Having a great perfume is mandatory for any self-respected person. Be it a man or a woman, the perfume is a defining “accessory” for any person that has the potential to change opinions, drag attention, and remain in memory. Imagine a person entering a room with a strong and solid perfume. The aroma will make you lose your focus on what you are doing and will direct the attention of the new person in the room. Depending on the aroma, you will make a certain opinion about that person, won’t you? You will either appreciate the person and classify him as a personality with great solid taste (or vice versa). Either way, that first impression will be hard to change over time.
So in order to make the right choice in selecting a great replica perfume, you first need to get familiar with some basic glossary. The following terms will make you better understand the value of a scent and how to select the most potent one and the most representative of your inner nature. Take them into account!
Essential Oil
Essential Oil is, actually, oil. Perfume houses extract it from different fruits or flowers to obtain a highly concentrated aromatic substance. The process of oil extraction is predominantly based on cold pressing and distillation. However, these processes are by far to be the only ones to obtain the essential oil.
Eau de Parfum
You have probably come across this term in several circumstances. This term refers to one of the most concentrated fragrances in terms of aromatic potency. In the same context, these provide among the longest aromatic effects of about 4-5 hours. People adoring perfumes usually opt for such types of fragrances because they open up their scent delicately, without generating a strong olfactory disturbance to others. In addition, these last long enough, from morning to evening and they are still eminent after taking the clothes away. In terms of consistency, this category usually implies about 16% to 18% of essential oil, with a minimum amount of alcohol. Their benefit consists also in their affordable price.
Eau De Toilette
The alternative name which might sound more familiar to you is the Eau de Cologne. In contrast to the previous formula, the Eau de Toilette comes with an oil essence concentration within a range of 8% to 15%. In terms of durability, it is less potent than the Eau de Parfum and can last up to 4 hours. The price is, respectively, cheaper than the Eau de Perfume.
Cologne
The difference between the Cologne and the other types of fragrances consists of the oil essence concentration. This line of fragrances comes with almost the lowest level of essence, which means about 1% to 7%. So, basically, it is the least concentrated version of the fragrance. The cologne is appropriate mainly when a quick and short-lasting aromatic refresh is needed.
Perfume
Although we generally refer to all fragrances as perfumes, the term has a specific connotation and meaning. A perfume, as a concept, is the superior fragrance in terms of oil concentration and durability, respectively. These spread a long-lasting effect, up to 8 hours and more, depending on the brand. The enduring effect comes as a result of 20% to 30% oil concentration. As you can intuit, this kind of fragrance is also the most valuable, in terms of price.
Eau Fraiche
The opposite of the perfume in terms of long-lasting effect is the Eau Fraiche. Many people mistakenly believe that cologne is the softest option in terms of oil concentration. However, the Eau Fraiche is even lighter. Generally speaking, both versions have a quite similar long-lasting effect of up to 2-3 hours. However, the Eau Fraiche has 1% to 3% of oil essence in its composition, which makes it almost pure water. If you ask yourself who is the audience opting for such low-concentrated fragrances, let us tell you that these are optimal solutions for highly sensitive persons.
Olfactory Notes
Here come the terms with a more professional connotation. By saying “olfactory notes”, we predominantly refer to playful scents we can detect in a fragrance. As a general rule, perfumes are actually a blend of diverse scents. Traditionally, once spraying a perfume, we initially detect some strong notes, then the fragrance opens up other softer scents. These are commonly known as the top notes, the heart, and the base notes.
Scent Pyramid
As a continuation of the previous term, the pyramid refers to the interchange of olfactory notes. For instance, one perfume initially spreads a potent top note of oak, followed by smoother vanilla notes. On the other hand, other perfumes exude strong vanilla scents at the beginning, while the base notes are reminiscent of oak.
Sillage
We all have at least once felt it, but probably didn’t know that it was about “the sillage”. The sillage is nothing else than the trace that remains behind the person wearing a perfume. Depending on the perfume category, the trace can be more or less pronounced. In order to detect the sillage of a perfume that you want to leave behind you, it is recommended to apply it to the skin and wait for a couple of hours until the top, heart, and base notes open their full potential. What remains on the skin after a few hours, is what all persons will feel after you leave the room. Another important aspect here: each perfume opens up differently for different persons. This is why finding YOUR aroma might take a while.
Final thoughts
This dictionary referring to perfumery is far from complete. However, it includes the basic terms to begin with. Remember that you should select your perfume according to not only their long (or short) lasting effect, but according to your personality as well. You will find some helpful tips in our following blog articles.