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Fragrance Concentrations
Perfume products are a blend of a scent and a base, never just a pure fragrance. The scent is composed of essences, oils, and aromatic compounds. The base usually is either ethanol (ethyl alcohol) (or 'rectified spirit,' highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation) or water or a mix of alcohol and water. Scent is not used alone because it would be overly strong and too expensive and because the base helps the scent to radiate off the skin and project farther. In addition, alcohol in the base acts as a stabilizing agent to preserve the more volatile oils in a perfume. However, some fragrances are offered in alcohol-free forms for those with skin sensitivity to alcohol. Some perfume oils also can be diluted with neutral, unscented oils such as fractionated coconut oil or liquid waxes such as jojoba oil.
The fragrances that are applied to the skin are meant to be absorbed so that their oils blend with the skin's natural oils, resulting in a unique scent. Thus it is thought best to apply them, especially those of higher concentrations, to pulse points where the blood flow is closest to the surface and the constant temperature can release the scent of the oils to the air.
The industry is not standardized for concentrations, and perfumers use different definitions for the types of fragrances, with various 'expert' sources providing different ranges of concentration (by percent volume of perfume oil) for them. But a general consensus is that the aromatic compound concentrations are as follows:
Eau fraîche 1-3%
Aftershave 2-5% (usually less than 4%)
Cologne/Eau de cologne (EdC) 2-8%
Eau de toilette (EdT) 5-15%
Eau de parfum (EdP) 15-20%
Parfum/Perfume 20-50%
The terminology is imprecise. The oil in an EdP from a given perfumery will always have a higher concentration than an EdT from the same house, which in turn will always have a higher concentration than an EdC. However, perfumers use different range definitions for the various types of fragrances, as well as varying amounts of scent oils in their mixtures, so an EdT from one house may actually have a higher concentration than an EdP from another house. In addition, some fragrances with the same product name from a given perfumer but with different concentrations may also have different oil mixtures. For example, in order to make the EdT version of a fragrance brighter and fresher than its EdP, the EdT oil may be 'tweaked' to contain slightly more top notes or fewer base notes; so the EdP, EdT, and EdC may in fact be different compositions. And in some cases, words such as extrême, intense, or concentrée that might be interepreted as indicating a higher aromatic concentration actually refer to completely different fragrances, related only because of similar accords. An example is Chanel Pour Monsieur and Pour Monsieur Concentrée.
As the oil percentage increases, so does the intensity and - generally - the longevity and sillage of the scent, although the longevity can vary depending upon other factors such as the different component proportions of the accord. Historically, women's fragrances had higher levels of aromatic compounds than men's fragrances, and those marketed to men were typically sold as EdT or EdC rather than EdP or perfume. This is changing as fragrances become more unisex. However, women's fragrances still mainly appear only in EdT, EdP, and parfum concentrations.
Eau fraîche ('fresh water' or 'cool water') is the most diluted version of a fragrance, usually with 1-3% perfume oil in alcohol and water. It is often marketed with a name such as splash, mist, or 'veil.' Aftershaves have about the same oil concentration range but have added ingredients for beneficial skin effects (soothing, moisturizing, etc.). Eau fraîche and aftershave are usually applied by hand, and eau fraîche is often applied during or right after bathing. Although some contain alcohol, they usually are mostly water and are intended just to refresh the skin. Aftershave's original purpose was as scented alcohol, to be used as an antiseptic for cuts from shaving, with medicinal herbs or balms such as witch hazel often added to clean and soothe. With advances in personal hygiene, aftershaves in recent decades also have become sources of both pleasing scents and skin sensations for the overall shave experience, although they usually still have relatively high levels of alcohol. With their very low scent concentrations, both aftershave and eau fraîche scents tend to last no more than an hour.
