Picking out a perfume for yourself or as a gift for someone else can be tricky. There are so many different perfumes, it can be an overwhelming decision to make. The first thing you should do is differentiate between the different categories of perfume and figure out which category you are looking for. Once you’ve figured this out, you can save yourself the headache of randomly looking through all the perfumes that are available. Instead, you can ask the perfume sales lady to just show you the perfumes in that category. Below are the different categories perfumes tend to fall into.
Perfume falls into three main categories: Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum and Eau de Cologne, also known as EDT, EDP and EDC. Eau de Parfum has the highest concentration, and includes about 10% natural perfume concentrates. This tends to be the most expensive type of perfume. It lasts longer than other scents, usually lasting about 5-6 hours. Eau de Toilette contains about 5% perfume concentration. This tends to be a much lighter scent, since it was originally intended to be a light splash used in the mornings. Eau de Cologne is very similar to Eau de Toilette. It is also a light fragrance, but typically mixed with citrus oils. The purest form of what we call perfume, however, contains about 20-30% of perfume concentrates. It is the most expensive and lasts longer than other perfume types.
Now that we understand the different perfume types, let’s examine the different categories that fragrances fall into. Floralis the most popular category of fragrance and is derived mainly from flowers. Jasmine, Rose and Orange blossoms are mixed together to create a smell similar to a bouquet of flowers. Floral fragrances are popular in the summer. Bvlgari Mon Jasmine Noir is a popular floral perfume. Orientalis also popular, but quite different from Floral. Oriental is spicy, warm and musky, and is best worn in the winter months. An example is Obsession by Calvin Klein. Citrus is a fragrance that is sharp and distinct. It is made from citrus fruits such as lemon, lime and tangerine. Be Delicious by Donna Karan is a citrus fragrance. Chypre means Cyprus in French and has a sweet and earthy scent. It is derived mainly from oak, citrus and patchouli. Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker is an example of a chypre perfume. Perfumes in theGreen category are good for sporty and outdoorsy women. They are derived from juniper and pine trees. Safari by Ralph Lauren is a good green fragrance to get for your sporty friend. Lastly, Fougere means fern in French. This fragrance is a combination of ferns and fresh herbs. While there are many women’s fragrances that fall into this category, it is mostly men that typically wear fougere scents.
Now that we have covered the types of perfumes as well as the different categories of fragrances, you will now be more equipped when choosing the right perfume for you.