so fresh and so clean

March 2, 2009 6:30 PM

Please recommend some body washes and laundry detergents with a lasting smell.

I smell all nice in the morning when I leave the house, but less than an hour later the body wash smell wears off. This happens with any body wash or soap that I've used. I can use perfume of course, but don't like doing so for regular work days, so a nice lasting body wash smell would be perfect. Can you recommend a body wash or soap whose smell lasts a really long time? I prefer something that can be bought in a mall or chain store (NYC shops are OK, I'm in the area) and not online, since I absolutely must smell the stuff before buying it. Same with laundry detergent. I haven't found any whose smell stays on clothes for more than 15 minutes after I take them out of the dryer. So any recommendations for these products that have a pleasant lasting smell are welcome. Or are there tricks to make the smells last that I just don't know about?

posted by KateHasQuestions to shopping (22 comments total)

If you smell an odor for long enough, you eventually stop noticing it. This is because prolonged exposure to a strong smell is believed to saturate the olfactory epithelium with odor molecules to the point where information is no longer delivered to the brain. Right out of the shower put a clothespin on your nose and don't take it off until you get to work. When you get there you'll probably find you smell "shower-fresh", you just can't usually smell it yourself by then because your epithelium would have already been saturated if you are normally sans clothespin. This might explain why some people wear too much perfume, cologne, etc.
posted by Rafaelloello at 6:41 PM on March 2

As a person who finds certain long-lasting perfumes completely excruciating, I can assure you that most people's perfumes (or body wash scents, or detergent scents) last far longer than the wearer believes they do. The human sense of smell becomes habituated to a scent that's always there (in fact this usually does take about fifteen minutes). So unless the scented product you apply in the morning is powerful enough to make people like me weep and sneeze, you're actually quite unlikely to notice it for very long after putting it on, even though other people you meet certainly will.

In other words, you probably already smell nicer than you believe you do, and if you're going to go for something stronger, please get independent confirmation that there is in fact a problem to be solved before you start.
posted by flabdablet's sock puppet at 6:47 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

Another vote that you are probably experiencing olfactory fatigue. As an example, I can smell laundry detergent (the various kinds of Tide, in particular) on other people's clothing all day but not on myself.

Anyway, to answer your question: the scent of Tide is unbelievably persistent. So are Irish Spring, Zest and other deodorant soaps. Less...industrial but long-lasting and a little more pleasant are products containing peppermint and/or lavender. Costco has a house brand of peppermint-lavender laundry liquid that works pretty well, Trader Joe's carries a peppermint bath soap bar that has a nice scent.
posted by jamaro at 6:53 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

I have found that what really gives my clothes a fresher scent isn't so much the detergent as the dryer sheet. I use bounce and even a week later when I take my clothes out of my drawer I can smell the 'clean' so to speak. When I forget to add the dryer sheet it makes a clear difference. So try Bounce dryer sheets, or maybe dryer sheets in general, and see if that makes any difference.
posted by Carillon at 6:54 PM on March 2

In light of the previous comments, you might like the results you'd get after using Downy Simple Pleasures fabric softener (especially the vanilla & lavender scent). Use the sheets in addition to the liquid and your clothes will smell lovely without being overpowering.
posted by cloudsandstars at 6:54 PM on March 2

Thanks, I'm aware of olfactory fatigue, and while I agree that it happens, I would still like suggestions of products that people use that last a noticeably long time compared to most products. So keep 'em coming!
posted by KateHasQuestions at 6:59 PM on March 2

I get the olfactory fatigue like everyone else, but hear from others that Dr. Bronners leaves a lingering trace on my skin. Nice thing about simple essential-oil-based scents is that it doesn't require a suite of overpriced products to can follow up with a dab of the same (or complementary) scent of oil to keep it going, ditto a sachet in your dresser drawers.

But I also think that people shouldn't be able to smell what you smell like unless they're in permitted into your personal space.
posted by desuetude at 7:25 PM on March 2

Seconding the dryer sheets - when I use Bounce sheets on my clothes, I catch a whiff of the fragrance all through the day, and I love it. I only encountered such things for the first time when I went the USA for the first time (they don't really exist here in Australia, or at least not as the laundry' genre' they are in the States), and while I was out walking on cold Seattle days, I could smell Bounce sheets tumbling around in people's dryers from the street. For this reason, I love the smell and have pleasant, cosy associations with it - some brands even have the intensity of the fragrance indicated on the box.

Although, if I was in charge, I would make Cinnamon Roll scented Bounce-sheets. Perfect.
posted by lottie at 7:28 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

My dad is very sensitive to the kinds of smells you're after. Here's what I'm not allowed to use, even though I live far away from my parents and visit maybe four times a year:

- Tide products of any kind, even if I launder everything with a hypoallergenic, fragrance free detergent before I visit. He can still smell it.

- Any of the Dove deoderants, particularly Smooth Cashmere. This one was so offensive that I almost got disinherited over it...

- Ivory Simply Ivory Bodywash. I *love* this. The bottle I have has a more modern design and doesn't mention "Fresh Snow," but I think it's just a re-branding thing. I got mine at a mainstream grocery store- and it's super cheap. I was telling my friend about it, and she was able to get the scent from smelling my arm several hours after showering. Very nice lather, no residue, moisturizing. Love. Can't use it a t my parents' house, though...
posted by charmcityblues at 7:33 PM on March 2

Fantasy by Britney Spears lasts a long time. Don't laugh. Fantasy is a sweet fragrance. Men (generalizing) usually like it a lot. You can smell it the next day. Try to find the shower gel and lotion, so you can layer. You need one squirt of this perfume. More is sickening. It's a sweet fragrance, but not juvenile, and reminds me of cotton candy, vanilla cupcakes, and fresh fruit. It's more complex, but that's what pops out for me. Avoid if you don't like this kind of thing. I actually love Fantasy and I usually gravitate toward more sophisticated florals and musks.

