5 Ingenious Travel-Friendly Perfume Tips, Courtesy of Amouage’s Joachim Nisen

From how to stop your fragrances from exploding in your suitcase to what to spritz and not to spritz when on vacation, here are five expert tips from a professional.

Nothing whisks one away to greener plains, new cities, or the exotic shores of a Mediterranean paradise than a great fragrance. But what happens when you are the one whisking the fragrance away instead? As it turns out, the risk of either a faux pas or a wardrobe disaster increases drastically. 

We sat down with Joachim Nisen, Amouage’s Global Head of Retail Experience, at the launch of Amouage’s new Decision 42 and Overture 41 fragrances, where we picked his brain for the best travel-friendly perfume tips he has garnered over his years of experience with the brand. From how to avoid a luggage fiasco to making sure you don’t offend when you set off on your travels, find his five key tips below:

Tip #1: Decant blotter bottles into an atomiser

This is kind of a no-brainer, but if you’re looking for the most travel-friendly way to transport your fragrances to distant lands, getting yourself a travel atomiser bottle is your best bet. Granted, we wouldn’t recommend decanting your full-sized bottles (a change in packaging and exposure to air may affect the lifespan of your fragrance), but if you’ve got any mini bottles on hand with no atomiser—say a nifty sample or a holiday-sized offering from an advent calendar—decanting them is a genius move.

Tip #2: Empty your fragrance nozzle before travelling to prevent spills

Have you ever had an entire fragrance burst in your luggage? Sure, your clothes end up smelling sensational, but the heartbreak of losing half a bottle of your favourite fragrance can be too much to bear. 

Fortunately, Nisen has a great tip for this: “Just before you pack your fragrance into your luggage, turn the bottle upside down and spray until the nozzle is completely empty. This removes any pressure in the atomiser and stops your fragrance from leaking from the change in pressure when you fly!”

Tip #3: Curate your scent for your destination

There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re packing a fragrance for a holiday abroad, and most pertinent is to curate your perfume rotation to your destination. For example, a precious oud may be right at home in Dubai, but its intense, rich accord would not be seen as particularly welcome in other regions.

As a general rule, East Asian countries tend to prefer lighter and fresher scents while Western countries may prefer a sweeter, richer accord—essentially, you want to edit your scent picks for your destination to avoid a faux pas!

Tip #4: Change your scent with the seasons

It’s not just cultural sensitivity you have to worry about—the weather poses its own problems, too! Nisen explains that every season deserves its own signature scent. Firstly, by changing your go-to scent between the winter, summer, autumn, and spring seasons, you avoid the risk of scent fatigue (read: when your nose temporarily loses the ability to detect your fragrance over time). “When you tailor your scent for the season, it allows you to be able to fully enjoy your fragrance wardrobe without ever getting tired of it,” says Nisen.

Secondly, factors like humidity and temperature have direct effects on how well your fragrance performs throughout the day. For example, in humid climates, eau de parfums and extraits last longer because the richness in oil boosts the scent’s longevity. Conversely, in colder climates, a lighter scent fares better, while sweeter scents wear less cloyingly. 

Tip #5: Use a new scent every time you travel

“Every time I go on holiday, I take a new perfume and use it while I’m away so that I associate the scent with that particular trip,” Nisen explains. “Then, when I use it again, it takes me back to that week or month and whisks me away.”

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