Is projection over-rated? : Musings and reflections

‘Smell me before you see me’… ‘scent cloud’… ‘scent trail’… ‘smell me from another room’… I am sure you have either used one or all of these phrases or heard/ read these descriptions being used in perfume reviews to talk about projection.

We are all so very much concerned with how well a fragrance projects… with how fervid the ‘eau’ will make the ‘parfum’. My question today is, should it matter? Should the noticeability of a fragrance push/ deter one from swiping their card at the till and bringing into ownership a new bottle of perfume? This is not a rhetorical question; I will attempt to address either responses in this write-up, but will leave the taking of sides to you.

On the one hand, yes, how far the aroma of a fragrance can get away from you, should influence your decision to pull the trigger. We live in a world where for the most part, allergies and sensitivities cannot be worn on one’s sleeve for all to see and take note of. People have allergies and medical sensitivities to a whole plethora of allergens and perfume can be one of them. Perhaps not deadly, but still a discommoding trigger, a perfume that projects far and wide may bring discomfort to those living with sensitivities closely related to smell, standing around you. And if we remember those nuggets of wise etiquette we were taught as children, giving more respect to the ease and comfort of others over our self-concerned desire, is the cornerstone of good manners.

Another important way to consider the significance of a perfume’s ability to be perceived by others not close by, is to simply examine the motive behind the acquirement. I doubt that there are many individuals who would happily put down a hefty sum for a fragrance they and no one standing by, could only smell when being worn, no matter the longevity. A few months ago, I finally got my nose on Cartier’s Oud & Santal EDP. For quite some time, I had been very curious about how it would smell and although I absolutely adored the fragrance, I was in no way willing to put down £300 for a fragrance that would cling to me but not tease the noses of passers by. Money has everything to do with decision making and rightly it should. The first rule of economics is that resources are scarce, and if I have to use my scarce resources to buy a bottle of perfume, it has to ‘Wow others’.

On the other hand, no, if or how others experience my fragrance, the scent of which I enjoy, and which brings me pleasure, has little to do with my independent decision to purchase a scent that I want to smell on my body. After all, the history of perfumery started with men and women who found clever ways to hide their body odour with something more pleasant. If the perfume achieves this for me, is it not a job well done, should more be required of a product other than its initial objective?

Furthermore, projection and sillage are interconnected. If my perfume expands around me to wrap me up in a beautiful bubble of scent that anyone who comes within my personal space will find themselves experiencing that bubble too, is that not more pleasing than people leaving the room because my fragrance is choking the oxygen out of the air in their bronchioles. So that rather than you smelling me before you see me, you smelling me when you come into my personal space, becomes my primary objective. I will cite a personal example: early in 2022, I purchased the hyped-up Shaghaf Oud by Swiss Arabian. It was all the hype promised it would be, the projection was beastly, and it was for that very reason that I sold it off after a few months of minimal wear. There is no perfume that 100% of people riding a bus/ train/ plane with you will enjoy, and Shaghaf Oud was intrusive to the max. I made the purchase for its projection but found all else unremarkable.

So there you have it, these are my thoughts. I’m sure there are better ways to examine the importance or non-importance of a perfume’s ability to project, I hope you can suggest them to me. It just occurred to me, that a 3rd way to examine this is to bring in the variable of cost- perhaps projection only matters when cost is of a higher priority. What say you? Happy musings and Eid Mubarak!