Look for products that say eau de parfum. Avoid eau de toilette, or "fragrance" or "spray fragrance".

A grown up perfume that lasts is Allure by Chanel.

A low end product that lasts is "Vanilla Amber Musk" by Bodycology found at Walmart, drugstore.com and other discount drug stores. Use just the shower gel and you'll be smelling like sweet vanilla musk for hours and hours. I try to avoid this shower gel on days I have to work because it's almost too overpowering.

Try layering your fragrance for more staying power: shower gel, lotion, perfume. Keep a perfume solid in your purse for touch ups.

Many lines contain hair perfumes. The hair usually retains fragrance quite well.
posted by Fairchild at 7:39 PM on March 2

Kiehl's (3rd Ave and 13th St, NYC) makes really, really nice bath and shower liquid body soap that pairs with their moisturiser. If you layer them, the scent lasts substantially longer. Their scents are clean and subtle - not really oogey, 'loud bingo lady'-ish, iykwim. What's also cool, is that Kiehl's will let you load up on samples to try out before you decide on which one is right for you. I happen to be really partial to their coriander one.

I do, however, agree that it's much more enticing to get a slight whiff of somebody only if you're really close enough to appreciate it. Nothing is worse than feeling like you're being exterminated by somebody's cologne/perfume/latest obsession courtesy of their magazine fold.
posted by dancinglamb at 7:42 PM on March 2

Oh, and nthing Bounce. He can't stand even the *unscented* Bounce.

(Note: despite my annoyance at fragrance restrictions, I am careful to follow them, because it really makes his life miserable. I'm sure there are people in your life who are similarly afflicted, and I'm with the previous posters who are noting that it would be not cool to purposefully fragrance-up.)
posted by charmcityblues at 7:42 PM on March 2

This Bodywash is really fragrant.
posted by delladlux at 7:43 PM on March 2

I don't fumigate all people and animals nearby, thanks though. And I agree people shouldn't be smelled from more than 1.5 feet away, so I don't need any more comments about that. I agree that scented candles are horrible, and I don't work that closely with other people throughout the day anyway. I would just like my personal space to still smell like what I smelled like in the shower that morning to myself, for myself, not for anyone else.

I'll try the dryer sheets and give Tide another shot for laundry and delicious smelling drawers and closets, thanks! Any other soap/body wash suggestions?
posted by KateHasQuestions at 7:49 PM on March 2

Farouk's CHI hair products from the Infra line always stay with me (the hairspray and silk infusion products in particular). I see they have a line of lotions and body washes, and I wouldn't be surprised if those also had lasting fragrances.
posted by contrariwise at 8:42 PM on March 2

LUSH has plenty of unique, strongly smelling bar soaps, body washes, lotions, and hair products. Most leave a decent linger, and you can battle olfactory fatigue by cycling products.

I've found scents hang around mostly in my hair rather than my skin (like after using hair mist or fragrant conditioner). Chucking a bar of soap into your clothing drawer will also leave a bit of nice smell!
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 9:43 PM on March 2

I really like the "Apple Mango Tango" detergent from Gain Joyful Expressions. If you're looking to amplify the fresh laundry scent and make it last longer or refresh it, you can also make homemade "Febreze" from any fabric softener. Put one part fabric softener with three parts water in a spray bottle, shake, and spray your outfit.
posted by Gianna at 10:27 PM on March 2

Anything with a genuine essential oils base will last quite a while.

Seconding Lush, particularly their massage bars. I use them on my skin as a moisturiser, just out of the bath - Amazonian and Fever are fab. Their bath butters have a great smell (I love this citrusy one). Their scented hair products really last, too - the Jasmine-Henna treatment leaves a scent in my hair that lasts through the next washing, even. (probably because I use this shampoo bar)

If you can get hold of any body or aromatherapy stuff made by Neals Yard, you'll have a discreet and very yummy smell about you.

I normally can't stand Bath and Body Works products, but Moonlight Path seems to linger (and gets a lot of compliments)
posted by Grrlscout at 4:36 AM on March 3

Oh, and Cinnabar lasts all night, and then some, if you want to get away from the floral scents. Just the perfume - you don't even need to layer. I love this perfume, but a little goes a long way.

You don't need to buy special hair scents, btw - just spray some normal perfume on your hairbrush and run it through your hair before you go out
posted by Grrlscout at 4:40 AM on March 3

Do you wear anykind of body lotion? There are scented ones that smell a lot like body washes (maybe the same brand of wash you use has a companion body lotion). Instead of perfume, I usually wear a scented lotion. It lasts longer, and I like those kinds of smells better than perfume smells. I like the scents and moisturizing power of Philosophy (my favorite is Amazing Grace). But of course you might like different kinds of smells.
posted by bluefly at 5:48 AM on March 3

I can't stand the stuff, but my experience is that everything from Bath & Body Works has particularly long-lasting scents. I received some hand lotion for a Christmas gift, tried it, hated it, and could NOT get the smell off. I washed my hands 5 times and had to scrub them with a sandpapery sponge to get back to normal. But I know lots of people do like their products, so perhaps I am weird and you will be pleased.
posted by apostrophe at 7:02 AM on March 3

There are a lot of new "men's" body washes on the market right now that are super smelly. My boyfriend uses the Old Spice kind, and I can smell it on him all day (I can also smell it in the bathroom for hours after he showers). It smells good and not too overpowering. It's definitely a manly smell, but there are some that smell more "clean" and less like men's cologne. There are dozens of options for you to sniff in the soap aisle at the drugstore.
posted by jrichards at 7:35 AM on March 3