Copyright evoke
One of the most effective ways to discover perfumes you'll love or that are currently trending is by using TikTok and following popular hashtags to see what everyone's wearing. The hashtag #perfumetok has made best-sellers from niche brands like Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Tom Ford, and more, and has probably a billion followers at this stage, but it's fascinating what people post. A new trend, #scentmaxxing, has recently emerged, and to understand its significance, we've spoken with Jonny Webber, a fragrance expert from PerfumeDirect.com, to get the lowdown. Scent Expert Jonny explains that it's a shift in generational thinking. He says, Gen Z has entered its maximalist era, and their millennial counterparts, Gen Z, aren’t looking for a “signature scent” – they’re engineering one; the future of fragrance is layered.' 'Across TikTok’s “PerfumeTok”, fragrance obsessives are layering mists, oils, lotions, and perfumes like social alchemists, crafting combinations that shift with their moods, outfits, and playlists,' he adds. 'TikTok creators have made smell the new social currency. Scroll through #PerfumeTok and you can clearly see that what used to be niche fragrance talk has evolved into a full-blown movement, blending beauty ritual with identity play.' Scent-Maxxing Trend So, what is scent-maxxing, and why is it trending now? Jonny says, 'It’s not enough to own a bottle of Tom Ford Lost Cherry or Creed Aventus - you have to remix them. The thrill lies in combining high-low scents, indie finds with mainstream icons, until you’ve conjured a cloud that’s unmistakably yours. It’s sensory personal branding: your scent trail becomes an invisible aesthetic, and as no two skin chemistries are alike, this uniqueness is exactly the point.' 'This comes down to science,' explains Jonny. 'A fragrance is essentially a cloud of microscopic molecules that need warmth and movement in the air to travel. In colder, drier air, those molecules slow down and stay closer to the skin. That’s why your scent can feel like it’s gone weak; it simply isn’t diffusing as far as it did in summer. And this is why many people reach for extra sprays, thinking their nose has adapted or the perfume’s formula has changed. In reality, it’s just physics - the cold air is dampening your perfume’s projection.' Fragrance Tips Even if you don't want to wear multiple perfumes on your next date night, the colder weather will impact how your scent smells. Jonny has some tips to elevate and extend the throw of your fragrance. He says, 'Firstly, target warm zones: Skip exposed pulse points. Instead, spray areas that stay warm under clothing: the chest, inner elbows, or lower back. The trapped warmth acts like a mini diffuser, steadily releasing scent through the day. Secondly, scent your clothes: Lightly mist the ends of your scarf or the hem of your jumper. Natural fibres like wool hold fragrance beautifully and release it as you move, keeping your scent noticeable without reapplying.
