When you go to buy a fragrance you will many different names under the same category such as perfumes, parfum, eau de toilette, cologne etc. Know how are they different from each other in many cases and makes them expensive from others.
Various steps are involved in the procedure of selecting the best perfume, especially for women. These include selecting a brand, its price, type, and also you would like to be sure as to what type of bottle holds the fragrance. A person may easily recognize the different categories to which a particular fragrance belongs but they don’t know what that particular term means.
It is very important to find the correct concentration as choosing a scent is also important. Light fragrances get faded away very quickly, so you must choose a fragrance that is a bit heavy and stays for long. Make sure that to make a fragrance last longer you don’t pick a fragrance that is too strong since such fragrances can choke you out. This way a nice scent will also be ruined.
Steps involved to produce fragrances and make them different
To differentiate between the available fragrances, it is important to know the procedure that was being carried out to produce them. The manufacturer usually mixes synthetic and natural oils with the help of which fragrances get their scent with a carrier such as the alcohol. This helps the scent to get stabilized and the oils used gets diluted, after which it creates the fragrance that we smell on our skin.
Alcohol is also used to manufacture the fragrances and it is an important ingredient as alcohol helps in controlling the concentration of the scent and its staying power. We have assembled some of the common categories of fragrances available so that you can have a rough idea of how concentrated the oils are and it will also help you to know how light or heavy the scent is.
Categories
Pure perfume
This fragrance has got other names too, such as Parfum, Extrait de Parfum. The names may seem quite deceptive because they directly don’t refer to the perfume oil, as it may have a somewhat unpleasant smell or can even cause some irritation on your skin. Pure perfume is believed to contain the highest concentration of fragrance available. Generally, 15 to 30 per cent of perfume oil is used in the production procedure. The amount used is more than enough to make it last all day long.
Pure perfumes are easily noticeable since they travel a good distance in and around the body within the air and this is one of the important properties of pure perfumes. They are so dense that they tend to walk in and out along with you, as you move around. A person who is wearing pure perfume if hugs you chances that you might also get the fragrance transferred and you will start smelling like them, they get transferred easily.
Eau de Cologne
Cologne is referred to as an umbrella term which is generally used to describe any men’s fragrance in North America. Eau de cologne, however, is used to describe very light & best mens cologne that have a small concentration of perfume oils in it which is almost 2 to 4 percent. The fragrance is also cut with more alcohol and they usually last a few hours. The fragrances can be used once to freshen up but are not ideal to be worn all day long.
Eau de Parfume
They contain the next highest concentration of perfume oils after pure perfume. The concentration of perfume oil contained varies between 15 to 20 per cent. They have the property which can make them last long day long and the person next to you in the same cubicle will also not suffer through a headache. They also don’t get transferred to the person whom you give a hug.
They belong to the fragrance category which is commonly used and the new fragrances popularly used these days are also made using the above-mentioned formula. The perfumes that are found on the shelves of the departmental stores are generally Eau de Parfum. The scent lasts all day long from morning to evening, and it can also be noticed at night even after you change your dress.
Eau Fraiche
This is another category of perfume that has got an extremely low concentration of alcohol which is around 1 to 3 per cent. The major difference between Eau Fraiche and other similar fragrances is that other fragrances are diluted with the help of alcohol, whereas Eau Fraiche is diluted mostly with the help of water and they serve the purpose of a quick refresher without lasting long.
Eau de Toilette
This category has a lower concentration of perfume oil which is around 5 to 15 per cent. These fragrances are generally made to feel lighter on the skin, and they also don’t last all day long. There is a belief that Eau de Toilette is made to wear during the day, whereas, Eau de Parfum is made to be worn at night. Generally, people do what they prefer and wear fragrances according to their choice.
In a nutshell
The counters where fragrances of all types are kept just differentiate the products according to their price and brand and not their types. The category to which a particular fragrance belongs can be known from the product label or you can also tell the salesperson at the store to give you the fragrance that you are looking for. Various types of fragrances are available that suits your lifestyle. Whether you are going for a scent to wear it for all-day such as the Eau de parfum, a bit heavier option such as the pure perfume or an option which is lighter and stays temporarily, Eau Fraiche.
Some heavier options can be avoided if you are not in their favour and go for lighter ones such as florals, citrus, etc.