Funerals are emotional occasions for the bereaved to mourn the departure of a loved one and pay their last respects to the departed. All attention should be on the mourning of the departed and not your sense of fashion. You want to avoid standing out or taking attention away from the mourning of the deceased. The last thing you want to do is show up wearing a fragrance that makes everyone think you are insensitive, disrespectful or vain.
But we also understand that not wearing your perfume could take a toll on your confidence because you fear that you could end up with an unpleasant odor. In addition, perfumes could be a daily care essential for you and you could feel incomplete without your perfume. And if you show up at the funeral with a bad odor, you are still going to get a lot of attention- albeit negative attention. Now, the trick is to smell good enough to be confident but subtle enough to not make others uncomfortable or notice you.
Generally, it is not considered rude to wear perfume to a funeral as long as your perfume is not ‘loud’ and strong enough to assault the senses of others. Avoid strong perfumes or using any perfume excessively while attending a funeral
In picking a fragrance to wear for a funeral, you should consider soft smelling fragrances. Try organic perfumes as they do not vaporize as much as their artificial counterparts. Organic products with low sillage are ideal as their scents are subtle and do not leave a long trail.
You must also play safe by picking the right notes suited to your body and the mood of the funeral. Consider woody or white floral notes and try to make it a single note perfume.
We advise that you don’t trust yourself to be the only judge of the appropriateness of your chosen perfume. A second opinion doesn’t hurt and it also ensures that different noses sample your choice. This is because your nose may not be sensitive enough to pick up a strong scent. A trick to check the strength of the perfume is to ask someone who is about one foot away if they can smell any perfume on you. If you get a yes, your perfume is probably too strong for the sober mood of a funeral.
Do not apply the perfume close to the time you will be at the funeral. Even a subtle perfume is likely to smell strong when freshly applied. Applying it quite early before leaving for the funeral will give it some time to smell mild and just mask body odor.
Finally, bear in mind whether there is a cultural or religious code on wearing perfumes at the funeral you wish to attend. You can also check if all attendees are instructed to wear a certain type of perfume to the occasion.
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