Useful tips
The variety of perfumes from various brands and manufacturers clearly shows that choosing a fragrance is not an easy task that requires certain knowledge and, more importantly, skill.
The ability to choose “your own aroma” makes life easier — if, of course, we are talking about a person who purposefully pays special attention to this issue, considering how we smell, as much as important as what we wear.
And if a person regularly buys the same perfume or cologne, this can only mean that he is afraid to experiment with fragrances, that is, he does not know how to choose them.
In fact, the world of perfume fragrances is so wide and diverse that limiting yourself to just one perfume, using it for many years, is like wearing the same clothes in winter and summer.
We invite you to plunge into the world of perfumes and other perfumes, getting acquainted with the theoretical side of the
issue of choice. The information obtained, if you support the theory with practice, will help you navigate this world well.
Content:
The first perfume in history
What is perfume
What is toilet perfume
What is eau de toilette
What is cologne Perfume fragrance
family
Choose perfume by brand
Choosing a perfume by fragrance
Persistence of
perfume Perfume for men and women
How to distinguish an original from a fake
How to choose a deodorant and antiperspirant
History perfumes
The first perfume in history
Humanity noted its research in the field of perfumery back in the middle of the 4th century BC. There may have been earlier attempts, but information about them has not reached us. The very first manipulations with fragrances became known thanks to the oldest written sources of Ancient Mesopotamia, and then from Ancient Rome, Egypt and Persia.
The ancient Egyptians, for example, paid so much attention to everything related to aromas and smells that they worshiped Grandpa, the god of incense, for about two and a half thousand years BC. By the way, for using incense during the burial process, Dedun was also considered the patron saint of the dead.
The first perfume products
It was incense, which included aromatic substances of plant and animal origin, also used as potions and religious “flavors”, that can be considered the first perfume product.
From the use of camphor, sandalwood and myrrh, which are the aromatic base of plants, and amber, musk and operculum as an animal aromatic base, to the appearance of the first perfume as a product aging and distillate, relatively little time has passed.
The first perfumer in history is a woman
In fact, already in the second millennium BC, what can be called perfumes appeared. And the first perfumer to create this product was a chemist and part-time palace supervisor from Ancient Mesopotamia named Talputi-Belatekallim.
Since then, leading chemists, alchemists and doctors have constantly contributed to the development of the fragrance culture, including the medieval Persian scientist Avicenna, the Arab scholar Al-Kindi, and personal perfumers of the Indian king Harshavadhana and, much later, chemists from European royal courts.
Red Moscow Perfumes
Osmoteca — a global fragrance archive
The apogee of perfume development today can be considered the emergence of the so-called fragrance archive in Versailles (Osmoteca), created on April 26, 1990 on the initiative of a French perfumer Jean Kerleo, who devoted almost his entire life to creating fragrances under the famous Jean Patou brand.
Soviet perfumes in Osmotek
Despite the fact that Osmoteca's collection does not include all fragrances in the world, this “library” of perfumes can be considered the largest on the planet. It also includes well-known Soviet brands, including Red Moscow from the Novaya Zarya factory, and the once scarce perfumes of the Latvian company Dzintars.
By the way, at the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels, Red Moscow perfumes were awarded a special prize. The Commission appreciated the richness of the aroma of this perfume, which contained more than sixty components. There are many admirers of this fragrance in our time, although many criticize Red Moscow for its excessive clove base and the obsessive smell.
What is the basis of perfume?
The basis of the perfume aroma (extract) is, roughly speaking, those very volatile substances with a strong odor, which are the basis of the final fragrances of any finished perfume product.
They are usually obtained during distillation, although they can be obtained under pressure (pressed by press), by sublimation, or using so-called extractants (essentially solvents).
Before you go directly to the question of choosing a fragrance (that is, applying it correctly to the skin and studying the smell of perfume), you need to decide what exactly you want to buy: perfume, eau de parfum, eau de toilette or cologne. Only after studying this important issue will it be possible to proceed directly to the intricacies of choosing a fragrance.
The composition of the perfume
What is perfume
Like any other perfume product, perfumes have the right to be called such only if certain proportions of the components that make up the finished product are observed.
