Parfum pour Dummies

Thought I'd showcase my little collection of vintage/retro perfume bottles (empties). I'm such a hoarder but I can't help myself!

I have put together a little beginners guide to fragrance to kickstart this topic, so do enjoy.

Why is perfume important you might ask? Smell is probably the most powerful memory trigger of all the five senses. Whether you're at a job interview or on a first date, it's a good way to keep the other person thinking about you when you're gone. To do that, you're going to need notes that sink deep into your skin and augment successfully with your natural scent. 

First thing you need to know - A perfume does not smell the same on everybody. It will depend on your natural scent and skin type i.e. if you have oily/dry skin.

Notes

Top Notes - The sales pitch. The first thing you smell when you open the bottle. Evaporates the quickest, usually lasts around 10-20 minutes

Middle Notes - The heart of the perfume, often the softer/sweeter aroma of the solution. Develops after approx half an hour of application

Base Notes - The deeper and longer lasting notes. Develops with middle notes around half an hour after application. Will linger for approx 24 hours

Before you commit to buy any perfume, test it on your wrist and give it a trial run for a day so you can get an impression of all the notes and how it will smell on your skin.

I hate it when people use parfum and toilette interchangeably. There are two major differences: one, parfum has a higher concentration; two, toilette is less expensive and therefore less decadent. I'm not a snob, honest ;P

Concentrations

I'm no chemist, I don't know anything about distillation or how fragrant compounds are extracted from raw materials. The point is, they are. They are usually taken from essential oils or made synthetically and mixed with alcohol. The percentage you see is the concentration of that particular compound. Here are the three main types of fragrance:

Eau de Parfum: 15 - 20%

Eau de Toilette: 10%

Eau de Cologne: less than 10%

The common misconception is that parfum/toilette is for women and cologne is for men - Wrong! You can get all three for men or women.