Perfumes have come a long way since the Egyptians invented them. Even though, the process of making these luxury products thrived through centuries of evolution and technological advancements.
Egyptians crafted fragrances using extracted oils from spices, herbs, flowers, and animals. Then, years of trading from East to West paved the way for these products to spread worldwide.
Like other luxury items, perfumes are particularly popular among the wealthy, especially women. However, French King Louis XV also loved these products so much that he demanded a new scent to be invented every day.
The perfume industry evolved through the 14th and 18th centuries, so much so that aromatic plants were grown to serve as sources of fragrant oils. This granted unhindered access to perfume products today.
This article serves as every lady’s guide to the different notes that make up perfumes and their various categories available on the market today.
3 Fragrance Notes in Perfumes
Perfumes are composed of notes, which differ in the speed at which the scents emerge and the length of time they remain. Perfume makers carefully choose notes from various ingredients to blend pleasant-smelling perfumes that evoke a unique experience.
Fragrance notes that make up the best perfume for women can be categorized into the following:
- Top Notes
Also called “headnotes,” top notes are the first scents that emerge when you spray on your perfume. These scents are considered the “top layer” of the fragrance, which means they affect first impressions and have the ability to dictate the fragrance’s story.
Top notes are meant to introduce the perfume before transitioning to the next layer of the fragrance. Because of this, they often have smaller and lighter molecules that evaporate faster than the other two notes in a perfume.
Some of the most commonly used top notes in perfumes are:
- Citrus scents (e.g., orange, lemon, and bergamot)
- Floral fragrances (e.g., rose and lavender)
- Herbs and spices (e.g., anise and basil)
Evaporation duration: 5 to 15 minutes
- Middle Notes
Also called “heart notes,” middle notes enhance the retention of the top notes while introducing new scents for a more profound experience. Middle notes also buffer the base notes, which may not always smell pleasant alone.
Middle notes comprise 70 percent of most perfumes, so they last longer than top notes. They also appear just as the top notes begin to fade and stay for the entire duration that the fragrance of the perfume remains.
Examples of scents used as middle notes are:
- Full-body floral oils like geranium, jasmine, neroli, and ylang-ylang.
- Herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, black pepper, lemongrass, pine, and cardamom.
Evaporation duration: 20 to 60 minutes
- Base Notes
Base notes enhance the smell of the lighter top and middle notes while adding resonance and depth to the perfume.
They have very rich and heavy aromas that last the longest because they sink into the skin. However, there’s a bit of delay in their emergence, kicking in around 30 minutes after perfume application.
Base notes serve as the foundation of the perfume, working with middle notes to establish the fragrance’s signature scent.
The most common scents added as base notes include:
- Vanilla
- Amber
- Musk
- Patchouli
- Sandalwood
- Cedarwood
Evaporation duration: More than 6 hours
5 Types of Fragrances Based on Concentration Levels
Besides the composition of perfume, there are also different types of fragrances available today, namely:
- Parfum
Considered the purest of them all, parfum has the highest concentration of fragrance oils among the types of perfumes sold in the market.
Sometimes called “Extrait de parfum,” parfum has anywhere between 20 and 30 percent concentration. This made the pure perfumes the rarest and most expensive on the market.
Parfum also has the longest-lasting scents, thanks to the ultra-refined notes that the ingredients release over time. They can last for a minimum of 10 hours, but they stay on your skin a lot longer than that.
- Eau de Parfum
Of all the most common varieties of perfumes, eau de parfum has the most potent scent.
It contains 15 to 20 per cent fragrance oils, which is a higher concentration than eau de toilette and eau de cologne. Because of this potency, you’ll also be paying a lot more for eau de parfum than the other two.
Eau de parfum lasts for quite a while on the skin, around eight hours at the very least.
Note, however, that the top notes will still disappear fast even with this type of perfume.
Also, be mindful where you spritz the product since it doesn’t play nicely with silk and other delicate fabrics.
- Eau de Toilette
As you may have already guessed, eau de toilette has a lower perfume oil concentration than the first two, landing at 5 to 15 percent. This is why it has a lighter and fresher scent, rather than rich or heavy like parfum and eau de parfum.
Eau de toilettes smell slightly different from eau de parfums, even those under the same product line and brand or made with similar notes. This is because their chemical makeup is different, with eau de toilette having a lighter and simpler scent that will last for a few hours.
To make your eau de toilette last the entire day, you need to reapply it lightly every couple of hours.
Many fragrances under this category are deemed the most cost-effective of all perfume types for women and people who love to change their perfumes quite often.
- Eau de Cologne
Eau de cologne is considered the second gentlest fragrance. It has a lower concentration at 2 to 5 percent, which means the scents disappear faster than the first three types.
You’ll also need more spritzes for every application of this perfume product to achieve the desired effect. This explains why most eau de cologne brands are packaged in larger bottles.
On the plus side, eau de cologne has a lightness perfect for warm summer days. It is also an excellent choice for people who don’t want powerful scents.
- Eau Fraiche
Also called “splash cologne” or “aftershave,” eau fraiche has what could be the weakest scent of all items on this list. It comes with light, delicate, and subtle scents and a fragrance composition of about 1 to 3 percent.
Because of this, eau fraiche is also the cheapest among the types of fragrances on the market. But while it’s not powerful, it can get the job done with scents lasting for up to two hours.
What’s most notable about eau fraiche is that it has a base made of water instead of alcohol. This makes the product quite suitable for people who dislike strong fragrances or have sensitive skin.
Choose Your Scent
Picking out a perfume for women entails a basic understanding of the different perfume notes and fragrances available in the market. This article can guide you when shopping for perfumes, so you can make a decision you won’t regret.
About the author;
This article was written by guest author Main muhammed.
