A Quick Guide To Perfume Varieties!

What are the different types of perfumes?

It can be overwhelming trying to navigate the world of fragrances!  Not only do you need to figure out what sort of notes you like and work with your personal skin chemistry, but there are all those different types of perfumes and colognes.  Here's a quick reference guide to help you differentiate between the different types and help you decide what is best for your needs.

There are 5 principle varieties of perfumes, determined by the relative concentration of fragrance oils in the blend.  

Perfume/Parfum:

This is the most concentrated (and usually most expensive) type of fragrance.  True perfume has between 15-40% concentration of fragrance oil.  Most perfumes are labeled as such and come in heavier, more ornate bottles.  Parfums are usually sold in stopper bottles as the higher concentration means it is typlically only applied to pulse points.

True perfumes typically last about 8 hours on the skin.

Eau De Parfum:

EdP's typically contain from 10-20% concentration of fragrance oil (EdP's from the Haus actually contain up to 30% - that's part of why they are so awesome and long lasting!).  Eau de Parfum, while still on the more expensive end of the spectrum, is generally a more affordable variety of perfume that will last from 4-6 hours.  They are typically offered in both stopper and spray style bottles and are generally the most popular form of perfume oil.  EdP's are a great way to get a long lasting fragrance that doesn't break the bank.

Eau de Toilette:

Eau de Toilette is a lower concentration blend, designed for daily use, containing from 4-15% fragrance oil.  Due to it's higher concentration of alchohol, Eau de Toilette evaporates more quickly from the skin and is ideal for those times when a wearer wants to switch their fragrance at the end of the day to a stronger, more evening oriented scent.  As it is more heavily diluted, you will typically find EdT sold only in spray bottles.

Eau de Toilette fragrances typically last from 2-3 hours on the skin per application.

Eau de Cologne:

While the use of the name "cologne" is typically reserved for men's fragrances, Eau de Cologne is the official designation for fragrance blends containing 2-5% concentrations of fragrance oil.  The use of the term to designate men's fragrances is common due to the nature of aftershave and other splash-on products that are typically marketed towards men.  Generally, higher end fragrances will not be offered in these lower concentrations.

Eau de Cologne will be a lighter and less expensive product lasting about 2 hours  per application.

Eau Fraiche:

Literally Frence for "fresh water"!  Eau Fraiche blends are the most diluted and therefor least expensive of the varieties of fragrance products.  These blends generally contain a concentration of 1-3% fragrance oil and need to be reapplied on a regular basis.  Typically these products last only about an hour on the skin and need to be reapplied on a regular basis, which makes sense as they are literally scented water that one sprays on to "freshen up".

But what about perfume oils?

Good question!  Perfume oils are actually one of the strongest fragrances that you can get - they can contain up to 60% fragrance oil blend and last a much longer time than an alcohol based perfume.  Oils are almost always sold in much smaller sizes in stopper style bottles due to this higher concentration.  However, despite their stronger concentration, they are often a more subtle application of scent than alcohol varieties as the evaporative nature of the alcohol carrier gives them better throw.

Is there a "best" variety?  

The quality of a perfume is dictated more by the amount of care put into the blending as well as the quality of the ingredients.  A more concentrated blend isn't necessarily going to smell better, just stronger.  At the Haus, we put a little bit of extra love into everything we make, so we feel confident that our blends are some of the best you can buy.