Perfume at work is a tricky path to tread. On one hand, you want to wear a scent that makes you feel happy, confident and ready to tackle the day, but on the other, you don’t want to give Sandra in the next cubicle a headache. Tricky.
To help us figure out what fragrances do and don’t fly in the office, Perfumer Beverley Bayne (who recently refreshed the Molton Brown Orange & Bergamot scent) has given us some tips.
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Should you think about your co-workers?
“This is hard, some colleagues appreciate a lovely fragrance but others find them overpowering. It is a personal choice. I would be aware of my colleagues and how they react to fragrance in general,” says Beverley.
So unless you know that everyone in the office isn’t sensitive to scent, it’s probably best to play it safe and leave the rich, woody fragrances for the weekend.
What are the notes to know?
Basically, you should avoid heavy notes when picking a perfume for the office. Beverley suggests light floral or citrus scents. “However nothing too sweet, heavy, gourmand, oriental or chypre,” she cautions.
“The Molton Brown Orange and Bergamot is a light citrus cologne and has the advantage of lasting a long time on the skin, so a great option for the working day,” Beverley says. “Also, light outdoorsy fragrances such as Molton Brown’s Cypress and Sea Fennel or a pretty floral such as Molton Brown’s Lily of the Valley and Star Anise would be perfect for an office environment.”
We’d suggest being on the lookout for fruity, fresh, floral and citrus notes like:
- Bergamot
- Lemon
- Orange
- Grapefruit
- Aquatic notes
- Strawberry
- Apple
- Gardenia
- Jasmine
- Lily of the Valley
What about concentration?
It’s not just the notes you need to think about for a work-appropriate perfume, it’s the type of fragrance. And the types you want to go for are lighter concentrations. Beverley recommends body mists for work.
Body Mists
For a mist, beautyheaven loves the juicy The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Mist and the sweet Zoella Gelat’eau Body Mist.
Colognes
We also suggest a light cologne for the office as it falls into the ‘not too overbearing’ category. beautyheaven loves the clean, fresh and woody Tommy by Tommy Hilfiger cologne spray, as well as the simple and citrusy, cologne-strength Lush Sun Perfume.
Eau de Toilettes
If you’re struggling to find a cologne or mist you love, a light and fresh Eau de Toilette is the next best thing. beautyheaven loves the rosy Yves Saint Laurent Paris Eau de Toilette spray and citrus-smelling Molton Brown Orange & Bergamot Eau de Toilette.
Is it okay to reapply in the office?
A downside to a lighter concentration of fragrance is that it’s not likely to last as long as your stronger, headier perfumes. So you might find yourself wanting to reapply. If you need to re-apply throughout the day, Beverley has some recommendations. “If applying a fragrance in the office a roll-on or solid perfume is less intrusive for others,” Beverley says.
They’re light and applied directly to the pulse points instead of sprayed into the air, so a solid or roll-on scent is a good idea if you really want to wear a slightly headier scent to work.
Solid perfumes
beautyheaven loves the fresh and clean Lush Dirty Solid Perfume and floral Zoella Blissful Mistful Solid Fragrance.
Rollerballs
beautyheaven loves the Kiehl’s Musk Essence Oil Portable and the refreshing L’OCCITANE Aromachologie Relaxing Revitalizing Roll-on.
Fun fact: if you want to work in the fragrance industry you should disregard ALL of the above! Those in the fragrance industry don’t tend to wear perfume to work. Beverley explains that it can interfere with the evaluation of a scent that a perfumer is making.
“We like to smell in an environment that is as odour free as possible, that includes what we put on our own skin in the morning before going to work! As a perfumer I enjoy my fragrances at the weekend and holidays,” Beverley says.
What perfume do you wear to work? Have you tried any of these fragrances?
Gorgeous fragrances so many I want to try. I have my everyday perfumes and perfumes for when I go out.
Florabotanica by Balenciaga is so fresh, floral and super wearable.
I remember I wore Chloe once and she asked if i could stop wearing it becuase it gave her a headache haha. ahh
My boss gets headaches from certain scents so i need to be really careful
It’s always good to use a light touch with fragrance at work.
Some colleagues have allergies to certain smells like Lavender oil
Solid perfume was a great pick for less projection
Yves Saint Laurent Paris Eau de Toilette spray I think is quite popular and good to try but I always think parfum is better.
Thanks Lucy16 for this important information.
I think you need to be careful of your colleagues. Subtle and feminine is nice.