Cologne (or eau de cologne, EdC) first appeared in Europe in the 17th century as fragrance compounds to counteract odors from poor hygiene. But the term 'cologne' itself originally was created in Köln, Germany, as the name for a low-concentration citrus fragrance. It is said that in 1709, Giovanni Maria Farina created what he called Kölnisch Wasser (Cologne Water), named after his new town of residence but intended to remind him of an Italian spring morning, with mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after rain. (It was also believed to have the power to ward off bubonic plague.) Historical examples of cologne include Mäurer & Wirtz 4711 (1799) and Guerlain Eau de Cologne Impériale (1853). In the 20th century the name has become a generic term for a lighter, less concentrated interpretation of a stronger product, typically a parfum. More recently the term has been used somewhat imprecisely in North American to denote masculine fragrances in general. In the same way that a woman may be said to wear 'perfume,' regardless of the actual fragrance concentration, a man is said to wear a 'cologne,' even when it actually is an EdT. Colognes typically are light-bodied and fresh, sometimes with a delicate bergamot citrus head. They are composed of 2-8% perfume oils in alcohol and water, most often around 5%, and they tend to be used especially in fragrances for younger people. Colognes can be sold in spray bottles or 'splash' bottles. The scent usually lasts for about 2 hours on the skin. A cologne is often the lightest concentration of a given line of fragrance products. Colognes have minimal alcohol content, remaining from the alcohol used to distill the aromatic compounds; thus they are less drying, and they don't have the antibacterial, astringent, and soothing and healing properties of aftershaves and should not be applied to freshly shaved skin.
Eau de toilette (EdT) is usually just a diluted eau de parfum. It most often comes in a spray bottle, with a composition of 5-15% (most often around 10%) pure essence dissolved in alcohol, and generally lasts for 3-4 hours with lower quality ones such as those sold in drug stores and 5-8 hours for those of higher quality. EdT is actually the precursor of colognes, dating back to use in 14th century Hungary. The current name is derived from a 19th century French term for the practice of personal grooming (faire sa toilette or 'getting ready') in the powder room, with the product added to bath water or applied to the skin at the dressing table after bathing. Eaux de toilettes are generally the best-selling form of a particular fragrance. EdT is considered by some to be most appropriate for daywear, and it is the most common form of masculine perfume products.
Eau de parfum (EdP) or Millésime (sometimes included in the perfume category and, in fact, frequently sold labeled as 'perfume') usually has a concentration in the 15-20% range, typically ~15%, and also comes in a spray bottle. It is a more common variant than parfum since it is more affordable, and some perfumers only market an eau de parum as their luxury version of a fragrance rather than an additional parfum. Its scent can last around 8-10 hours, allowing a single application to last throughout most of a day or evening. Some consider EdP to be best for nightwear or more formal occasions. While it has a higher concentration of alcohol than parfum, it generally is better for dry, sensitive skin than fragrance types with lower levels of aromatic compounds (and higher alcohol levels), such as EdT or cologne. A less common term for it, arising in the 1970s and popular mainly in the 1980s, is parfum de toilette (PdT).
Esprit de parfum (ESdP) is a seldom-used term for a fragrance with a strength concentration in between those of EdP and parfum (generally in the 15-25% range).
Parfum/Perfume (from the Latin phrase per fumum, meaning 'through smoke') is slightly oilier, composed usually of 20-30% pure essence and having a scent lasting up to 24 hours. The first fragrance labeled as a 'parfum' was Guerlain Jicky in 1889. Perfumes come in a spray bottle or a dab bottle, the latter offering more control of application than the spray atomizer. 'Extract,' 'perfume extract' or 'elixir' is a subcategory of perfume with an even higher concentration, sometimes up to 50%. Some argue that perfumes offer the best value for the cost, since the fragrance lasts much longer with even a small amount, and they do not require reapplication later to maintain the skin scent. In addition, the lower alcohol content of perfumes can make them a better choice for those with skin that tends to dry. Some people recommend application of an EdP or parfum to one's clothing in addition to or instead of the skin, especially if the skin is sensitive to any of the ingredients; but others counsel against this since the fragrance does not interact with the skin oils and evaporates more quickly, and some of the products can stain clothing.
Some traditionalist experts argue that an aftershave and a fragrance product (cologne, EdT, EdP, or parfum) that are used together should always be from the same fragrance line, but this is by no means a consensus opinion, and increasingly consumers are experimenting with combinations of lines that balance and complement each other.
