Guide To All Types of Perfume

Have you ever shopped for a perfume online or in a store? Then, you understand how difficult it is to find the right fragrance unless you’ve already identified your favourite scent.

There are countless brands of perfumes in the market, but today, we will not talk about brands. Instead, we will focus on perfume concentration. Fragrances are classified based on the concentration of aromatic oils in them. The higher the concentration, the more expensive the perfume is, and the longer its scents will linger around.

To help you select the right scent, we’ve discussed the types of perfumes existing today based on their fragrance concentration. Without delay, let’s kick start our guide. 

Types of Perfume

Parfum/ Extrait de parfum/ Pure Perfume

Parfum is the purest form of fragrance. It has the highest fragrance concentration ranging from 20 to 40 per cent. But in other perfumes, the fragrance concentration can range between 15 to 30 per cent. Because of the high concentration of perfume oils, this fragrance can linger around for 8 hours. But some brands can even last 10 hours if applied correctly. These fragrances often get stored in glass bottles with stoppers.

You’ll notice that parfum is heavier, oilier and its scent is very strong. Once you’ve applied it, you will get to enjoy a full spectrum of all notes (Top, Middle, and Base) throughout the day. Compared to other perfumes, this fragrance fetches a high price tag because of its desirable characteristics.

If your skin is sensitive to alcohol, Parfum is your go-to fragrance. Its oily nature allows it to stay on your skin surface without drying for an extended period.

Parfum Eau De/ Eau De Parfum

Eau De Parfum (EDP) is one of the most famous fragrances today. The fragrance has perfume oils concentration ranging between 15 to 20 per cent. Water and alcohol share the remaining percentage. Although it’s not as strong as Parfum, eau de perfume can last for over 6 hours once applied.

Eau de Parfum is often stored in a spray bottle. So, unless you read about the concentration levels on the package, it’s hard to differentiate it from other perfume types. Like Parfum, eau de parfum is suitable for individuals with sensitive skin.

Although the wearer gets to enjoy all notes, the Middle notes stand out the most. The Top notes eau de parfum tend to dissipate quickly.

Eau De Toilette

Most people use Eau De Toilette (EDT) every day. The concentration of perfume extract range between 5 to 15 per cent. Because of low perfume oil concentration, eau de toilette perfume is less expensive than de parfum eau.

Toilette eau de is the perfect perfume for summer. That’s because once applied, Top dominant notes get released first. Therefore, a sweet aura surrounds the users for two to five hours. Parfum eau de toilette is also perfect as regular day or nightwear. However, it’s not ideal for people with sensitive skin. De toilette eau evaporates fast because of the high alcohol percentage, which leaves the skin dry.

Eau De Cologne

Eau De Cologne or Cologne is perhaps the most famous in the market. It’s cheaper and contains 3 to 5 per cent of aromatic oils. Because of the low concentration, manufacturers store eau de cologne in large containers. Also, you need to apply repeatedly and in high concentrations to get the results you want.

In most countries, it’s the go-to perfume for most males. In the past, cologne was used for medical purposes. Doctors recommended it to patients with various ailments. They believed drinking it will help the patients maintain good health. When it comes to hours eau de cologne, it generally lasts for two hours. 

Eau Fraiche

Eau Fraiche is the most diluted perfume. It composes of 1 to 3 per cent of perfume extracts. The fragrance can last for an hour because of the high-water levels. Like cologne, it’s cheaper but much lighter. Eau Fraiche consists mainly of a blend of fresh aromas. It focuses more on bright top fragrance notes and light woody and chypre base notes.

It’s made for people who often get irritated with concentrated blends. Because of eau fraiche sparkle and freshness, it’s among the perfect fragrance types for hot days. You can also wear it if you’re heading out but you don’t want people 15 feet away to know you’ve applied perfume.

Aftershave and Mists

Aftershave contains about three per cent of perfume oil. Instead of water like eau fraiche, it has the highest concentration of alcohol to kill surface bacteria on the skin after shaving. It also disinfects cut and minor nicks. It will leave you with a refreshing feeling, but the sweet scent won’t linger around for long.

Mists comprise 1.5 to 3 per cent of perfume extracts, water, and low alcohol content. You can wear it on your body if you don’t love concentrated fragrances. It will also have no effect if you apply it to your hair. The fragrance often lasts for only 2 hours and sometimes less.

Understanding The Perfume Family

Besides concentration levels, we can describe a type of perfume based on its scent family. People often look for certain aromas that appeal to their tastes and needs when shopping for perfumes. Based on scent, we can classify fragrances into the following groups:

Floral

Floral scents come from flowery plants like rose, jasmine, orange blossom, lilies, and others. They’re perhaps the most used fragrances in perfume. One type of fragrance featuring floral scent is Elizabeth Arden Red Door. You will love wearing these perfumes during summer and spring since they’re light and explosive. Its subcategories include fruity, soft floral, and floral oriental aromas.

Woody

If you love the smell of the great outdoors, settle for woody perfumes. These scents are warm and will leave individuals surrounding you charmed. Perfume manufacturers create woody fragrances from a blend of aromatic notes from several types of woods, like cedarwood, sandalwood, patchouli, and vetiver. 

The scent family is further broken down into other categories, including mossy wood and dry wood. If you wear woody aromas when attending outdoor events, you’ll give people the illusion you love outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and others.

Fresh

Fresh scents are inspired by odours found in nature during the cool season and contain citrus notes and green notes. These fragrances usually dissipate quickly compare to woody scents. Fresh fragrances are more inclined to men than women because they’re considered cool and vibrant. 

Oceanic aromas from aquatic notes, citrus aromas from lemons, and aromatic scents from herbs fall under this category. Popular fresh perfumes include Acqua di Gio by Armani and Versace by Versace men.

Oriental

Oriental scents are perfect during winter and in the evening. That’s because they’re warm, spicy, and have greater longevity than most free scents. This opulent fragrance is ideal for people of all genders. The fragrances often vary from woody oriental with earthy notes and soft oriental with floral notes and warm spice.

Common ingredients for the scent include vanilla, jasmine, orange blossom, myrrh, and cinnamon. The perfumes have an exotic, vibrant, and seductive nature. Because of this, you can rock them during your date nights.

Final Thoughts

We can classify perfumes based on their concentration and scent family. The type of fragrance with the highest concentration of perfume oil is Parfume. Eau Fraiche, Aftershave, and Mists have the lowest concentration of aromatic essence. Furthermore, fragrances are classified into 4 scent families. But keep in mind each sent family contains several subcategories.

When shopping for a fragrance, keep this information in mind. Also, ensure you wear your perfume correctly to make the most out of it. This means applying the perfume to your pulse points, wearing it when your skin is moist, and storing it in a cool and dry place.

That said, we hope now you understand the different types of perfumes and you can shop with confidence. Thank you for stopping by!