This is an extremely important point, given the fact that water, alcohol and aroma components are the basis of most perfumes (including cologne, eau de toilette, lotions, and more other).
What combination of parameters can be considered classic for perfumes?
In perfumes, the percentage of aromatic essential oils (that is, a perfume composition, extract, fragrance or, simply put, an aromatic component) ranges from 15 to 30 -percent (in rare cases, up to 40 percent). At the same time, the fragrant component dissolves exclusively in highly concentrated (up to 96 percent) ethyl alcohol.
In the final product, the volume fraction of ethyl alcohol can range from 55 to 85 percent. From a chemical point of view, it is the high concentration of the extract for the corresponding proportion of ethyl alcohol that makes perfumes perfumes. Where do these numbers come from, you might ask? And that's the right question!
In this article, we rely on the technical requirements for liquid perfumes and perfumes (Interstate Standard) that are used in Russia, Belarus and some other countries.
Of course, there may be discrepancies in some parameters (especially with products that were manufactured in the USA). However, it is very convenient for us to use these standards, as they do not contradict the standards of European countries.
How are perfumes labeled?
Highly concentrated perfumes, that is, perfumes, are not always labeled “Parfum” (“perfume” in French) or “Perfume” (in English). The bottle or box may say “PARF” or simply “Extrait”.
Technical standards also regulate the resistance of perfumes (we are talking about the persistence of odors, of course). It may vary, but the minimum odor resistance of perfumes should not be less than 50 hours for toilet perfumes and 60 hours for so-called concentrated perfumes (although in practice we clearly we capture the aroma for an average of six hours or more).
Eau de parfum
What is toilet perfume
Toilet perfumes (or, as they are also called, eau de parfum or eau de parfum) are distinguished from concentrated perfumes by the content of fragrances, which ranges from 10 to 20 percent at 90% alcohol, the volume fraction of which in the final product must be at least 75 percent.
How are toilet perfumes labeled?
Many people, paying close attention to the labeling on their perfumes, may be surprised to find out that they are not using perfume at all, but perfumed water. Marking may include the letters “EDP”; it is often written “Eau de parfum” or “Parfum de toilette”. The inscription “Esprit de parfum” is possible. One way or another, there is the word “parfum”, which means that we are talking about spirits.
If we talk about the very standards adopted for all types of perfumes, the durability of toilet perfumes is not much different from the durability of perfumes, amounting to at least 50 hours. In practice, we clearly capture this aroma for 4 hours or more.
What is eau de toilette
Eau de toilette, being, in fact, an even less concentrated perfume, includes from 4 to 10 percent of the aromatic composition with 85 percent alcohol. At the same time, the volume fraction of ethyl alcohol cannot be lower than 75 percent.
How is eau de toilette labeled?
If you see the words “EdT” or “Eau de toilette” on the bottle, then you have eau de toilette in front of you (at least it should be so!). According to our standards, this fragrance should last for forty hours (eau de toilette resistance), although in practice we are usually able to clearly capture its smell for about three hours.
What is cologne
According to our standards, cologne is a perfume product in which the content of fragrances is at least one and a half percent with a 70% alcohol strength. In reality, the extract content can reach up to five percent with a volume fraction of at least 60 percent of ethyl alcohol.
How is cologne labeled?
Cologne produced in Europe, as well as in the United States of America, is most often labeled “EdC” or “Eau de Cologne”. However, you should not be confused by the fact that American cologne may have a higher concentration of fragrances, which, by our standards, makes this product suitable for the definition of “eau de toilette” “.
In fact, the whole reason is the different standards of individual countries. It turns out that if you purchased cologne from the USA, you can count on the fact that its aroma will be more persistent. By our standards, this aroma should last at least 24 hours, although we usually feel it clearly for an hour or two.
Persistent perfumes
Speaking of the persistence of fragrances!
The persistence of fragrances in perfumery is a separate issue, which we will discuss separately. But at this stage, it's worth noting that most of us are captive to stereotypes. In other words, we pass off reality as normal, although in reality there are strict standards governing this indicator.
