An Introduction to Perfume and Cologne

Perfumery, or the art of producing perfumes, started in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt and was further improved by the Romans and Persians. Perfume and cologne that we know today first became popular in the early 16th Century Paris, when the secrets of its creation was brought to Europe after the returns of the Crusaders from Middle East. Even today, France is still the center of the European perfume design and trade.

Majority of the perfume and cologne that is retailing in any shop today will only be comprises of about 4 to 10% of actual scented essential oils / extracts and the rest of the 86 to 90% of the bottle will be just alcohol and water. The amount of these scented oil/extracts in a bottle will determines the quality and types of perfume and cologne that are on the retail market today.Perfume and Cologne are categorized in accordance to the following few types of fragrances that is based on the concentration of the essential oil available in the fragrance.

Splash and After Shaves - Fragrances of this category usually does not last and contains about 1 to 3% concentration of essential oil. 

Eau de Cologne - The Eau de Cologne has a relatively short lasting scent and consists of about 3 to 8% concentration of essential oil and because of its weak nature, it is no longer commonly found in modern fragrances. 

Eau de Toilette - This is a widely used concentration in many of the fragrances today. The Eau de Toilette contains about 5 to 15% concentration of essential oil, though not as long lasting as the Eau de Parfum, it is a popular fragrance that people wear in the evening where scents is not needed to last. 

Eau de Parfum - Eau de Parfum comprises of 15 to 20% concentration of essential oil. This is the most common type of concentration available in most brands retailing today. The scent will usually fade after about four hours, however the base notes are known to last for as long as 24 hours. Fragrance with the Eau de Parfum concentration will be your choice if you need an all day coverage. 

Perfume Extract or Parfum - This type of fragrance concentration are the most concentrated and smoothest formulas among all the five types. Typically made up of 15 to 40% concentration of essential oil, the Parfum is definitely the most pricey fragrance retailing in the market today.Woman's fragrances are normally categorized as perfume, eau de parfum, toilette water and cologne, whereas the Man's products are sold as perfume, cologne, splash and after shave. Man's fragrances are rarely perfume extracts which is true for woman's perfume where the concentration of the various oils and solvent varies.

The normal way of describing a perfume is being aware of the fragrance notes of the scent which create the lingering overall impression of the aroma. The top notes indicate the basic smell that is perceived immediately upon the application of the perfume. The heart notes or middle notes emerges when the top notes dissipates and these exhibit the true scent of a perfume and it lasts for the longest period. The base notes or final notes are the scents of the base components like essential oil or musk. These notes become obvious when the perfume fades away.