What’s the deal with solid perfume?

What’s the deal with solid perfumes? Surely spray perfumes are more effective with their many additives, preservatives, alcohol and other chemical enhancers? They might not be great for the skin, but they give more bang for their buck, surely?

Not necessarily. There’s lots of solid perfumes under £10 that are just nice fragrances which don’t have much staying power. However, like any good perfume, if you spend that extra bit, you get more quality, more scent, more staying power and don’t have to use as much.

Plus it doesn’t stain your clothes or get sprayed in the eyes or mouth by mistake.

Scout about and you can find some incredible solid perfumes. Concrete formulas are mixtures of oils, waxes and other ingredients that are poured into containers such as tins to eventually harden. You are then encouraged to rub it on pressure points like around the neck, the temples and wrists.

According to the Huffington Post, although a solid perfume might be a new concept to some, solid fragrances have been providing smells for ages. For example, in Ancient Egypt, solid perfumes were believed to have healing properties, while Ancient Rome ingested mixtures for bodily balance. And fancy Europeans found dry scents quite chic, carrying them around in lockets.

Most importantly, rumour has it that Cleopatra put waxy scents on her mouth before kisses… so there’s that.

Today, solid perfumes provide a great deal of service. Carry one for on-the-go access or combine different scents, as solid perfumes are build-able and therefore act as the perfect foundation for layering.

We love the Jo Browne range – especially the floral note which describes itself as “an elegant floral composition where sparkling bergamot and grapefruit rest upon a full blooming heart of wild jasmine, tuberose, lilac and orange blossom twisted with lemongrass. Sandalwood and myrrh form the base with a whisper of green violet leaf.”

Just pop it in your handbag and apply when necessary. There’s no horrible ingredients, it smells heavenly and is paraben and SLS-free.