It should be understood that durability depends on many parameters. In general, if the corresponding fragrances “last” much less than the time periods specified in the standards, it is worth considering the quality of the perfume purchased.
A family of perfume fragrances
We have already mentioned Osmotecu above. This fragrance archive, created with the support of the French Fragrance Community, not only archives existing fragrances and recreates lost fragrances. Also in 1990, French perfumers, led by Jean Kerleo, identified seven main so-called fragrance families, each of which is divided into numerous subspecies.
Over time, the original list has changed. Some perfumers believe that it is outdated and needs to be expanded twice or even to two dozen main types of fragrances. However, an ordinary man in the street who intends to learn the basics of choosing perfumes should start with these seven fragrance families.
Before you move forward, decide which of the scents listed below might interest you first. Keep in mind that most often certain types of perfumes and other perfumes combine several fragrance families
(for example, oriental and floral; or citrus, floral and woody). So, seven fragrance families from the French Fragrance Community:
Floral fragrances
Citrus fragrances
Oriental fragrances
Chypre
fragrances Woody fragrances
Fougere fragrances
Skin fragrances
Floral perfumes
Floral scents
The classics of the genre are floral fragrances. The floral fragrance has become a classic due to the widespread use
of this family of fragrances. And it owes its wide distribution to a wide range of floral odors themselves in nature.
As the name suggests, the main components of such perfumes are flowers. The most popular are pink tones, violet, jasmine, clove, tulip, lily of the valley. No less popular are the aromas of lily, lilac, daffodil, tuberose, hibiscus.
However, the variety of floral perfumes is achieved not only by the variety of floral flora, but also by the presence of different notes in the smell of perfumes, which was the reason for perfumers to highlight four floral fragrance subgroups:
Floral-fruity
Floral-aldehyde
Floral-green
Floral-oceanic
Floral and fruit compositions are easy to distinguish from other fragrances due to their absolutely recognizable notes of fruit. The popularity of perfumes with notes of peach, watermelon, raspberry, strawberry and other fruits and berries remains consistently high among women and is increasing among men.
However, even their popularity cannot be compared with the popularity of such famous floral-aldehyde perfumes as Chanel No. 5, which became the first perfume in its family to base the fragrance a substance derived from alcohol. Now the popularity of perfumes with synthetic fragrances is slightly lower, but also quite stable.
So-called floral-green fragrances are always in demand. By definition, they are fresh and light; they are alien to sugary and suffocating notes; they are real summer smells that can be seen the aroma of freshly cut grass, the light notes of a flower meadow .
Finally, aquatic fragrances (that is, floral and oceanic) have gained immense popularity immediately after their introduction at the end of the last century. Since then, this family of fragrances has remained popular among both women and men.
Many people believe that floral fragrances are the prerogative of women. But far from it!
Given the wide range of floral fragrances, these perfumes are worn by both sexes. Although floral-fruit and flower-green compositions are indeed more often created for women.
Moreover, despite the fact that such fragrances are more often recommended for young girls, some of them may also be suitable for older ladies. Floral and oceanic chords were originally created for both sexes, although it should be understood that there are many different notes of this aroma. Unisex fragrances are common in this family.
Examples of floral perfumes and eau de parfum are:
Insolence Eau de Parfum (Guerlain), Dior Addict 2 Eau Fraiche (Dior), l'Eau par Kenzo pour Femme (Kenzo), Mon Guerlain Florale (Guerlain), Chanel No. 19 (Chanel) and others.
Examples of floral eau de toilette:
La Vie Est Belle L'Eau de Toilette Florale (Lancome), Stella Eau de Toilette Stella (McCartney), Flowerbomb Eau de Toilette (Viktor&Rolf), Yellow Diamond (Versace) and others.
Examples of floral cologne are:
Garden Rose Eau de Cologne (Aerin Lauder), Eau de Cologne L'Originale (Mont St Michel), Pretty Eau de Cologne (Elizabeth Arden) and others.
Citrus perfumes
Citrus flavors
Citrus perfumes are no less popular among women than floral fragrances, although there are juicy and bright notes that are suitable for both sexes. Calm and deep tones are not so common here — they are usually very cheerful and cheerful morning and afternoon smells.
