Bruising perfume by rubbing your wrists together is no longer the greatest fragrance faux pas. Beauty snobs will now look down their hard-working noses at you for only spritzing your wrists.
“Perfume has expanded beyond fragrance into a complete sensory experience, encompassing body creams, shower gels, candles and even car diffusers,” says Nick Smart, founder of Libertine Parfumerie. “Hair perfume is part of this holistic approach.”
“With bath and body lines already an integral part of the extended fragrance experience, it became clear that there is strong demand for products that nourish the hair and offer a more refined way to enjoy distinctive fragrances.”
Timothée Chalamet at the London premiere of Dune: Part Two in February is the face of Bleu De Chanel, which has released a luxury hair mist for men.Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Searches for “hair perfume” have more than doubled worldwide since lockdown, according to Google Trends. The same trend has taken place in Australia, with “hair perfume” searches doubling in the past year on retailer Adore Beauty’s website.
Combining fragrance with hair is part of a movement in the industry described as the “skinification of hair”. Companies are now marketing a multi-step approach to haircare routines, borrowing from the Korean skincare handbook where “rinse and repeat” just won’t cut it.
This festive season, cult French brand Matiere Premiere released hair perfume versions of its popular scents Radical Rose and Crystal Saffron, with Juliette Has A Gun adding a hair and body mist to the Not range.
“Within the niche space, we’re seeing more brands introducing hair fragrance as part of their collections,” Smart says. “Houses like BDK, Matiere Premiere and others are leading the way. It’s only a matter of time before more follow suit.”
Not-so-niche fragrance house Chanel is flicking the trend across the gender divide, launching a hair perfume version of its men’s scent Bleu in October. The face and curly hair of the Bleu De Chanel is Wonka star Timothée Chalamet.
“There is great potential for hair perfumes with the male customer,” says Sunday Life beauty editor Stephanie Darling. “Young boys are embracing scent more than ever before. You only need to look at TikTok to see this.” The hashtag #hairperfume now has more than 100 million views on TikTok.
“On the whole, demand for premium fragrance is on the up – driven in part by younger generations discovering and embracing luxury scents from both well-known and more emerging brands via channels like TikTok,” says Gerard Richardson, Adore Beauty’s head of retail marketing.
While hair perfumes targeted at men are new to luxury shelves, the product has wafted in and out of fashion since Christian Dior released a tiny brush in 1955, designed to be dipped into bottles of Miss Dior and combed through hair.
In the ’90s, Thierry Mugler released a hair perfume of the enduring vanilla scent Angel, while in the 2000s body mists from Britney Spears and Victoria’s Secret were liberally applied to hair.
“The big difference is the composition, with today’s mists containing less alcohol, which didn’t always have the best result on coloured hair in the past,” Darling says. “They could be horribly drying.”
While some mists now combine moisturising products with scent, trading on the popularity of fragrant hair serums and oils, dermatologists still recommend checking the ingredients list to prevent potential scalp damage.
“Some hair perfumes contain alcohol, such as ethyl and isopropyl alcohol, that can dry out the hair and irritate the scalp,” says Dr Leona Yip, dermatologist and alopecia specialist. “Repeated use may strip natural oils from the hair, leading to dryness, brittleness or frizz.
“Regular contact with these alcohols on the scalp can cause dryness and irritation, with burning, itching or redness.”
More unwanted side effects can come from enthusiastically embracing fragrance layering. Why stop at the perfume when you can wear the deodorant, body mist and perfume? Before adding extra shelves to your bathroom, Darling encourages restraint. Dab, don’t douse.
“The whole layering concept can be slightly overwhelming,” Darling says. “Choose one or the other. Remember that hair perfumes generally last longer than fragrance on the body. They also rest on an area that more people can experience with a hug or calculated hair toss. No one is hanging around your wrists.
“They’re also great for post workout hair. Just sprinkle some dry shampoo, add some hair perfume, and you’re good to go.”
The rising cost of living could also be a factor. The lipstick effect, where customers treat themselves to small luxuries during economic downturns, has shifted to hair mists, which are generally less expensive than their eau de parfum or perfume counterparts.
“The rising popularity of premium hair mists and hair perfumes from brands like Balmain, Morrocanoil and Sachajuan chimes with the rise in demand from consumers for small luxuries that help elevate the everyday,” Richardson says. “And who doesn’t love the idea of swooshing their hair and radiating a gorgeous little scent?”
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