The most reliable way to find out is to ask a trusted friend, family member, or colleague for an honest opinion, since your own nose adapts quickly to a scent you’re wearing and genuinely loses the ability to judge its strength accurately after the first twenty minutes or so, meaning you often can’t tell from your own sense of smell alone.

Practical ways to check

Olfactory adaptation is a well-documented, genuinely normal phenomenon, your nose stops registering a constant smell as strongly the longer you’re exposed to it, which is exactly why people wearing too much perfume are often the last to know. Asking someone you trust for a completely honest answer, ideally someone who’ll tell you the truth rather than just being polite, is the single most reliable method. A simple practical rule can also help: if someone standing more than an arm’s length away can clearly smell you, or if you can still smell your own fragrance strongly after it’s had time to settle, it’s likely on the stronger side.

Counting your sprays and sticking to a consistent, moderate number, rather than topping up throughout the day because you can no longer smell it on yourself, is also a sensible habit. Our how to apply and wear perfume guide covers sensible quantities properly, and the complete guide to perfume has more on how scent perception works.