Today’s modern perfume has three main components: Typically scents are made from flowers, citrus, spices, woods and occasionally even leather.

The fixative – These ingredients act to stabilize the aromatic compound and help to make the scent last longer. Lotions and aftershaves normally have a 1 to 2% scent base Eau de Cologne products are generally 2 to 3% pure scent. Eau de Toilettes run among 5 to 20% scent.

Perfume Extract or Parfum has the greatest concentration of scent, between 20 and 40%. ladies perfume products are usually categorized as perfume, eau de parfum, toilet water, and cologne and for men’s products are sold as Fragrance Perfume, cologne, and aftershave.

Surprisingly fragrances and music share a common term, notes. Perfumes are often described by the different “notes” that make up the perfume. Top Notes are the strongest scents but do not last very long. Middle (or heart notes) makes up the main part of the scent that emerges after the top notes start to fade away and are usually softer and mellower than the early scent.

These scents are usually flower in nature.

Bass notes form the foundation of the scent and are usually deep and musky in nature and emerge to blend with the middle notes not to replace them.
Perfume, Cologne – What’s the Difference?

“Perfume counters” are stocked with a wide selection of perfumes intended to accentuate the human scent. The expression “perfume counter” is a loose term to describe these products since many of these so-called perfumes are really just cheap imitations of the true perfume. What, after all, is a perfume?

Essential oils that are extracted from various plants form the base for a perfume. Frankincense was a fragrant resin of a tree that grew in East Africa that ancient people would burn for its scent like we burn candles for aromatherapy. The high price of true perfume is the result of the high concentration of oils.

There are numerous standard categories of perfume derivatives that are generally sold. The product closest to a perfume is called Eau de Parfum. “Eau” is the French word for water so this product is simply a true perfume mixed with extra water. If the brand name of perfume is sold in all these categories, the perfume is the most expensive and the cologne should be the smallest amount expensive.

Since everyone’s body chemistry is different, fragrances smell differently on different people. Scents don’t have the same aroma since people’s skin types are different. For instance, dry skin doesn’t hold scents as long. However, natural body oil will hold a fragrance longer since the perfume can mix together with it easier. Before purchasing a perfume, it is always best to test it to determine how it blends with your body chemistry for a desired fragrance.