Are you one of those who goes crazy over collecting a variety of perfumes? Or do you love to accentuate your presence with a very distinctive and aromatic scent? Well, then going to shop for your next perfume can be a pretty challenging matter. Perfumes are not only your secret of freshness; instead, it gives you a very confident presence, which is remarkable for your classiness.
On the other hand, a strong and unpleasant-smelling perfume can ruin your entire impression and money. So, would you afford a humiliation or some gossip behind your back regarding your perfume? Maybe not! Well, this is precisely why you need to know everything about perfumes and their suitable strengths. So, keep reading on this blog.
Types of Fragrance Families
Perfumes have a whole large family, which is very interesting and lets you choose from a large variety. So, do you know want to know, what are the perfumes in a large family? Here, have a look.
Fresh
These fragrances usually come with water, citrus, and other green notes. The new fragrances have a very refreshing and vibrant smell that can make you feel afresh and confident.
The citrus-based aroma is achieved from lemon, bergamot, and mandarine fruits. On the other hand, water fragrances include a sea spray. The fresh green aromas are generally made from herbal and leafy fragrances. Sometimes, they are also known as Fougere fragrances, including lavender, rosemary, and basil smell.
Woody
This fragrance is another warm fragrant rendition with a captivating scent, usually found in men’s aftershaves. Wooden smells like cedarwood. Vetiver, amber, and sandalwood constitute woody fragrances that make an excellent choice for evening parties.
Woody fragrances also include mossy woods with a sweet and earthy undertone, along with a touch of smokey and leathery aroma.
Floral
Perfumes with floral scents are the most reckoned ones among perfume lovers. Any of the fragrances that come with a sweet and flower-like smell comes under this perfume family.
Usually, fragrances like jasmine, roses, peonies, lilies, etc., are the most popular ones. However, floral scents can both be strong and delicate.
Oriental
Oriental scents are very warm by nature and pretty sweet with a touch of spiciness. The oriental fragrances are quite luxurious and vary from rich oriental to woody oriental.
These oriental fragrances are sensual enough. These are often made with pleasant notes like vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom with jasmine, orange, and orchid.
Understanding Fragrance Notes
Well, understanding various fragrance notes can be daunting enough. However, it’s quite fun when you delve deep into the subject.
You will find that a perfume’s notes are usually described as top, middle, along the base. Top notes for scents are also popularly known as opening notes. These notes are the fragrance that you get to smell just after sprinkling your aftershave or scent. The top notes of a perfume evaporate very quickly but leave the very first imprint of the perfume.
The middle note of a perfume comes right after the top note disappears. These are usually compared to the core body for the aroma. Besides, the middle note lasts relatively for more time compared to the top notes of the fragrance. On the other hand, it is well-rounded.
The base note of a scent is typically referred to as the end result that remains at the end. It is usually the smell that lets you remember it for a long time. The base note of a perfume is long-lasting and creates the full appearance of perfume or aftershave. Besides, this particular fragrance note usually gets mixed with the middle notes.
Fragrance Strengths and Differences
If you are a perfume lover, you must have come across terms like Eau de Parfum, eau de cologne, etc. But do you know what they signify? Usually, these are referred to a variety of perfumes, which have a categorized division. These different types also denote how much longer your scent will stay after you spray them.
Well, perfumes are usually a mix of oil and alcohol. Manufacturers use perfume oils that are strong enough and last very long.
Extrait De Parfum
Extrait de Parfum is the most concentrated one. Also, it is the most expensive one with its perfume oil content of up to 20-40%. Due to this high concentration, you only need to apply 2-3 drops of the perfume, which will last for a day long.
Extrait de parfum is usually sold in 5-30 ml splash bottles to prevent too much application of these precious drops.
Eau De Parfum
Eau de Parfum is considered one of the strongest perfume types. Usually, Eau de Parfum comes with a 10-20% content of perfume oil, which lasts quite long.
Usually, Eau de parfum occupies the second position in terms of the concentration of perfume oils. As the oil level drops in this perfume type, it contains more alcohol, making Eau de parfum less expensive than the pure and authentic ones. Eau de parfums are usually worn during the evenings for a night out.
Eau de Toilette
Eau de Toilette contains about 5-15% amount of perfume oil. It is usually distinctive with its quick burst of a very strong smell before fading off. Eau de Toilette perfumes typically last for 4-7 hours.
The lasting strength of Eau de Toilette eventually drops when it passes over three to four hours. It is in the third position in strength right after Eau de parfum. Also, it is one of the most popular used perfumes. For applying in the daytime, Eau de Toilette is much appreciated.
Eau de Cologne
Eau de Cologne is much lighter with only 2-4% of perfume oil. Eau de cologne is usually used for obtaining freshness quickly. However, Eau de Cologne, also known as EDC, comes with a much lower concentration level.
It makes Eau de colognes not much long-lasting. They can emit fragrance for only up to 1-3 hours.
Eau de Fraiche
Eau de Fraiche, on the other hand, comes with a concentration of perfume oils with only 1-3%. However, these Eau de Fraiche perfumes last up to 1-2 hours and not more than that.
The perfume oil level in Eau de Fraiche perfume is very low. Also, it does not contain too much alcohol. Instead, Eau de Fraiche includes an additional ingredient that is rich in water, which, in turn, reduces the perfume’s capacity to emit smell for a long time.
Conclusion
Perfumes serve to be the secret to your charm. Hence, while choosing a scent, know the basics about how much and for how long it can emit a pleasant fragrance. Also, do not forget to check the differences between various perfumes to get the one that rightly goes with your personality and charm.
On the other hand, you should keep in mind that the pricing range increases as the perfume oil concentration increases. So, for an irresistible scented perfume, you can easily opt for Extrait de Parfum, which is quite rare and expensive, yet makes your perfume collection rich.
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Maximo is the ideator behind Getastylehub.com. He graduated from the Grasse Institute of Perfumery (GIP) in France in the year 2003. His learnings in the field of perfumery have been immensely educative and helpful in creating new fragrances at a creative centre in Manhattan where Maximo works as a perfumer. He has a fine appreciation for incense’s art, and his colossal passion for perfumery reflects in his discussions. He has managed and led teams in his past working experience researching scents with its key clients.