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Layering

Pick two or three perfumes and see how they wear together: a score, the notes that bridge them and which one goes on first.

First perfume
Second perfume

Pick two perfumes to see how they layer.

A few pairs to start with

Lift a noteY Eau de Parfum + Pacific Rock Moss82Lift a noteKhamrah + Myrrh Tonka81Same familySauvage + Terre D Hermes Eau Intense Vetiver98Same familyTobacco Vanille + Chocolate Greedy98Something differentJ adore + Gucci Eau de Parfum II97Something differentHypnotic Poison + Amarige89

What is perfume layering?

Wearing two or more perfumes on top of each other to make a scent of your own. It works best when the two share a note, or when their notes are ones that sit well together.

Three ways to layer

Lift a note

Put a simple scent (a single-note neroli or rose, say) over a complex one, so that note comes forward in it.

Same family

Two perfumes from the same family with a small difference, like two jasmines where one is smokier.

Something different

Two opposites, like a cool green scent with a sweet one. When it works, it's the most interesting of the three.

What does this score mean?

50 is an ordinary pair, like two perfumes picked at random. The higher it goes, the more their notes are the kind perfumers put together.

80 and up: wear well together. 65 to 79: good match. 45 to 64: worth a try. Below 45: a bit risky.

How we work it out

  • Across thousands of perfumes on the site, we count which notes tend to appear together. If these two perfumes' notes are pairs perfumers often combine, the score goes up.
  • Shared notes raise it too, base notes most of all, since they last the whole wear.
  • It goes down when the two are nearly the same scent, when one is for summer and the other for winter, or when both are very loud.
  • The kind (lift a note, same family, something different) comes from how simple each perfume is and its accord families. The three approaches come from Efemmeral's article on Parfumo.
  • People's "tried it" votes are shown next to the score, but don't change the score itself.

What's not in it: a real wear test, shops' opinions, or ads. No shop has any say over these scores or suggestions.

Common questions

What is perfume layering?

Wearing two or more perfumes on top of each other to make a scent of your own. The perfumes don't need to be expensive or rare; what matters is that their notes go together.

Which perfume goes on first?

Usually the heavier, longer-lasting one (woody, amber, vanilla) goes on first, underneath, and the lighter one (citrus, floral, fresh) on top, so the lighter scent isn't buried. The tool above suggests the order for each pair.

How many perfumes can I layer?

Two to start with. Three works too, but it gets crowded quickly. The tool above checks up to three and tells you which one pulls the mix down.

Which perfumes don't go together?

Two very loud perfumes usually add up to too much, and a very summery scent rarely works with a very wintry one. Some notes also seldom meet; the tool finds those pairs across thousands of perfumes and shows them to you.

Skin or clothes?

On skin, body warmth opens the scents up and they blend. On clothes they last longer but change less. A good rule: the heavier one on skin, the lighter one on clothes. Be careful with light colours and silk, perfume can stain.

How do I test a pair before wearing it?

Spray each on its own paper strip and hold them together, or spray the first on your wrist and the second over it. Wait a few minutes: the opening of a perfume changes fast.