Types of Perfumes and Fragrance Categories

Perfume has always been a essential part of human culture: people have perfumed their hair and bodies with oils, resins, flower and herb extracts and animal scents since earliest history. Wearing scent is enjoyable; it is an expression of individuality; it attracts mates and makes us nice to be close to. Perfumes are more for the wearer: they make us feel wonderful.

Fragrances are classed—and priced—by their alcohol content, with the least expensive being eau de toilettes and eau de colognes containing among 3% and 8% fragrance with the other 92-97% of the content being made up of alcohol, water and color. Eau de parfum contains real perfume oils of 8-15%. You pay more for perfume because it is stronger at request and lasts longer than eau de toilette. Perfume (or “parfum”) contains somewhere between 15% and 30% of perfume oils and lasts longer than other scent types—classically around six hours. Always try to take a sample of perfume home to try for a week or two and make sure it is the correct fragrance and strength for you before buying.