French women have long been a favorite fashion and beauty reference. Especially in the world of perfume, where they have a bit of an advantage. After all, France may not have invented perfume—that was the ancient Egyptians—but the country was the first to mass produce it for a global audience.
The boom in hair perfume might be another area where the French are ahead of the curve. The trend is set to grow in the coming years: According to data from IMARC, the global market for body and hair mists is expected to experience more than 6% growth by 2032.
The reasons for the uptick, they say, are mainly based on functional reasons—in most cases, hair perfume usually offers other built-in benefits such as adding moisture or shine. But it could be more that.
French women perfume secrets
Naturally, French women have been either applying their regular perfume to their hair or using hair fragrance for years. According to perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, many French women don’t reveal this secret—or even reveal the name of their perfume—because they consider it an important part of their mystique and charm.
Still there have been clues. For example, French It-girl Jeanne Damas once confessed her particular ritual to Coveteur: “Before going out at night, I like to put a little perfume on the back of my neck and also on my hair. That way when you dance and move, everyone can smell it and it’s very pleasant.” And Lolita Lempicka, creator of the ubiquitous perfume that shares her name, told Vogue Spain in an interview that she does it, too: “I like to perfume my hair because the scent stays longer… And because when they kiss me they can smell my perfume.”
Hair perfume lasts longer
The simple fact of the matter is that perfume applied to the hair lasts longer. This was recently confirmed to us by Givenchy, which offers its iconic fragrances in several hair mists. “The fragrance in the hair remains even longer than on the body, since the hair absorbs odors more intensely. In addition, it repels unpleasant aromas that can stick to the hair, such as food or smoke odors. It is an ideal product,” a spokesperson from the brand told us.
They also confirmed what the worldwide data predicts: Hair perfume sales are growing steadily. Although it is not a product that consumers currently look for proactively, Givency says the appeal is that “its benefits are multiple. In fact, it is the favorite perfuming ritual product, above cream or deodorant,” they say, noting that their specific perfumes for hair also moisturize and provide silkiness.
An application trick
“French women don’t want to smell like lollipops or dishwashing detergent. They want to smell like their perfume,” explained Paris-based hairstylist David Mallet during an interview with W. It’s a statement of intent that puts the French women’s perspective on perfume in greater context. To use it as they do, Givenchy experts in Spain recommend spritzing at least 10 inches away from the hair to avoid wetting it or leaving residue. This way—and only this way—will we be able to be like the French with the scent of our perfume lasting all day long.