Notes of lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, orange, lime and other citrus fruits are often combined with floral aromas (especially in perfumes). Citrus colognes and eau de toilette, unlike perfumes, are very popular among the male population.
Examples of citrus perfumes and eau de parfum are:
Happy Eau de Parfume (Clinique), Parfum Diorissimo Extrait de Parfum (Christian Dior) and others.
Examples of citrus eau de toilette are:
Challenge Refresh Eau de Toilette (Lacoste), Book of Citruses Bergamotto Eau de Toilette (MONOTHEME) and others.
Examples of citrus cologne are:
French Citrus Eau De Cologne (Laboratoires Cadentia), Citrus Musk (Pinaud Clubman) and others.
Oriental perfumes
Oriental flavors
Oriental fragrances are also called amber or oriental. As the name suggests, the composition of the fragrances includes so-called oriental themes; first of all, sandalwood, cinnamon, musk, amber, and various spices. Unlike light morning and afternoon citrus and floral perfumes, oriental fragrances are considered winter and evening fragrances, that is, heavier.
The classics of oriental fragrances are women's perfumes. However, there are also purely masculine oriental fragrances (especially recently). Oriental tones are usually viscous, warm and deep. Such perfumes often include well-known aphrodisiacs. Combinations with fruit or other floral scents sometimes soften amber perfumes.
Examples of oriental perfumes and eau de parfum:
OUD Oriental Eau de Parfum (Versace), Suma Oriental (Une Nuit a Bali), Opium (YVES SAINT LAURENT), Mystery Oud (Daniel Josier) and others.
Examples of oriental eau de toilette:
Pour Homme Eau de Toilette (Lacoste), L'Ome Oriental Wood Eau De Toilette (Durance) and others.
Examples of oriental cologne are:
Oriental Eau De Cologne (Shomukh), Oriental Eau De Cologne (Siraj), Eau Jeune L'Orientale (Novaya Zarya) and others.
Types of perfumes
Chypre fragrances
Once you smell any representative of chypre fragrances, it will be impossible to confuse it with anything else. The reason is that the classic composition of this perfume
includes the aroma of musk, citrus component (usually bergamot), aromas of forest (mainly oak moss, pine and spruce needles), sandalwood, and others ingredient.
Many people are familiar with this perfume because of the Chypre cologne, the prototype of which was created back in 1917 by the Chipr perfume (in fact, the French pronunciation of the island of Cyprus). However, chypre, having somewhat lost their original meaning, becoming a household name, have become very popular.
In other words, it is now more common to find combinations of chypre perfumes with other families of perfumes (fruit, green, citrus). However, even in this combination, chypre trees can be quite easily “calculated” by the characteristic aroma of forest, pine grove, oak moss. Such combinations are often used to create women's “shiprov”.
Examples of chypre perfumes and eau de parfum:
CHANCE Eau de Parfum (Chanel), Chypre de Paris (Guerlain), Coriandre Eau de Parfum (Jean Couturier), Chypre (Coty) and others.
Examples of chypre eau de toilette:
Gucci By Gucci, Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Toilette (Chanel Parfum), Creation Eau de Toilette (Ted Lapidus) and others.
Examples of chypre cologne:
Eau de Cologne 1920: Chypre (Jardin de France), Brut Eau de Cologne (Corday), Mitsouko Eau de Cologne (Guerlain) and others.
Wood perfumes
Woody scents
After reading the description of the previous family of fragrances (chypre), an attentive reader may wonder: what is the difference between wood perfume and chypre perfume, if the latter is also obvious are there notes of the forest? And he will be right, since the family of woody fragrances echoes chypre.
In other words, you can also feel the theme of forest scents in the aroma, but they are not so diverse, much more strict and restrained. In addition, in woody scents you will not find the same obvious notes of pine grove and oak moss; the main motifs here are sandalwood, cedar aroma, cistus, myrtle wood, patchouli.
To distinguish between these two families, a theoretical description alone will clearly not be enough. But visiting a perfume salon, where you will be allowed to “try” two similar perfumes from these two different families, will help you learn to distinguish one from the other. However, to completely confuse, you may be offered a fragrance from a joint series of chypre and woody fragrances…
Examples of wood perfumes and eau de parfum are:
Magnolia Nobile Eau de Parfum (Acqua Di Parma), Santal Majuscule (Serge Lutens), Si (Giorgio Armani) and others.
