fragrance, the warm floral scent will pair with any spritz with notes of citrus, rose or white musk.

Summer, beaches, cocktails, glowy tans… This is what the scent of this sumptuous body cream evokes. It’s highly nourishing with cupuaçu butter and Brazilian nut oil, and the fragrance is perfect for sweet scent lovers with notes of almond, vanilla and salted caramel and lashings of sandalwood.