Concentrations: Strengths and Value for Money
Fragrance products consist of a concentration of perfume oils in a solvent (usually alcohol).
The amount of perfume oil in a fragrance dictates whether it is an Eau de Parfum, an Eau de Toilette, an Eau de Cologne and so on. It also dictates how long a fragrance product will last on the skin and, of course, its price!
To help explain the difference in strength, we have listed below the types of fragrance products, their concentrations and the average time it takes for the scent to evaporate.
Perfume (15%-30% concentration of perfume oil) 6 - 8 hours
Eau de Parfum or EDP (8%-15% concentration of perfume oil) 5 - 7 hours
Eau de Toilette or EDT (4%-8% concentration of perfume oil) 4 6 hours
Eau de Cologne or EDC/Aftershave (3%-5% concentration of perfume oil) 2 3 hours
The price of a fragrance product will depend on its strength (% of perfume oil) as well as the bottle size. For example, a 30 ml Eau de Parfum bottle will usually cost more than a 30 ml Eau de Toilette as it is stronger.
The more alcohol a product contains, the quicker its scent will evaporate. Aftershave has the highest alcohol content.
Although an Eau de Toilette is cheaper, it is not necessarily more economical, as it will not last as long. EDT is the most popular and affordable concentration available.
Fragrances should be kept away from heat and light. Storing fragrance in the fluctuating temperatures and humidity of a bathroom will cause a scent to degrade rapidly.
Identical fragrances may smell differently and also last longer when applied to some peoples skin than others, this is because of the chemical make up and balance of our skin.
Fragrance Categories
The different types of fragrance are described by their scent and the ingredients that have been used to make up a particular scent.
CITRUS: The clean, tangy aroma of citrus fruits:lemons, mandarins, bergamot oranges and grapefruit. GREEN: The sharp green scent of crushed leaves and fresh-cut grass. WATER: Soft sea breezes. FLORAL: The fresh-cut fragrance of flowers from a single rose to a rich bouquet. SOFT FLORAL: These soft, powdery floral aldehydes blend nature's flowers with the perfumers aldehydes. FLORAL ORIENTAL: The soft, spicy notes of orange flowers, sparkling aldehydes and sweet flowers. SOFT ORIENTAL: Incense adds a sensual softness to heady flowers, spices and amber. ORIENTAL: The hypnotic fragrances of oriental resins, night-blooming flowers, vanilla, musk. WOODY ORIENTAL: Rich oriental notes blended with the potent wood scents of patchouli and sandalwood. MOSSY WOODS: Perfumers call these forest notes of oakmoss, woods and citrus chypre fragrances. DRY WOODS: Dry resins, cedar and tobacco make a mossy-woody fragrance drier, sometimes a little smokey.. AROMATIC FOUGERE: Sexy cool-warm notes of citrus and lavender, sweet spices and oriental woods.
The Stages of a Fragrance
You may wonder why Perfumes/Aftershaves always smell different after youve had them on a while. This is because the Fragrance develops in 3 stages.
Top note - The initial, lighter smell of the fragrance, which lasts for around 8-15 minutes.
Heart/Middle note This remains constant throughout use of the fragrance (hence the term heart note) and develops after the top note.
Base note This is the last to develop, and helps to fix the fragrance to the skin. This is where you will smell the woodier notes of the scent, which become more noticeable when the fragrance has been on the skin for a while.
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