Examples of wood eau de toilette:
Egoiste Eau de Toilette (Chanel), Tokyo by Kenzo Eau de Toilette, Fahrenheit Eau de Toilette (Dior), Givenchy pour Homme and others.
Examples of wood cologne are:
Baldessarini Eau de Cologne (Hugo Boss), Dsquared2 He Wood Cologne and others.
Fougere flavors
Fougere fragrances include perfumes with a specific enveloping effect. At the same time, such smells are not cloying; rather, they attract with their nobility and elegant unobtrusiveness. The very name of the fragrances comes from the French “fougere”, which translates nothing more than “fern”.
In the family of fern fragrances, you can hardly find perfumes that contain notes of fern scent (especially since it does not smell special!). The main components of fern fragrances are notes of bergamot, lavender, various wood tones based on vegetable and synthetic flavors (for example, coumarin), and so on.
Examples of fern perfumes and eau de parfum:
Jicky Eau de Parfum (Guerlain), Green Tea Eau de Parfum (Elizabeth Arden), Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum (Byredo Parfums) and others.
Examples of fern eau de toilette:
Black Sun Sport Eau de Toilette (Salvador Dali), Red Delicious Men Eau de Toilette (DKNY), Philosykos Eau de Toilette (Diptyque) and others.
Examples of fern cologne:
Eau de Cologne Fougère Wally, Fougère Etoile Eau de Cologne (Santaflor) and others.
The choice of perfumes
Skin fragrances
Skin (or leather) fragrances of perfumes can be classified as non-standard, as evidenced even by the relatively low prevalence of such fragrances. However, like any product, if skin fragrances also have a small army of fans. After all, it is not for nothing that perfumers around the world have singled out a special family of these fragrances.
Among perfumes with a skin scent, there are perfumes for women, for men and unisex. In its pure form, of course, hardly anyone will be attracted to perfumes with the smell of painted leather (even very expensive ones), so when talking about skin perfumes, they often mean the composition of fragrances — usually a combination with marine, wood and chypre tones is used.
Examples of skin perfumes and eau de parfum are:
Cuir Eau de Parfum (Molinard), Vanille Cuir Eau de Parfum (M. Micallef), Mahon Leather Eau de Parfum (FLORIS London) and others.
Examples of dermal toilet water are:
Russian Leather Eau de Toilette (Molton Brown), Black Leather Eau de Toilette (Clean) and others.
Examples of skin cologne are:
Acqua di Parma Leather Eau de Cologne Concentrée (Colonia), Our Legacy Eau De Cologne (Our Legacy) and others.
Perfume brands
Choosing a perfume by brand
It is no secret that when we buy products “with a name”, we overpay a considerable amount of money for the brand. The situation is absolutely the same with perfumes. But if you are not embarrassed by the inconvenience of “sponsoring” famous perfume shops, you can be almost one hundred percent sure of the quality of the product you are buying.
The most famous perfume brands
If you are sure that we offer you perfumes, eau de toilette or cologne, then feel free to pay attention to the following brands first of all: Chanel, Christian Dior, Hugo Boss, Nina Ricci, Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Cartier, Lancome, Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld.
The best perfumes
Of course, this list could be much broader. But get started with at least the dozen big names listed above. This will be quite enough so that when you find yourself in a perfume store with a desire to spend a certain amount of money, you do not feel completely awkward from not knowing the materiel.
Almost every famous perfume manufacturer is mercilessly fighting for minds, or, more correctly, for the noses of customers, releasing new fragrances with enviable frequency, investing incredible resources to promote them. There is almost no way for an ordinary man in the street to keep track of all the trends. But that's not required!
Choose two or three “your” brands
If you choose a couple of brands whose fragrance collections will suit you the most. To do this, get acquainted with classic fragrances from these “perfume monsters”. You can ask to show analogues of so-called vintage products (that is, analogues of perfume fragrances that are more than a quarter of a century old).
