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DISCOVER

Presented by
projection · sillage · longevity

Three terms that come up constantly when people talk about fragrance performance. They're closely related, but each describes something different about how a perfume behaves once you wear it.

The Quick Answer

When people talk about fragrance performance, three terms come up constantly: projection, sillage, and longevity. They’re closely related, but each describes something different about how a perfume behaves once you wear it.

Projection
How far a fragrance radiates from your skin. Think of it as your personal scent bubble. A fragrance with strong projection can be noticed from several feet away, while a softer scent stays closer to the body.
Sillage
The scent trail a fragrance leaves behind as you move. If someone walks past wearing perfume and you can still smell it a few moments after they’ve left, that lingering trail is sillage.
Longevity
Simply how long a fragrance remains detectable after you apply it. A long-lasting perfume might stay noticeable on your skin for many hours, even after its initial projection has become much softer.
Projection — how far your fragrance radiates: the scent bubble around you, from intimate (0–1 ft) to moderate (1–3 ft) to strong (3 ft and beyond)
Sillage — the scent trail you leave behind: you move, the trail remains in the air, and others can still smell your fragrance after you've gone
Longevity — how long your fragrance lasts: top notes in the first 2 hours, heart notes at 2–4, base notes at 4–8, still detectable up close past 8, faint traces beyond 12

The Distinction

The easiest way to remember the difference is:

Projection
=
distance
Sillage
=
trail
Longevity
=
time

A fragrance can perform very differently in each category. It might project strongly for the first two hours but disappear relatively quickly, or it might stay close to the skin while lasting from morning into the evening. Another fragrance may leave an impressive scent trail without constantly filling the room around you.

That’s why calling a fragrance simply “strong” doesn’t tell the whole story. Understanding projection vs. sillage vs. longevity tells you how a fragrance performs — and makes it much easier to choose a scent that behaves the way you actually want to wear it.

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