Know Your Scents Better

One of the great thing about perfumes is that there are numerous types to choose from to find what works for you best. 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. Choose the concentration level that is best suited for you.

Parfums have a concentration between 20-30%, and usually last for 6 to 8 hours, 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, contains the least amount of alcohol and are mostly water-based.

Fragrance Notes

A fragrance is commonly broken up into three notes —

Top Note – This is what you can 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. They provide depth to the fragrance and back up the middle notes to create the overriding theme of the perfume.

Perfume Categories

Perfumes can be categorised into the following categories :

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

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, their scents are usually romantic and feminine.

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 or commonly known as Citrus or Green notes are refreshing scents that revive the senses, providing a burst of freshness and include notes like Lemon, Orange, Bergamot etc.

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

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