We’ve all been there: You spritz your favorite perfume on in the morning, and by the time the day is over, it’s nowhere to be found. But what can we do other than stand defeated and scentless? After all, we know not everyone can smell like a mix of Maison Margiela Replica’s Lazy Sunday Morning and Jean Paul Gaultier’s Classique (my personal cocktail) for a full 24 hours. Or can they?
On February 1, biotechnology-forward fragrance brand Future Society dropped a solution to this perfume problem in the form of their new Optimal Habitat Fragrance Primer ($60). The primer promises to keep your fragrance potent for the whole day, giving your skin some love while doing so.
Ahead, all the details on the first-of-its-kind product, plus my honest review.
The Product
Future Society made waves when the brand launched last October, thanks to its gorgeous scents and truly unique premise: The brand’s six initial fragrances are formulated to smell like flowers that have long been extinct. Among the scents resurrected are a flower native to South Africa that perished due to urbanization, a Hawaiian hibiscus that disappeared due to deforestation, and an Indian blossom that became extinct by drought. Plus, the fragrances are housed inside the cutest clear bottle with a pebble as its cap.
@Futuresociety/instagram
The brand doesn’t want their fragrances to go extinct after a spray, either. Enter the new Optimal Habitat Fragrance Primer—a primer serum housed in the same pebble-capped bottle that aims to provide the “optimal habitat” for a fragrance to live its best life as long as possible. The new product, which is certified by MyMicrobiome to be safe for the skin’s barrier, promises to keep any scent alive for up to 24 hours.
The Formula
So, how does it work? The primer uses just as much exciting science as it did to bring extinct scents back to life. Essentially, it creates an optimal environment (hence the name) in your skin’s microbiome and an ideal pH for a fragrance to last longer on your skin.
First and foremost in creating said environment is hydration. I’m sure you’ve heard the tip to spray your perfume over freshly lotioned skin, as it helps the scent stick to your skin for longer. Optimal Habitat enlisted two A-list hydrators into the mix: glycerin and squalane. Both ingredients have been proven to soften, hydrate, and calm the skin, plus they are regularly used in most mainstream skincare lines.
However, it wouldn’t be Future Society if they didn’t bring some of the future into the formula, and there are plenty of biotech ingredients at play in addition to the skincare basics.
Future Society
Aeonome is the first of the bunch. A marine biotechnology ingredient harvested from an underwater cave in Spain, it not only moisturizes but also reduces oxidation and helps regulate the skin’s microbiome. Not to mention, it’s just a good ingredient for overall skin health.
Second up is sr-hydrozan polypeptide-1. This polypeptide is created to mimic marine collagen to help restore skin, make it appear younger, and nourish your barrier while also providing antimicrobial support. The last of the biotech ingredients is ceramide NP. Derived from olive oil, this ceramide helps keep your skin’s outer layers intact and healthy.
There are two more key ingredients that help make your scent last—arginine and ethylhexylglycerin. Arginine is an amino acid that provides antioxidants to the skin and repairs damage, while ethylhexylglycerin is a preserving ingredient that can help keep both your skin and scent fresh.
Plus, all the ingredients have been certified by MyMicrobiome, the leading organization in 40 countries for certifying microbiome-safe clothes and cosmetics to not irritate or disrupt your skin’s barriers at any layer.
My Review
Honestly, I didn’t believe this would work when I received it in the mail. Nonetheless, I had to try it. Partly because I love using anything that looks pretty, but mostly because I needed to know if it would actually make my perfume last all day. After spraying the serum on my wrists and décolletage and gently rubbing it in, I applied my perfume the way I always do, making sure that wherever the serum went, fragrance followed.
I immediately noticed the scent was stronger in the places with the serum than without. But, I needed a full day’s wear for proof. It’s a well-known fact you should spray your scents on top of freshly lotioned skin, but I do that nearly every day, and my scent has never stayed on this long. Even after washing my hands—and wrists—I could still smell the fragrance with barely any difference. Not to mention, by the end of my work day, all the skin I applied Optimal Habitat to still packed a floral punch, whereas my clothes and non-serumized skin were completely scentless. I guess you can now consider my habitat optimized.