Does this mean that among less venerable companies you are unlikely to find a perfume with a fragrance worthy of your attention? Of course not. However, in this case, you will have to “shovel” more fragrances, study reviews of lesser-known brands. In addition, in this case, there is an increased risk that your favorite fragrance may disappear from the collection, or its quality will be unstable.
A trail of perfume
We choose perfume by aroma
At the beginning of our story, we compared perfume to clothes. Indeed, fragrances are said to be “worn”. However, another analogy for perfumery products would be appropriate — with music or with sounds. And it is necessary not for a word of mouth, but for convenience, because the same spirits are said to be “heard”, “listened to” and “heard”.
Thanks to this approach, the phrase “perfume composition” becomes more understandable, since the aroma of perfume is a complex thing consisting of various components. And it does not show itself immediately, only gradually discovering the so-called consistent sound, that is, revealing itself over time.
The three main notes of the fragrance
Before you start “tasting” flavors, you should know the basic principles of the behavior of these same flavors. As with many liquid alcoholic products containing flavoring, you can expect three aromatic phases, if you like: initial aroma notes (also called upper notes), middle notes (heart notes) aroma) and those notorious trail notes.
It is recommended to go to get acquainted with new perfumes when your body is cheerful and fresh. For most people, this time is morning, although this is an individual matter. Keep in mind that throwing on a dozen or two fragrances at once is absolutely pointless, since you are unlikely to remember even a third of them.
Tasting three flavors is considered optimal. Five is the maximum that not every beginner can afford. The smells are mixed, confused; the trail is mixed with the initial notes; the middle notes are not perceived correctly. As a result, we buy a perfume that we risk not liking immediately after the first “thoughtful” use.
The first acquaintance with the aroma
For an initial introduction to the fragrance, blotters are usually offered – samples or paper testers widely used in perfumery. If the fragrance has just been applied to the blotter, it makes sense to let the sampler ventilate a little (just a couple of minutes), otherwise you will only feel the top notes.
Only after a while will you feel what you will have to wear for a couple of hours after applying the perfume to your body — the heart of the fragrance. If you were given a sample that already has an aroma, then we are most likely talking about trail notes (that is, basic) notes.
A perfume trail is what you'll wear the longest. And if it gave you the most pleasant experience, it makes sense to try out the potential purchase on your skin. You may wonder if it makes sense to try a perfume on your skin if you liked it on a blotter?
The answer is that it definitely makes sense (especially when it comes to expensive perfumes)! The fact is that a lot of factors play on the nature of the fragrance, including skin type and much more. We will talk about these factors a little later when we discuss the durability of fragrances in more detail.
Read also: How to choose deodorant and antiperspirant
So, the perfume is applied in small amounts to skin that is “free” from any foreign odors, including (God forbid!) , previous perfume. Do not rub it – you just have to wait. While waiting (up to ten minutes), you can feel the “sound” of the first notes of the fragrance on your skin.
Only after an appropriate time will you be able to get to know the heart of the perfume. But you will have the opportunity to “learn” the trail component only in an hour or two. And if the result did not disappoint you, then the choice was successful. But even in this case, you should not always hurry to buy right away!
Keep in mind that sometimes it makes sense to “carry” a fragrance all day long to find out what the aroma trail will be like. Therefore, the final purchase decision can be postponed for another day.
All of the above applies primarily to perfumes and eau de parfum (that is, what is called Parfum and Eau de Parfum), although the latter perfume product is usually stronger and shorter” the middle notes of the fragrance sound, but the trail component may be less pronounced than that of perfumes.
By the way, excessive use of toilet perfumes (and most concentrated perfumes) does not contribute to a longer preservation of the aroma – it only makes the middle perfume sharper part of the perfume.
As for eau de toilette and cologne, this pickiness is redundant: all three phases of the fragrance often “play out” much faster, so you can not expect much change aroma when perfumes begin to delight us with medium and black notes.
Some more useful tips for choosing a fragrance:
– It makes no sense to smell the cap from a perfume bottle or any other perfume product.
– You should not choose the fragrance of a perfume after you have consumed alcohol or eaten spicy food.
