How to Compare Fragrances
With all those extravagant ad campaigns, sample-laden magazines and zealous salespeople trying to spritz you with fragrance as you walk into the store, knowing what fragrance suits you best can be tricky. Understanding the major differences between fragrances will have you smelling amazing sooner. Does this Spark an idea?
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Fragrance Familes
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Perfumers traditionally categorize fragrances into one of five major families: Citrus, Chypre, Floral, Fougère and Oriental.
Not surprisingly, lemons, oranges and grapefruits take the lead in Citrus fragrances, with "green" notes such as leaves or grass often playing a supporting role. Perfumers may add warmth to Citrus fragrances with a woody note or a splash of musk.
The name Chypre comes from an island in the Mediterranean abundant with oakmoss, the star of every Chypre fragrance. Bergamot and oakmoss traditionally go hand-in-hand, though more modern Chypres may feature a variety of different notes. A chypre fragrance may be sweetened with fruits, softened with florals or cooled with citrus.
Floral, the most popular family for women's perfumes, encompasses flowery fragrances blended with a wide variety of blooms: Roses, lilies, jasmine and freesia are some of the most popular. Floral notes often go hand-in-hand with juicy fruity notes, or a perfumer may choose to toughen up a modern floral with musk or a woody note.
Fougère means "fern" in French, and the Fougère fragrance family takes its name from a fragrance first created in 1882. Fougère fragrances are traditionally considered masculine. Centered on oakmoss, coumarin and lavender, these fragrances may also feature a variety of spice, herb or wood notes.
The Oriental fragrance family may be the oldest group of perfumes, and its main notes are suitably ancient-sounding: Amber, incense, resins and sandalwood. The 1990s saw the explosion of a new sub-category of Orientals called "Gourmands," which smell of edible notes such as vanilla, chocolate, tea and coffee.
Top, Heart and Base Notes
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Fragrances usually have layers of notes: Top, Heart and Base. Top notes are the most volatile, making a strong first impression when open the bottle but evaporating within 30 minutes of when you first spray on the perfume. Heart notes are the fragrance's true character, the notes which determine the family a fragrance belongs to. Base notes are the heaviest, longest-lasting notes that remain on your skin after the top and heart notes have faded.
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Fragrance Strengths
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We tend to use terms like "eau de parfum" and "eau de toilette" interchangeably, and to assume that perfume simply means a woman's fragrance while cologne signifies a man's fragrance. Actually, all that French really means something. A "parfum" is usually the strongest perfume you can buy, a blend of 15 to 25 percent fragrant oil dissolved in alcohol. "Eau de parfum" is 8 to 15 percent oil; "Eau de toilette", 4 to 10 percent; and "eau de cologne" means the product contains 2 to 5 percent fragrant oil. "Eau de fraiche" is the least concentrated at 3 percent or less.
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References
- Photo Credit perfume image by blacklight from Fotolia.com
