Know Your Scents

One of the great thing about perfumes is that there are numerous different types to choose from to find what works for you best. But all fragrances can be categorised into the concentration of oil present, and the type of scent family it is a part of. 

Perfume Concentration

The concentration of the oil in a fragrance affects how long the smell lasts. The higher the percentage of oil, the longer the perfume will last on your skin. Here is a quick guide to help you learn the different types of concentrations available in perfumes and choose which is best suited for you.

Parfum have a concentration between 20-30%, and usually last for 6 to 8 hours. They are the strongest, last the longest and are the most expensive variant. 

Eau de Parfum or edP’s have a concentration between 15-20%, and last for 4 to 5 hours. edP’s are generally more suited for nightwear and are heavier scents. 

Eau de Toilette or edT’s have a concentration between 5-15%, and last for 2 to 3 hours. edT’s are more suited for daywear and are great alternatives for edP as they are lighter scents. 

Eau de Cologne or edC’s have a concentration between 2-4%, and can last up to 2 hours, perfect for a hint of fragrance to freshen up

Eau Fraîche’s have a concentration between 1-3% and can last up to 2 hours. It contains the least amount of alcohol and are mostly water-based. 

Fragrance Family

Perfumes can be categorised in the following Fragrance Families :

Floral

Floral scents are the most popular scent option, and can contain either a note of one flower, such as rose, or a bouquet of several varieties like white flowers — jasmine, gardenia etc. there scents are usually romantic and feminine. 

Oriental 

Oriental scents are more heavier and tend to be on the muskier and rich side, they can be warm or spicy with notes like Vanilla, Cinnamon, clove Cardamom etc. 

Chypre

Chypre scents are characterised by an earthy, woodsy scent like Oak, Moss or Citrus notes.

Fougere

Fougere means fern in French, this category of scents are stranger and usually used in men’s fragrances and include notes like Oak, Moss Fresh Herbs etc.

Wood

Woody notes are characterised by their warm scents, and is like stepping into a forrest, these include notes such as Pine, Cedar, Sandalwood etc

Fresh 

Fresh or commonly known as Citrus or Green notes are refreshing scents that revive the senses and include notes like Lemon, Orange, Bergamot etc. 

Gourmand 

Gourmand scents are characterised by their sweet smelling nature, notes in this category can be Vanilla, Chocolate, Candy etc

Fragrance Notes

A fragrance is broken up into three notes — 

Top Note – This is what you smell immediately after applying your perfume. It’s the scent that first hits your nose, but then evaporates quickly.

Middle/Heart Note – This note emerges as the top notes are dissipating and make up the majority of the scent. 

Base Note – These notes are richer and often can’t be detected until you’ve been wearing a scent for at least 30 minutes.  Base note provides depth to the fragrance and back up the middle notes to create the overriding theme of the perfume.