– It is not recommended to taste the aroma immediately after you have smoked, drank hot aromatic tea or coffee.
– It makes no sense to try to speed up the “approach” of the middle note or trail by rubbing the perfume — you have to wait.
– It makes sense to take breaks between flavor tastings while giving the snuff apparatus a break. The smell of coffee beans helps to “dispel” the sensation of the freshly tasted aroma.
Persistence of perfumes
Persistence of perfume
The persistence of perfumes is what very often causes our complaints, even if the fragrance itself has left a favorable impression. At the same time, all our complaints are addressed to the train sound, one of the tasks of which is to “retain” the aroma on the body for as long as possible.
We already said a little earlier that the resistance recorded in the technical documentation describing the regulatory chemical and physical parameters of perfume is not the resistance with which we we are faced in reality. The time during which the smell must remain according to the standards is rather nominal (it is also the maximum in this case) resistance.
Maximum perfume durability
In reality, the maximum durability of a perfume when applied to the body is achieved only if the aroma is influenced by factors such as the environment, human skin characteristics, and some other factors are minimal. It is almost impossible to achieve this in life, so, for example, our perfumes “sound” smaller than we would like.
In addition, the durability of the same perfume depends very much on how a particular person's skin holds the combination of these specific perfume families. It is possible to find out this important point only empirically.
It is also known that the fragrance of perfume on pale skin lasts slightly less. The reason is that pale skin is usually drier, while fat allows the smell to stay longer. That is why advanced “users” of perfume cosmetics sometimes use such a trick as pre-applying the cream to the skin, and then the perfume.
Another factor that affects the durability of perfumes, regardless of skin type, is, in fact, the fragrance family itself. If you use perfumes with fragrances from different families, you may have noticed that, for example, deep and viscous oriental, chypre and wood fragrances stay on the skin longer than lungs and fresh floral and fruity scents. Keep this in mind when choosing a perfume.
Perfume product classes
In Soviet times, there were GOSTs that regulated the class of perfumes sold. Based on the gradation that had sunk into oblivion, the most persistent were extra perfumes, followed by class A, B and B perfumes.
Modern perfumers also use a class scale, but it is not always possible to judge the durability of a product. For example, Lux perfumes “top” the scale, but this indicates the naturalness of the components that make up the product.
Class A perfumes include no more than 10 percent of synthetic substances (which, by the way, are sometimes necessary just to increase the durability of natural fragrances and prolong the sound of trail notes). Finally, class B perfumes mostly include artificially synthesized substances, which does not have a very positive effect on the richness of the “sound” of the bouquet, but can increase its durability.
Of course, the durability of perfume is influenced by what we do, what time of year it is, the time of day, what is the temperature in the room, and so on (the same environmental factors). Although perfumes with deep and heavy scents are more often recommended for the winter season, light and fresh citrus and floral scents will delight you longer in winter than in summer — they will be more resistant at low temperatures.
By the way!
Sometimes we are unfair to the durability of our own perfume, completely in vain accusing it that the fragrance quickly disappears from the body. In fact, we just get used to a certain smell and stop feeling it. Therefore, in many cases, only others can give us an objective assessment of the durability of our perfumes, eau de toilette or cologne.
Famous brand perfumes
Perfume for men and women
Despite the wide availability of any information sources that can enlighten us about choosing perfumes, many of us live in captivity to deep stereotypes. Some people think, for example, that perfumes for men are something not quite ordinary and ordinary. There are also some who have never heard that colognes are also made for women.
In reality, however, gender boundaries for the use of cosmetics are becoming less and less defined. And this is not about men using perfumes for women (they usually use unisex fragrances). The point here is that quite a lot of perfumes of different types are produced for both sexes. And this is done under almost all brands.
Perfumes for women
Women's perfumes and other perfumes
Tastes are not disputed, of course, but there are certain rules for wearing perfumes that have developed over generations of using perfumes, eau de toilette and cologne by different sexes.
Perfumes for girls
It is the experience accumulated by generations that gives people who are knowledgeable in perfumery the right to recommend floral fruit, citrus and ocean tones to young girls. Such fragrances can become perfumes for every day; they will be very appropriate to “sound” in the morning and in the warmer months.
