Almost everyone on earth loves perfumes. Some are into clean perfumes, others prefer scents with vanilla notes, and some would rather wear oriental fragrances. Yet, not everyone gives much thought to choosing their signature scents beyond whether or not they like how they smell. Here is a list of things you might not have known about perfumes, and hopefully, they will help you the next time you go fragrance shopping.
1. Perfume changes throughout the day
All perfumes are composed of different layers of notes: the top, middle, and base notes. The top notes are what you smell first and are the first to fade. The middle notes become more distinct after the top notes have faded. They tend to last longer and are typically composed of herbal, floral, and/or spice notes. The base notes are the ones that last the longest and are usually woody and/or earthy. When you find a note that is recurring in all or most layers of a fragrance, this means that this is a prominent note in the overall fragrance.
Another factor that affects a perfume’s scent is the skin’s chemistry and how the raw materials react to your body’s pH levels. This is also why the same perfume could smell differently from one person to another.
2. Difference between Eau De Parfum, Eau De Toilette & Parfum
Perfumes are categorized into Eau de parfum and Eau de toilette based on concentration. Concentration refers to the percentage of perfume oil within a fragrance. Eau de Toilette, for example, has a perfume concentration of about 10%, whilst Eau de Parfum is about 15%. Some fragrances have a concentration percentage of over 20%, and these are classified as Parfum.
Now, you might be wondering how the concentration percentage affects the perfume. The higher the concentration, the more intense the fragrance and the higher the longevity. An EDT might last about 4-5 hours on your skin, and EDP could last up to 8 hours. A parfum, on the other hand, could last up to 12 hours.
For a list of long-lasting perfumes, browse these lists of men’s and women’s best ones.
3. You can make the perfume concentration higher
If you had found your perfect fragrance and swore that it would be your signature scent, but when you took it home and wore it, you realized it was quickly fading away due to low perfume concentration. There is a way to make it more concentrated, therefore extending its longevity.
This process is a bit time-consuming but will give you a fragrance that lasts all day. All you need to do is use your fragrance 4 to 6 times, then leave it uncapped in a wooden drawer or closet for 6 to 8 months. This will allow some of the alcohol in the bottle to evaporate, increasing the concentration of perfume oil and making the fragrance last longer when you wear it.
Here are some other tips on how to make your perfume last longer when you wear it.
4. You can create your signature scent by layering fragrances
The scent you emit depends not only on the perfume you wear. Other factors play into how you end up smelling. These factors include but are not limited to the body wash you use in the shower, your body lotion and oil, and the body splash and the deodorant you wear.
Putting a body oil right after you shower and before your body lotion will help lock in the scent of your body shower. Your body lotion, carefully chosen, could be the base of the scent that you’re going for. Your body lotion, body splash, deodorant, and perfume should complement each other. Certain notes and aspects of your perfume will be accentuated depending on the fragrances of the products you choose to wear.
Our fragrance experts did the research for you on how to layer your perfume to create your signature scent and how to use body spray and perfume together. Hopefully, their tips and tricks will be helpful in your quest to find the perfect scent palate that speaks to you best.
5. You shouldn’t smell coffee beans between perfumes
When shopping for a new fragrance, most perfume stores keep some coffee beans to smell between each perfume you try. The process of smelling all these fragrances on its own is overwhelming for our senses. Adding another new note to the mix will throw our sense of scent further into a frenzy.
Instead of sniffing on these coffee beans, take a whiff of something that is familiar to you. You can smell your own clothes or your wrist. This will help your brain reset itself, and you’ll be able to continue your fragrance shopping spree comfortably.
Keep these tips and tricks in mind the next time you are looking to buy a new fragrance. And if you were ever wondering why that gorgeous scent you picked out isn’t lasting on you as long as you’d hoped or why a fragrance smells differently on your friend than it does on you, now you know why!
Browse our website for a wide variety of fragrance options, from body splashes to deodorants and perfumes.
