Finding the right fragrance for yourself or buying for someone else can be a daunting task. With so many to choose from, it’s tough to know where to start. Here is a brief outline of the different types of scents available to help you get started:
Floral scents:
These are probably the most popular scents available, these types of fragrances tend to contain the scent of either one flower (lavender, rose, lilly) or a bouquet of various flowers. They are very feminine and romantic. The floral fragrances are perfect as spring and summer scents.
Oriental:
These are muskier and smell rich with spicy hints of clove, vanilla and cinnamon. They tend to be heavier and more suitable as an autumn or winter scent. We all tend to pile on the layers of clothing in the colder months and the oriental scents have a better chance of battling through all those layers.
Chypre:
These perfumes are characterised by a woody, earthy scent They carry hints of citrus, oak and moss.
Green:
If you love the fresh smells of fresh cut grass and crushed leaves, green scents are for you.
Oceanic:
Think of the scents of the ocean. These scents carry hints of citrus and spice and are very cool in tone. Often a more masculine scent.
Wood:
These musky scents often contain sandalwood, cedar and pine and are very earthy in their tone.
Fragrance notes
Perfumes contain different "notes", these are the various layers of the perfume and each layer will contain a different fragrance, which combined together make up the scent of the overall perfume. The different layers become more apparent over time. Here is a quick guide to how these notes work:
• Top notes: This is what you smell immediately upon applying your perfume. It's the first scent that hits you, but then evaporates quickly.
• Middle notes: These middle notes emerge as the top notes are dissipating and make up the majority of the scent.
• Base notes: These notes are richer and are not often detected until you've been wearing a scent for at least 20 to 30 minutes. These notes provide depth and back up the middle notes to create the overriding theme of the scent.
Fragrance Types
Perfumes, colognes and scents are usually a combination of essential oils from plants and synthetic products that are used to heighten the intensity and increase lasting power. Perfume oils are usually diluted with a base liquid of alcohol or a mixture of ethanol and water. The ratio of alcohol to perfume oils determines the type that it is categorised as and the price.
Women
Pure Perfume: The strongest concentration and provides an exceptionally long-lasting fragrance from very little liquid. This is the most expensive type of fragrance due to the concentration. Typical concentrations are 15-40% aromatic compounds.
Eau de Parfum (EDP): Typically contains 10-20% aromatic compounds and is the second strongest concentration. This is the most popular and common form of perfume. It provides a long-lasting fragrance for a more reasonable price than pure perfume.
Eau de Toilette (EDT): Usually 5-15% aromatic compounds. This is the most popular and affordable concentration, containing a higher percentage of water and fewer essential oils and usually presented in the form of a spray.
Eau de Cologne: 3-8% aromatic compounds and is weaker than EDT.
Eau Fraiche: This has very low fragrance content. Often alcohol free, this type of concentration proves to be a popular option for the summer months.
Men
Eau de Toilette (EDT): This is on a whole the strongest concentration available to men and can be used on his body and clothing but should never be used as an aftershave as could cause irritation.
Aftershave Lotion: This is probably the most common type of aftershave that is preferred by most users since it can be suitable to all skin types. It is also weaker than EDT so suitable and kind to the face. Most aftershave lotions comprise of healing agents which tend to cool the skin and reduce redness.
Aftershave Balm: Recommended if your skin is easily irritated by shaving. The common ingredients found in a balm can revitalise and moisturise the skin. It further contains Vitamin C that allows you to have a healthy, shiny skin.
