The Secret To Smelling Unforgettable? Layer Your Perfumes

When it comes to layering, more is more. We have reached peak perfume. And thank god! With more fragrance releases happening every day, it’s hard to pick just one, but luckily you don’t have to. What started as a quest to find your signature scents gave way to fragrance wardrobes and having a scent for every mood, outfit, and occasion. So where do we go from here?  Easy: perfume layering, or pairing two (or more) scents that customize your own signature. Sound daunting? The only limit is your imagination. But with endless options, how does one find the best perfume layering combinations? Well, we tagged in the experts to help. 

While scent layering can start in the shower with your body wash and then build with every body lotion, butter, and oil, we’re focusing on the main event: Perfumes. Build your base however you’d like, but our experts are here to help kick you off with the best notes to layer for an irresistible, unforgettable layering combination to bring your signature to a whole new level.

David Seth Moltz is a Brooklyn-based perfumer & co-founder of D.S. & Durga who makes innovative, immersive fragrances that push the boundaries of what a perfume can say and do.

Keta Burke-Williams is the founder of Ourside, an award-winning fragrance brand that creates small batch fragrances in NYC inspired by memory, daydreams, and emotion.

Kyle Ferguson is a Senior Evaluator at Givaudan who supports the development of fine fragrances as well as a wide range of products across different categories.

The layering options and combinations are endless, which can be as exciting as it is daunting. Who better than our experts to let you in on their preferred ways to pair their favorite scents? Just like anything in beauty, there are no rules, but hey, a few parameters never hurt anybody.

There’s nothing worse than being excited about a fragrance and then getting your hands on it, only to realize it’s not really for you. When you find a scent isn’t a match, sometimes that just means it’s not right for you when worn alone. Keta Burke-Williams explains that the secret to getting more wear out of a perfume that didn’t hit right the first time is layering it with another scent that compliments it creating something new entirely. 

“I tend to layer fragrances in two different ways. The first is finding two scents that I think are beautiful individually but don’t fully feel like me until they’re together”

Layering is all fun and games until you layer two very bold, commanding fragrances, and then you’re stuck living with your decision all day. David Moltz gives a word of warning. “I think two very complex things generally will clash, but everything's worth a try.”

The solution is easy: start with perfumes that lend themselves to layering. Depending on your tastes, scents with a more restrained build, like offerings from Jo Malone or By Rosie Jane, could make for a better experience when layering, giving you a combination that won’t overwhelm you. Instead of simply telling you what fragrances work best for layering, Moltz did you one better: He created a set for this occasion. “I made a Murder Mystery Set of six layerable fragrances; you can make 720 unique perfumes with it,” he details. “I dream of making more things that are made to be layered. I do love sniffing combos on other people. I love how our story becomes their story.”

Sometimes perfumes we love give us too much of a good thing. Burke-Williams’ solution? To layer fragrances to bring out what you love, and balance what you don’t. She explains, “Another approach is using layering almost like editing. I'll amplify or soften a specific part of a fragrance depending on the feeling I want.” 

This can be especially helpful with notes that love to pull focus, like oud our incense. Layering notes like a sweet vanilla or a creamy sandalwood can help balance their boldness and soften their edges to make a fragrance you love even easier to wear, while making it even more bespoke to you. “I also love using layering to make fragrances feel more personal,” Burke-Williams says. “NOYZ Only Human leans a bit sweet for my personal preference, so I’ll use the solid perfume as a base and pair it with something smokier or drier to give it a little more edge and balance. That makes the fragrance more complex but also helps it last longer on my skin.”

At the risk of making it sound like there are no rules but also too many rules, Kyle Furguson offers some levity. “Layering fragrances is a fun and playful way to experiment with new combinations, create new signatures, or by wearing your signature perfume and adding new splashes for different moods or seasons.” If your layering possibilities feel paralyzing and you’re worried about getting it wrong, just remember: it’s not that deep. You can shower it off and try again tomorrow.

Vetiver is one of those notes that you might not realize you’re familiar with, but you probably are, as it’s in many fragrances. “I’m a huge vetiver fan because it complements so many different accords, from woody and citrusy to leather,” Burke-Williams says. “Vetiver grounds everything and adds texture.” When she wants to bring out the vetiver and pair it with some of her favorite notes, she reaches for her own brand, of course. Of Our Own from Outside has a grassy base of vetiver, while Ourside Moon Dust, which also features vetiver, opens with a grounding cedar. While both fragrances feel cutting-edge, the pair creates an earthy layering pair that’s comforting, almost instinctual.

While the two notes might seem almost too classic for their own good, both patchouli and florals can be pushed and pulled in so many directions that they can reveal new facets of themselves in every formula, and with every new layering combination. To create her signature, Burke-Williams for Diptyque Tempo for a heady patchouli base, and follows with Glossier You for a floral lightness.

Iso E Super is a synthetic note that smells a bit like wood and a bit like skin in the most familiar way, making it one of the most captivating notes in perfume. It blends well with your body chemistry, and amplifies anything you layer it with. Moltz suggests taking his Iso E Super-heavy cult classic, I Don’t Know What, and blending it with another one of his equally interesting scents, the aromatic Steamed Rainbow, for a fragrance blend he refers to as “wet concrete.”

They’re classics for a reason, and they’re better together. Moltz, the king of unconventional perfumes, shows that he can put a spin on even the most ultra-traditional notes and make them feel innovative, and even better when layered. For rose, he recommends his seaside expression, Rose Atlantic, with his humid, woody Radio Bombay, for a layering effect he calls “gulab attar”, inspired by the rose perfume oil of the same name.

You mind if we get a little fruity with it? Unique fruits are trending more than ever, but none more than passionfruit. If you think it’s good on its own, I challenge you to crank up the juice even more and pair it with the other fruit of the hour: mango. The sweet, tart, creamy expression of passionfruit of Armani Beauty Power Of You Eau de Parfum layered with the nectary sweetness of the mango-forward BORNTOSTANDOUT Gold Juice creates a literally mouth-watering blend that will have you smelling yourself from morning until long into the night.

Citruses are classic notes that are found in almost all fragrances in one way or another as they can add life and sparkle to any scent. But if you want to amplify the citrus just a bit more in an unexpected way? Kyle Ferguson suggests salt.

“My favorite layering technique is playing with salty, ozonic fragrances, to evoke the beach and salty shores I grew up on,” Ferguson tells us. “I find these fragrances truly adaptable and can stand alone or easily layer with different types. I love taking any masculine fragrance, be it a citrus, aromatic fougeres, woods, even florals, and adding a splash of salt on top to make it fresh and mineral. One of my favorite fragrances for this is Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt. The clean salty notes add a breath of freshness and transport any existing perfume to the seaside.”

A surefire layering combo to bring this pairing to life would be to start with Dancing’s Gnarly Vines, a luscious springy scent that opens with lemon, bergamot, coconut, and fig, and then layer with a spritz of Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt for a blend that’s bright, tangy, and salty.

Cola is one of my favorite notes or categories in fragrance. Think about it: the notes in cola, including cinnamon, vanilla, and caramel are found in many fragrances, particularly right now, so why wouldn’t your favorite fridge cigarette make a great perfume? I personally layer them with something creamy and sweet, but a little more unexpected than vanilla. Enter: coconut. Like tonka, coconut can often play the same role as vanilla with a more tropical twist (which is why you’ll find it in so many Bath & Body Works fragrances, there's something irresistibly magnetic about it, even if you don’t realize it’s there.) I love layering Snif Soda Snob with Lake & Skye 11:11 Moon for a fluffy, spicy, sparkling pairing that hits harder than an ice-cold Diet Coke (almost).