What do  Sillage and Projection Mean in a  Fragrance

Sillage sound very different than it’s written – in French it sounds as: [sijaʒ].

Let’s understand Sillage in simple terms. When an airplane moves in the sky or a boat moves in water, as we all have observed, it leaves a trail behind, which is called Sillage. Similarly Sillage in fragrance product leaves a trail behind  as the wearer walks when it is worn on the skin or cloth. The origin of word Sillage is from French language which means “wake”. Sillage can be described as how a fragrance “diffuses” behind the wearer as they move ahead. So it has more to do with diffusion and not the oil  concentration.

As a matter of fact,  fragrance need not be heavy  to have a bigger sillage.

Sillage and Projection are two different things in fragrances.  Projection is about how a fragrance is perceived by others around the wearer.

There are parameters that affect the Sillage and  Projection  that mainly  include motion dynamics, temperature of surroundings  as well as the qualities of the skin which are individualistic in nature.

Skin attributes play a major role in Sillage and Projection, when a fragrance is worn on the skin, the skin itself becomes a foundation to the scent. The skin of every Individual has an inherent scent – the  moisture level of the skin, the behavior of the microorganisms of the skin, and the temperature of the surface of the skin on which the fragrance is applied affect the sillage or diffusion of a perfume applied to it.

Therefore, there is no constant experience when it comes to Sillage and Projection in fragrances and one size does not fit all.