This paper considers air in the coastal Angolan city of Lobito. It explores how scents, air quality and the ability of individuals to control their bodily exposure and interactions with air are important elements of class positioning and interaction. Through ethnographic analysis of the three domains of transportation, work, and exercise the paper draws attention to the ways in which the invisible ‘surrounds’ of individuals are perceived and interpreted, and the power of these interpretations to facilitate or at times block interactions with power and influence. Most importantly, it argues that a perfumed body is critical if one wants to be successful in what is locally referred to as the ‘trafficking of influence’ , and argues that a mastery of olfactory symbolism is a prized skill when it comes to class mobility and aspiration.