When choosing a fragrance, whether as part of a perfume gift set or not, have you ever been confused by the way the perfume is described? When you look at fragrance products you may see other labels used such as Eau de Toilette, or Eau de Cologne in place of perfume. Well, a big reason for this our tendency to try to simplify things by using a generic name to cover an umbrella of similar, but different product types. In the case of fragrances, it refers to just how pure the fragrance content actually is. Here are the differences between the types.
Perfume extract. This is the purest form of fragrance money can buy. It contains 25 – 40% aromatic compounds (typically 20%). And of course that means you will pay the highest price for it. They are the most direct extract from the original essence that you can buy, and as such youi can expect their scent to be stronger. The scent will also be longer lasting than the other fragrance types. Be careful not to confuse with Eau de Parfum, which is typically still strong but at a lesser concentration than perfume, which is limited to 10 – 20% (typically 15%) aromatic compounds.
Eau de Toilette. This type of fragrance employs 5 – 15% aromatic compounds (typically 10%). It is targetted at the market that wants the scent but does not want to pay the premium commanded by perfume. For many people equ de toilette is perfect for their needs and their pocket.
Eau de Cologne. This is at the budget end, containing 3 – 8% (typcially 5%) aromatic compounds. As you can imagine, the strength of the scent is much less than perfume and eau de toilette. And the scent will not last as long either. Eau de Cologne is also typically used to describe those fragrances that lack base notes.
For use on people that just want to freshen up lightly immediately following a wash or shave, there are splash or aftershaves. These containin the smallest concentration at 1-3%. Again great gifts for the adolescent teen in their early years.
So when choosing a perfume gift set, bear these differences in mind. If you are buying for someone extra special to you, then you may wish to go for a perfume. If you are buying for someone you are quite fond of, then go for equ de perfume. For everyone else, and especially adolescents in their early teen years, you may wish to go for an Eau de Cologne.
