Perfumes And Colognes - Balance And Notes

Perfumes smell differently from each other not just because they contain different ingredients but also because the strength of those ingredients varies.

Perfumes and colognes are created from a mixture of alcohol and essential oils. When the scent is applied to the body, the alcohol evaporates and the essential oils are absorbed by the skin. The difference between a perfume and an eau de toilette depends upon the concentration of essential oils found within them.

There are 4 main types of perfume with the following concentrations:

* Perfume - which is the purest form of fragrance product and is, consequently, the most expensive. The price is balanced, however, by the fact that the scent lasts the longest.

* Eau de parfum - is the next concentrated mixture with anywhere between 15% to 22% essential oils.

* Eau de toilette - has around 8% to 15% essential oils and so has a lighter fragrance. It doesn't linger as long as the more intense products and was originally intended to be a refreshing body splash.

* Eau de Cologne - is often referred to simply as Cologne. It has the greatest dilution of fragrances with a 3-5% concentration of essential oils and lasts for up to 2 hours.

Although the above are the main categories of perfume there are many other products which contain varying, though usually small amounts, of perfume concentrates. Examples include soaps, lotions, powders, creams, aftershaves, body splashes and cosmetics.

Another differentiating factor between perfumes is what is referred to as their fragrance notes.

They are commonly referred to as:

* Top notes - these are the first notes you smell and are strong and very volatile. They fade quickly which allows the more "rounded" and mellow middle notes to come through.

* Middle notes - these compounds form the "heart" or main body of a perfume and can be smelt as the top notes fade away. They have a mellow fragrance and include such scents as lavender, spearmint and rose.

* Base notes - together with the middle notes these form the main theme of a perfume with the base notes appearing as the middle notes fade. Base notes add solidity and depth to a perfume. They consist of large, heavy molecules that evaporate and are usually not perceived until 30 minutes after the application of the perfume.

The combination of these notes, the particular ingredients and their relative strength are what give a perfume its distinct fragrance.

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