If you have ever stood staring at the hundreds of perfumes in a shop and been overwhelmed, trust me you are not alone.
Even the most experienced perfume lovers can very often struggle to explain the differences between the different categories of perfumes and unfortunately this can lead to unscrupulous sales people trying to take advantage of your lack of knowledge.
The first thing to remember is that there are five main categories that perfumes can fall into; and these are parfum, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne and eau de frauche.
These categories are not differentiated by the quality of the ingredients, how expensive the scent is to create or how luxurious the brand is deemed to be.
Instead the different classifications merely correspond to the difference in the concentration of fragrant oils present in the perfume.
Each classification of perfume has a different ratio of fragrant oils and as such, has been created to cater for a variety of different needs, it is important to remember this when choosing your scent and not be fooled into believing that you should purchase the most expensive scent when in fact it may be entirely unsuitable for your needs.
Parfum
Parfum scents have the highest ratio of fragrant oils out of all five classifications and this is the reason why most parfums cost more than the other classifications.
Parfum normally has a fragrant oil concentration of anywhere between 15 and 40% and this means that these scents are normally a lot more potent and can therefore be used sparingly.
A few drops rubbed into the pulse points should be more than enough and the strength of the concentration will mean that this fragrance will last most of the day.
Eau de Parfum
Eau de Parfum is one of the most well known classifications of perfumes and confusingly is sometimes just referred to as parfum itself.
Eau de Parfums however tend to have a smaller concentration of fragrant oils (normally between 10 to 15%) and have more alcohol and water in, so as to create a lighter, fresher scent.
Despite its much smaller concentration of fragrant oils, eau de parfum fragrances still last for a significant period on the skin (normally between 6 and 8 hours).
Eau de Toilette
Eau de toilette normally contains between 4 and 15% fragrant oils and as a rule of thumb can last anywhere between 2 to 4 hours on the skin.
Eau de toilettes are perfect for individuals who don’t want their scent to be too overwhelming and yet still want to smell great.
For anyone working in confined or small office spaces with other individuals, eau de toilette would potentially be a better choice as your colleagues will still notice your new perfume but not be irritated by its potency.
Although the lightness of the fragrance will mean you will have to potentially reapply multiple times throughout the day, eau de toilettes are perfect for warmer weather and do not tend to be as cloying as parfums can sometimes be.
Eau de Cologne
Although now more commonly associated as being a fragrance classification specifically for men, eau de cologne was originally designed for individuals of all sexes who wanted a lighter version of a certain fragrance scent.
However it is not uncommon to find some female fragrances listed as eau de cologne and again this relates to the scent’s lower ratio of fragrant oils as opposed to any other reason.
Eau de cologne as standard normally has between a 2 to 5% fragrant oil concentration and means that these scents are perfect for lovers of a particular scent that want a more diluted version.
This diluted scent has the added bonus of usually being significantly cheaper and makes eau de colognes perfect for splashing on as an aftershave.
Eau de Fraiche
Eau de fraiche fragrances commonly have a fragrant oil concentration of between 1 and 3% and very rarely last longer than two hours on the skin.
With its high alcohol and water ratio (the literal translation of eau de fraiche is freshwater) these scents are ideal for refreshing yourself after a gym session or when outdoors during the summer months.
Conclusion
As you can see from the varied ratios and aspects of each fragrance classification, every specific fragrance caters for a different need.
It is important to remember this the next time and not be browbeaten by that over enthusiastic sales person to choose the most expensive fragrance available.
Perfumes have increasingly got more expensive over the last few years and although we all love to treat ourselves, that doesn’t mean we should have to break the bank every time we want to smell nice.
Parfums and eau de parfums contain a higher ratio of fragrant oils but parfum doesn’t have to be expensive. The brand FM World offers a range of parfum perfumes at extremely affordable prices at fmfragrances.com.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
Speak Your Mind