LAYERING | 03-11-2025

Everything you want to know about perfume layering

Have you ever heard of perfume layering? This term means that you wear a perfume in several layers. This way, you not only enjoy a longer sillage, it also makes a fragrance experience more intense and personal. In this Skins Story, our Skins Experts Jorg takes an in-depth look at perfume layering by combining different perfume creations. That way, you wear a fragrance that no one else has.

How do you layer perfume?

Skins trainer Jorg has been an expert on fragrance layering for many years and is happy to advise. 'For a start, there is a big difference between layering and blending. Layering, for example, is applying a scented body lotion first and another perfume over it, literally layering it on top. This can also be done with a nice hair perfume. Blending, on the other hand, is really the end result of scents mixed together'. Although there are no rules for perfume layering, Jorg recommends letting a fragrance dry up before applying another perfume over it.

Jorg: 'A molecular fragrance is best applied after another fragrance, because it allows you to take the 'sharpness' off a perfume. This way, you can make your perfume more pleasant and rounded. Above all, I challenge you to experiment with combinations yourself, and to share them with us. How fun is it when new, undiscovered creations emerge?'

You can see a similar effect with the enhancers from Skins' own perfume house Layer+. A fragrance enhancer is more than a perfume. It is an addition: a twist on the fragrance you already wear, on your body lotion or on your natural scent. You use it in combination with another fragrance, or alone. An enhancer adds emphasis, gives an extra layer and makes your fragrance more subtle and sophisticated.

Each Layer+ fragrance contains unique molecules, called captives. In the perfume world, the term 'captive' stands for a fragrance ingredient developed by one fragrance house and used exclusively by that house.

Silky and comfortable with musk

Iris Porcelana by EX NIHILO is a floral and woody fragrance that pays a contemporary tribute to the most refined and exclusive raw material in perfumery: Iris Pallida. Powdery iris is blended with creamy sandalwood and white musk, giving the fragrance a silky and comfortable feel. Iris Porcelana can be beautifully layered with Magnetic Blend 7 from INITIO Parfums Privés: a perfume containing a mysterious blend of seven different musks. Jorg: 'Magnetic Blend 7 really gives a skinlike, cosy feeling, and this is brought out extra beautifully in this fragrance combination, as Iris Porcelana offers softness and comfort. The floral, woody from Iris Porcelana fuses with the musky notes of Magnetic Blend 7 for an addictive sillage. Musk is used in this as a fixative, ensuring a long-lasting effect'.

When warm, soft vanilla meets cool and woody

Cri Du Kalahari by Ella K is a sparkling, bright finesse fragrance where you clearly experience cool sandalwood and cedarwood. An ode to the Baobab tree from Africa, this fragrance is woody, and also Jorg's very first love at Skins. 'Cri du Kalahari is the first scent I bought at Skins, and I still wear it today. This is my signature scent and made me fall in love with Skins'. When you combine this beloved perfume with Gentle Fluidity Gold by Maison Francis Kurkdjian, you bring two fragrance experiences together in harmony, like a true love duet.

The warm, soft vanilla of Gentle Fluidity Gold meets the cool, woody from Cri Du Kalahari to become a sublime interplay like that of two opposites finding each other in the middle out of love.

When warm, soft vanilla meets cool and woody

Cri Du Kalahari by Ella K is a sparkling, bright finesse fragrance where you clearly experience cool sandalwood and cedarwood. An ode to the Baobab tree from Africa, this fragrance is woody, and also Jorg's very first love at Skins. 'Cri du Kalahari is the first scent I bought at Skins, and I still wear it today. This is my signature scent and made me fall in love with Skins'. When you combine this beloved perfume with Gentle Fluidity Gold by Maison Francis Kurkdjian, you bring two fragrance experiences together in harmony, like a true love duet.

The warm, soft vanilla of Gentle Fluidity Gold meets the cool, woody from Cri Du Kalahari to become a sublime interplay like that of two opposites finding each other in the middle out of love.

The romance between cool rose and addictive suede

Jorg: 'French Leather really represents that typically Parisian incorporation of leather into perfumes: it's a bit like the inside of a leather bag, giving a suede-like experience. Combined with rose, a flower that represents Paris as the city of love, this is the ultimate ode to romance'. For Jorg, rose scents symbolise his love for his mother, who is a big fan of perfumes with rose. 'In terms of perfume, rose always gives me loving memories: for example, I gave my mother 'Eau Rose' by Diptyque and 'Rose de Pushkar' by Ella K Parfums as gifts'.

Kilian's Straight to Heaven is an addictive fragrance, incorporating intense patchouli, dark rum, cedarwood and rosewood to make a powerful and spicy statement '. Layering these two creations creates a romantic tale of a cooler rosewood combined with warm suede and an addictive, bold undertone.

A fragile and mythical fragrance duo

L'eau de Hiver is a fragrance that is clean, bright but also warm and an endless source of tranquillity. A transparency of water that merges with the softness of white heliotrope, iris and honey for the gentlest composition imaginable. Fleur de Peau by Diptyque is a tribute to the mythical love between Psyche and Eros, which led to the birth of their daughter. A signature, musky perfume with powdery iris and fruity ambrette seeds, it gives vulnerability and fragility when paired with Frédéric Malle's L'Eau D'Hiver Eau de Parfum.

A fragile and mythical fragrance duo

L'eau de Hiver is a fragrance that is clean, bright but also warm and an endless source of tranquillity. A transparency of water that merges with the softness of white heliotrope, iris and honey for the gentlest composition imaginable. Fleur de Peau by Diptyque is a tribute to the mythical love between Psyche and Eros, which led to the birth of their daughter. A signature, musky perfume with powdery iris and fruity ambrette seeds, it gives vulnerability and fragility when paired with Frédéric Malle's L'Eau D'Hiver Eau de Parfum.

Top 3 perfumes to layer with

Excited to get started with perfume layering yourself? Our Skins Experts put together a top 3 of fragrances you can't go wrong with. Below are the so-called enhancers:these are perfumes that can easily be combined with other fragrances and that can enrichthe fragrance experience.

1. 27 87 Perfumes - Genetic Bliss
Jorg: 'Genetic Bliss is obviously at the top of the list, because it's a woody, easy to like and easy to wear fragrance.'

2. Layer+ - Woody, Milky, Musky or Fruity Layer+ is our own perfume house, developed from years of expertise and a love of personal fragrance experience. The enhancers enrich every perfume creation and work in harmony with your natural scent. Choose Woody, Milky, Musky or Fruity to give your favourite perfume a subtle twist and make it completely your own.

3. D.S. & DURGA - I don't know what
Jorg: 'As the name suggests, this is a perfect perfume for when you just don't know what to wear. I don't know what gives a warm fragrance experience and offers a citrus undertone to any fragrance you want to layer with'.