Perfume products are a blend of a scent and a base, never just a pure fragrance. The scent is composed of essences, oils, and aromatic compounds. The base usually is either ethanol (ethyl alcohol) (or 'rectified spirit,' highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation) or water or a mix of alcohol and water. Scent is not used alone because it would be overly strong and too expensive and because the base helps the scent to radiate off the skin and project farther. In addition, alcohol in the base acts as a stabilizing agent to preserve the more volatile oils in a perfume. However, some fragrances are offered in alcohol-free forms for those with skin sensitivity to alcohol. Some perfume oils also can be diluted with neutral, unscented oils such as fractionated coconut oil or liquid waxes such as jojoba oil.
The fragrances that are applied to the skin are meant to be absorbed so that their oils blend with the skin's natural oils, resulting in a unique scent. Thus it is thought best to apply them, especially those of higher concentrations, to pulse points where the blood flow is closest to the surface and the constant temperature can release the scent of the oils to the air.
The industry is not standardized for concentrations, and perfumers use different definitions for the types of fragrances, with various 'expert' sources providing different ranges of concentration (by percent volume of perfume oil) for them. But a general consensus is that the aromatic compound concentrations are as follows:
Eau fraîche 1-3%
Aftershave 2-5% (usually less than 4%)
Cologne/Eau de cologne (EdC) 2-8%
Eau de toilette (EdT) 5-15%
Eau de parfum (EdP) 15-20%
Parfum/Perfume 20-50%
The terminology is imprecise. The oil in an EdP from a given perfumery will always have a higher concentration than an EdT from the same house, which in turn will always have a higher concentration than an EdC. However, perfumers use different range definitions for the various types of fragrances, as well as varying amounts of scent oils in their mixtures, so an EdT from one house may actually have a higher concentration than an EdP from another house. In addition, some fragrances with the same product name from a given perfumer but with different concentrations may also have different oil mixtures. For example, in order to make the EdT version of a fragrance brighter and fresher than its EdP, the EdT oil may be 'tweaked' to contain slightly more top notes or fewer base notes; so the EdP, EdT, and EdC may in fact be different compositions. And in some cases, words such as extrême, intense, or concentrée that might be interepreted as indicating a higher aromatic concentration actually refer to completely different fragrances, related only because of similar accords. An example is Chanel Pour Monsieur and Pour Monsieur Concentrée.
As the oil percentage increases, so does the intensity and - generally - the longevity and sillage of the scent, although the longevity can vary depending upon other factors such as the different component proportions of the accord. Historically, women's fragrances had higher levels of aromatic compounds than men's fragrances, and those marketed to men were typically sold as EdT or EdC rather than EdP or perfume. This is changing as fragrances become more unisex. However, women's fragrances still mainly appear only in EdT, EdP, and parfum concentrations.
Eau fraîche ('fresh water' or 'cool water') is the most diluted version of a fragrance, usually with 1-3% perfume oil in alcohol and water. It is often marketed with a name such as splash, mist, or 'veil.' Aftershaves have about the same oil concentration range but have added ingredients for beneficial skin effects (soothing, moisturizing, etc.). Eau fraîche and aftershave are usually applied by hand, and eau fraîche is often applied during or right after bathing. Although some contain alcohol, they usually are mostly water and are intended just to refresh the skin. Aftershave's original purpose was as scented alcohol, to be used as an antiseptic for cuts from shaving, with medicinal herbs or balms such as witch hazel often added to clean and soothe. With advances in personal hygiene, aftershaves in recent decades also have become sources of both pleasing scents and skin sensations for the overall shave experience, although they usually still have relatively high levels of alcohol. With their very low scent concentrations, both aftershave and eau fraîche scents tend to last no more than an hour.
