What is Sillage?
Have you ever entered a room and bumped into a lingering smell of perfume or cologne, which strongly suggests that someone else other than yourself has been there? Well, most of us have. Like a snail that unintentionally leaves a trail or track behind, cologne can also leave a trail, which is often referred to as sillage’ (French for “wake,” similar to the stream that remains behind a boat).
Perfume enthusiasts often use this term to describe how fragrance stays stuck to the skin, leaving behind a unique wafting aroma. Perfumes can also be a strong fashion statement.
Sillage, as opposed to projection, is often used to describe the ability of cologne or perfume to move from the real wearer and diffuse across the room, penetrating with its fragrance. Most people at work often choose perfumes with low sillage when they want to be discreet and avoid affecting those around them.
Apparently, sillage can be termed as the degree to which perfume fragrances linger in the atmosphere when worn. It can be regarded as a scented smell and a trail left behind by a fragrance wearer. This fragrance often diffuses around a room.
However, sillage has little to do with the concentration of the composition, but rather with the properties or diffusive nature of the elements that go into making it.
While fragrances with a weak sillage diffuse slowly around the room, those with strong sillage move rapidly and do not stay on the skin only to create an intimate scented aura, but diffuse around the room to make their presence felt.
While some people prefer diffusive fragrances, others would rather wear intimate ones. However, another group likes to alternate between intimate and diffusive fragrances.
Regardless, it is always advisable to keep one’s trail as modest as possible, especially in office environments, restaurants, movie theaters, and so forth.
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