Sillage can mean the degree to which the scent of a perfume lingers. It has been described as the wake of aroma that trails the wearer and lingers after the wearer has gone.
Origin of the word
English borrowed the word from French. The French noun comes from siller and the suffix -age, and it names the path a ship leaves behind on the surface of the water.
What shapes the trail
The intensity and longevity of a fragrance depend on the concentration, intensity and longevity of the perfume oils used. As the percentage of aromatic compounds increases, so do the intensity and longevity of the scent. Concentration terms are French expressions that give the share of perfume oil in the finished product: parfum or extrait holds 15-30% aromatic compounds, and eau de parfum 15-20%. Cologne is released rapidly and lasts around 2 hours, eau de toilette lasts from 2 to 4 hours, and perfume may last up to six or even eight hours.
Top notes consist of small, light molecules that evaporate quickly. Middle notes, also called heart notes, emerge just before the top note dissipates and form the main body of a perfume. They mask the often unpleasant first impression of the base notes, which become more pleasant with time. As a perfume dries down, the top note gives the first impression, the deeper middle notes follow, and the base notes appear gradually as the final stage.
Wearing and describing a perfume
Pure perfume is conventionally applied behind the ears, at the nape of the neck, under the armpits and at the insides of wrists, elbows and knees, where the pulse point warms the perfume and releases fragrance continuously. The perfume industry encourages layering, so that fragrance is released in different intensities through the day: lightly scented bath and body products in the morning, eau de toilette in the afternoon and perfume at the pulse points in the evening.
The most practical way to start describing a perfume is by its fragrance notes or the family it belongs to, which shape the impression from first application to the last lingering hint of scent.