Cologne (or eau de cologne, EdC) first appeared in Europe in the 17th century as fragrance compounds to counteract odors from poor hygiene. But the term 'cologne' itself originally was created in Köln, Germany, as the name for a low-concentration citrus fragrance. It is said that in 1709, Giovanni Maria Farina created what he called Kölnisch Wasser (Cologne Water), named after his new town of residence but intended to remind him of an Italian spring morning, with mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after rain. (It was also believed to have the power to ward off bubonic plague.) Historical examples of cologne include Mäurer & Wirtz 4711 (1799) and Guerlain Eau de Cologne Impériale (1853). In the 20th century the name has become a generic term for a lighter, less concentrated interpretation of a stronger product, typically a parfum. More recently the term has been used somewhat imprecisely in North American to denote masculine fragrances in general. In the same way that a woman may be said to wear 'perfume,' regardless of the actual fragrance concentration, a man is said to wear a 'cologne,' even when it actually is an EdT. Colognes typically are light-bodied and fresh, sometimes with a delicate bergamot citrus head. They are composed of 2-8% perfume oils in alcohol and water, most often around 5%, and they tend to be used especially in fragrances for younger people. Colognes can be sold in spray bottles or 'splash' bottles. The scent usually lasts for about 2 hours on the skin. A cologne is often the lightest concentration of a given line of fragrance products. Colognes have minimal alcohol content, remaining from the alcohol used to distill the aromatic compounds; thus they are less drying, and they don't have the antibacterial, astringent, and soothing and healing properties of aftershaves and should not be applied to freshly shaved skin.
Eau de toilette (EdT) is usually just a diluted eau de parfum. It most often comes in a spray bottle, with a composition of 5-15% (most often around 10%) pure essence dissolved in alcohol, and generally lasts for 3-4 hours with lower quality ones such as those sold in drug stores and 5-8 hours for those of higher quality. EdT is actually the precursor of colognes, dating back to use in 14th century Hungary. The current name is derived from a 19th century French term for the practice of personal grooming (faire sa toilette or 'getting ready') in the powder room, with the product added to bath water or applied to the skin at the dressing table after bathing. Eaux de toilettes are generally the best-selling form of a particular fragrance. EdT is considered by some to be most appropriate for daywear, and it is the most common form of masculine perfume products.
Eau de parfum (EdP) or Millésime (sometimes included in the perfume category and, in fact, frequently sold labeled as 'perfume') usually has a concentration in the 15-20% range, typically ~15%, and also comes in a spray bottle. It is a more common variant than parfum since it is more affordable, and some perfumers only market an eau de parum as their luxury version of a fragrance rather than an additional parfum. Its scent can last around 8-10 hours, allowing a single application to last throughout most of a day or evening. Some consider EdP to be best for nightwear or more formal occasions. While it has a higher concentration of alcohol than parfum, it generally is better for dry, sensitive skin than fragrance types with lower levels of aromatic compounds (and higher alcohol levels), such as EdT or cologne. A less common term for it, arising in the 1970s and popular mainly in the 1980s, is parfum de toilette (PdT).
Esprit de parfum (ESdP) is a seldom-used term for a fragrance with a strength concentration in between those of EdP and parfum (generally in the 15-25% range).
Parfum/Perfume (from the Latin phrase per fumum, meaning 'through smoke') is slightly oilier, composed usually of 20-30% pure essence and having a scent lasting up to 24 hours. The first fragrance labeled as a 'parfum' was Guerlain Jicky in 1889. Perfumes come in a spray bottle or a dab bottle, the latter offering more control of application than the spray atomizer. 'Extract,' 'perfume extract' or 'elixir' is a subcategory of perfume with an even higher concentration, sometimes up to 50%. Some argue that perfumes offer the best value for the cost, since the fragrance lasts much longer with even a small amount, and they do not require reapplication later to maintain the skin scent. In addition, the lower alcohol content of perfumes can make them a better choice for those with skin that tends to dry. Some people recommend application of an EdP or parfum to one's clothing in addition to or instead of the skin, especially if the skin is sensitive to any of the ingredients; but others counsel against this since the fragrance does not interact with the skin oils and evaporates more quickly, and some of the products can stain clothing.
Some traditionalist experts argue that an aftershave and a fragrance product (cologne, EdT, EdP, or parfum) that are used together should always be from the same fragrance line, but this is by no means a consensus opinion, and increasingly consumers are experimenting with combinations of lines that balance and complement each other.