Why some scents radiate without shouting

Sillage — French for the wake behind a boat — describes the invisible trail a fragrance leaves in a room. Many people assume a strong trail means a loud perfume. In fact, some of the most admired scents of the last decade sit close to the skin yet seem to fill the air around you.

The secret lies in modern materials such as airy ambery woods and clean musks. They are light in feel but last for hours, creating a soft halo rather than a cloud.

The glow effect

Baccarat Rouge 540 is the defining example: saffron and jasmine over a mineral amberwood that people notice as you pass. 724, from the same house, does the same with clean white musk. Both prove that presence does not require volume.

“A soft halo, not a cloud.”