While you might already have your vacation perfume sorted, these designated travel perfumes will help to keep you cool, calm, collected and smelling great until you reach your destination and beyond.
When it comes to traveling, things can get a bit hectic, whether you're coping with delays and cancellations or long-haul airport waits. This is why a calming or confidence-boosting scent can truly make all the difference.
So, for all our anxious flyers and fragrance-obsessed readers out there, here's a roundup of the scents that make the best travel companions, according to the experts...
The best travel perfumes to get your from A to B
To help decode which scents fulfill our travel requirements, we've enlisted Natalia Ortiz, Chief Commercial Officer at The Fragrance Shopand Rebecca Herd, fragrance expert at The Perfume Shop to share some insights. But first, let's meet the travel scent contenders before we really delve into all the technical perfume note intel...
RRP: from $14.99 for 0.84 fl. oz.
This essential oil, roll-on perfume from Being Frenshe has a blend of fresh lavender, milky sandalwood and sweet cardamom and is described as: "Calm, relaxed and dreamy"
And if you're worried about its longevity and scent power, don't be! I personally love these Being Frenshe scents, especially the 'Bergamot Cedar' one because it's so cozy. It really clings to the skin, creating a beautiful skin scent that really does last.
RRP: $39.90 for 3.04 fl. oz.
This perfume also doubles as a great holiday scent thanks to the blend of orange blossom and neroli, along with calming ylang-ylang—which Ortiz recommends for anxious flyers.
RRP: from $80 for 1 fl. oz.
Another soothing lavender scent, this Jo Malone perfume features a blend of grapefruit, English lavender and silver birch. It is on the woodier side, but thanks to the floral and fruity notes, it's as comforting as it is long-lasting.
RRP: from $85 for 1 fl. oz.
Recommended by Ortiz, 'Beach Walk' features notes of bergamot, heliotrope, coconut milk, lemon and pink pepper. It's fresh, beachy and floral—ideal both for travel and for a light vacation scent. It's also an Eau De Toilette, so it won't be too overpowering and will fade nicely.
RRP: from $95 for 1 fl. oz.
Not only is this Dua Lipa's favorite perfume but it also features a blend of warm florals, that are both bold and comforting, thanks to its notes of lavender, orange blossom and musk accord.
RRP: from $100 for 1.7 fl. oz.
With notes of pink pepper, jasmine, amber and patchouli, this perfume is the perfect blend of floral and spicy, which will envelop you in warmth. The scent is described as 'ever-changing' so you won't get sick of the aroma during your journey.
The dos and don'ts of perfume when traveling
Best perfume notes for anxious flyers
- Recommended calming notes: Lavender, jasmine, rosemary, lemon and ylang ylang
If you find flying (or any kind of travel) anxiety-inducing, treating yourself to a comforting scent, that grounds you and soothes any racing thoughts could be the way to go.
Ortiz says: "Flying isn't a breeze for everyone, but taking a perfume on board with you can help soothe your nerves, help you relax to promote sleep and help with the end of flight freshening up.
"Calming notes such as lavender, jasmine, rosemary, lemon and ylang-ylang can all help promote sleep and ease anxiety."
Herd agrees that lavender is an especially good note to look for if you have a fear of flying or find the airport process very stressful (we can relate!), thanks to its calming properties. She also adds: "We would always suggest if you are in a small space like an aircraft you don’t want to be wearing a really strong perfume as you want to think about others around you. Something fresh and light would be perfect."
To get the most out of your perfume and to ensure you're surrounded by those soft and cozy aromas for as long as possible, spray your perfume on your pressure points. You could also try the Vaseline perfume trick, which can help the notes stick to your skin and boost their longevity.
What perfume notes should we avoid when travelling?
- Notes to avoid: Leather, tobacco and coffee
As for what scents to steer clear of, if you need to be in close proximity to others or find that some scents make you feel nausea—especially first thing in the morning—Ortiz draws our attention to heady, long-lasting perfumes that house woody or musky base notes.
"When it comes to flying, a lighter scent is not going to overpower you, but you want to pick long-lasting notes such as musk and woods, particularly if they're in the base fragrance note. These tend to evaporate slower than fruity or floral notes," Ortiz advises.
"Heavy single scents such as leather, tobacco and coffee might be too much as you're traveling, as they're brightening notes which can make you feel more awake and alert", she added.
Herd also suggests avoiding stronger formulas like elixirs or parfums that have a higher concentration of oils (which do make them last longer on the skin so are stronger in scent). Instead, opt for an eau de toilette.
So while we long oud perfumes and unique woody blends, it's perhaps best to save them for your date-night perfume rotation—or your office perfume game.
Ortiz also remarks that, because we all have different preferences, "it's also worth discovering which notes you like, that are nostalgic, and ones that may even make you feel a little nauseous if in the wrong environment such as flying."
Can flying affect your perfume?
Another important thing to note when flying is that the air pressure can affect how your perfume smells. Ortiz explains: "At higher altitudes, the air is thinner and has less moisture, which can cause the top notes of a perfume to evaporate more quickly.
"Top notes are the ones that give your fragrance the initial scent impact and are usually the most volatile oils, like citrus oils for example. These can evaporate in higher altitudes which can lead your fragrance to smelling different than you remember."
So, keep that in mind when you're selecting your scents, and before you pack your fave perfumes in your carry-on, check that it's within the liquid requirements. If it isn't, instead spritz it on your skin before you leave for the airport and stow it safely in your haul luggage!
