When looking to buy a new fragrance it can be intimidating enough trying to narrow down what type of scent you are looking for; what elements of your personality are you trying to convey? What types of perfume combine well with your skin type and natural scent? Looking for a fragrance becomes even more difficult when the customer realises that fragrances come in different types: perfumes, eau de perfumes, eau de toilette and cologne. While these terms are fairly common and people are aware that they relate to fragrances most shoppers are unaware of the differences between the different options. This article will look at each different form of fragrance and explain how they differ from one another.

Perfume
Although the use of fragrances is generally deemed to have originated in Egypt it was the French who found both the art and the science in perfumery. The French discovered that different fragrances would react differently when applied to the skin; they would not only smell different but they would also last for varying amounts of time. Due to this they realised that they could combine fragrance 'notes' to create multilayered scents that evolve as the day goes on.

All fragrances are created by combining essential oils with alcohol and water and part of the difference between the types of fragrance is the concentration of essential oils. In perfume this mix is higher than in other fragrances with about 20-40% being essential oils. This means that perfume has a strong fragrance and a small amount will last all day. Perfume is generally the most expensive to purchase but this is countered by the fact that the bottle will last far longer.

Cologne
Unlike modern perfumes cologne focuses on a single scent rather than the bouquet of notes found in a perfume. Typically cologne is considerably less potent then perfume and will need reapplied throughout the day to maintain the scent. One common misconception is that colognes are for men while perfume is for women; this is actually false however. While perfumes are indeed aimed at females colognes can be found for both sexes. Cologne usually only contains between 2 and 5% essential oils making them perfect if you are only looking a subtle fragrance.

Eau de Perfume
Eau de perfume is a popular choice as it provides all the intricacies of a perfume but in a more gentle and diluted form. The essential oils are diluted to approximately 10-20% making it a comparatively cheap perfume that will still last a long time and progress through the fragrance notes like a perfume.

Eau de Toilette
Eau de toilette is similar to the perfumes but is diluted yet further. It typically contains 5-8% essential oils and as such the scent fades a lot faster than regular perfumes, which can last days. Many people prefer the subtle scents that eau de toilette provides but often find they need to reapply it throughout the day.

Understanding the different types of fragrance and knowing what you want can make perfume shopping much easier.