No one prevents girls from “wearing” heavy wood or chypre fragrances, but it will look about the same as a closed retro-style evening dress on the body of a teenage girl. Of course, this can be quite appropriate in exceptional cases. However, in general, standard recommendations should still be listened to.
In winter or in the evening, young women can recommend the same floral scents, but with fruity notes. But oriental fragrances will help to add mystery and seductiveness, although in this case it is worth considering whether to choose perfumes with a so-called long trail (that is, an aroma that will spread far).
Perfumes for women
For more mature ladies, floral ocean tones can also be recommended as perfumes during the warmer months. Woody or chypre aromas also add solidity. For seduction, you can choose the same oriental motifs; but for every day you should think about fern fragrances — there are plenty to choose from.
It is not entirely appropriate for an elderly lady to “sound” bright citrus fruits and fresh green aromas – this is a fact. But even if wood tones seem too provocative (not to mention chypre), you can try something from the skin family. These fragrances, when combined with other families, can very subtly emphasize the experience of such a lady, not her age.
Cologne for women is not bad manners
Speaking of cologne for women: there is no reason to give up a light and unobtrusive fragrance, albeit not so long, but appropriate for moderate money and in certain situations.
The main thing is that there is a choice of any perfume for both sexes. But what exactly to choose is up to you: long-lasting perfume, eau de toilette or a small bottle of cologne that you can always carry with you to sometimes restore the aroma.
Perfumes for men
Men's perfumes and other perfumes
Men do not always pay due attention to using perfumes in the form of perfumes or eau de toilette, often preferring deodorants (colognes at best), or even limited to aftershave lotions.
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In fact, you should not claim to be metrosexual to use eau de toilette for men or even men's perfumes, especially since the perfume industry provides the widest selection of these wonderful products for men of all ages.
Perfumes for boys
Young guys who are just beginning their acquaintance with men's perfumery can be advised not to bother too much about specific fragrances and opt for perfumes unisex. Citrus motifs (for example, bergamot or grapefruit) are suitable for lovers of fresh flavors.
Many men also prefer a marine theme, choosing it for the neutrality of the fragrances. Other floral fragrances can really “sound” ridiculous on males, although when combined with wood or skin families, there is an interesting selection of men's perfume.
Perfumes for men
For older men who want to emphasize their solidity, a wide selection of men's fragrances from various series of the skin perfume family is perfect. There are excellent combinations of chypre, wood and fern perfumes with notes of tobacco and the same leather.
Such fragrances will “sound” very harmoniously on an adult man who wants to emphasize his status and solidity in this way. Oriental families of perfumes are no stranger to the stronger sex, especially since they are made specifically for men by manufacturers under the most famous brands.
Fake perfumes
How to distinguish an original from a fake
A very important question, which is quite logical to consider at the end of this article, is how to distinguish an original perfume from a fake one. To do this, follow these simple rules:
– If you plan to buy perfumes, eau de parfum or cologne, make sure that the labels on the packaging strictly correspond to the inscriptions on the bottle itself (that is, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Cologne and so on — we talked about this at the very beginning of the article). Other information must also match, including batch serial number, volume, and so on.
– Keep in mind that many manufacturers also include this information on the bottom of the bottle (on film, metallized paper or otherwise).
– A cloudy color, sharp first notes of the fragrance may indicate that they are trying to slip you a fake. This is also evidenced by the unusual tones in the aroma, the change in the brand's usual aroma, and the low persistence of the aroma.
– Make sure that the cellophane packaging
(if any) is intact, which must be smooth, without noticeable tuberosity at the gluing site.
– Some brands protect their goods with a hologram or other method, which is usually reported for advertising purposes. Other distinctive features are possible.
– Pay attention to the manufacturer's country's compliance with the bar code on the package (this is easy to check if the Internet is available).
– You should be wary of the too low price for branded products. Discounts, of course, are possible, but only within reasonable limits.
Each of the above tips does not guarantee you a 100% guarantee of buying the original (even if you don't buy perfumes anywhere other than specialty stores!). But all the tips together significantly increase your chances of protection from perfume counterfeits.