Different types of perfume trending in 2024
Essential oils are concentrated in fragrance bases, which explains the main difference. Depending on the perfume, the ‘base’ can be either water, alcohol, or oil.
The concentrations of these oils in the different perfume can only be guaranteed to be obtained from pure essential oils in natural perfumes. The fragrance blends in mainstream perfumes are often made from man-made synthetic extracts.
If you value natural fragrance concentration, always check the ingredients and certifications of the perfumes before you buy.
1 Fragrance Notes
Top Notes
Also familiar as head notes, this perfume note immediately catches the attention of the person applying it. Generally, top notes are viscous and made of small and light molecules. In perfume marketing, top notes are very important for creating a positive first impression of the person wearing the fragrance. In addition to mint, lavender, and coriander, there are several other top notes you can choose from.
Middle Notes
Often known as heart notes, the compounds in the middle note serve as the ‘heart’ of the perfume. They provide a mask for the initially unpleasant base notes, which become increasingly pleasant over time. There are a variety of middle notes to choose from, including jasmine, sandalwood, and sea spray.
Base Notes
You can smell the fragrance of the base notes right after the middle notes lose their aroma. The combination of base notes along with middle notes form the main theme of any perfume oil. A perfume gets richer and more solid in fragrance with base notes. These notes are usually “deep” and do not let the perfume fade for around 30-45 minutes. Musk, tobacco, amber, and ambergris are all types of base notes.
2 A glance at the different perfume categories
Parfum
Popularly known as ‘Extrait de parfum’ or ‘pure perfume’, Parfum is the most concentrated fragrance of all the fragrance types. With around 20-30% of essential oils in the perfume extract, this has a blend with the highest fragrance concentration of essential oils. If you want a long-lasting perfume, Parfum may be the best choice for you. It can last long for almost 6-8 hours with a single application.
Generally, Parfums sell for the highest price due to their high concentration of fragrances. They are heavier and possess an oily base. Compared to other fragrance types, Parfums contain less alcohol and don’t tend to dry the skin, they may be more suitable for people with sensitive skin.
Eau De Parfum / Eau De Perfume
Following Parfum, Eau de parfum has the second-highest fragrance concentration of about 15-20% essential oils. These perfumes are more affordable compared to Parfum. Despite having a higher alcohol content than Parfum, these fragrances are better for sensitive skin. It takes about four or five hours for Eau de parfum to wear off.
Eau De Toilette
Perfumes in this category have 5-15% percent concentrations of essential fragrance oils or perfume extracts. Most people buy “perfume” thinking it’s Eau de perfume when it’s Eau de toilette. The fragrance can last for 2-4 hours, and it is much cheaper than Eau de Parfum.
Eau de toilette is usually applied during the day at the office, while Eau de perfume is a great choice for attending parties at night. The word “Eau de toilette” gets its name derived from the French word “Faire sa toilette” which says getting ready. Usually, these perfumes come in spray bottles with a light formula.
Eau De Cologne
Unlike the mentioned types of perfume, Eau de cologne has a reduced concentration of fragrance. There are higher concentrations of alcohol in Eau de cologne and a fragrance concentration of 2-4% percent. When you spray Eau de cologne, the fragrance can last for a maximum of 2 hours.
Due to its minimal concentration of essential oils and fragrances, you might need to apply them more often. To maximize its use, Eau de cologne comes in comparatively larger spray bottles.
Eau Fraiche
With an essential oil and perfume extract concentration of just 1-3%, Eau Fraiche is the most diluted perfume on the list. Since ‘Eau Fraiche’ is the French name for freshwater, it contains 97% water as its primary ingredient. These types of fragrances can only last for 1-2 hours.
Perfume Oils
The perfume oil is formulated without alcohol or water and has a pure oil base. There is a variety of concentrations of essential oils and fragrant oils used in perfume oils for the fragrance element.
In most perfume oils, essential oils will make up to 20% of the blend, and carrier oils will make up the rest.
3 Fragrance Wheel - fragrance families
Fresh fragrances
Fresh fragrance family
Green fragrances: The scent of green fragrances evokes herbal and leafy scents such as freshly cut grass, with a crisp, fresh feel. Perfume types like this can have aroma compounds of green tea and aquatic notes.
Citrus notes: A type of fragrance that smells citrusy and have tangy notes. Orange blossoms, lemon, leafy scents, and grapefruit are some of the primary ingredients used for a citrus perfume.
Floral fragrances
Floral fragrance family
Floral Oriental: These floral perfumes lend a touch of exoticism with a hint of spicy notes.
Soft Floral: Typically a mixture of warm, powdery scents with a soft base that softens the intensity of the floral bouquet.
Fruity: With fragrance ingredients like pear, apple, peach, and, mandarin, this scent will delight your senses with its delicious notes.
Floral perfumes: Warm aromatic scents that remind you of freshly cut flowers.
Oriental fragrances
Oriental fragrance family
Woody oriental: For added depth, these fragrances combine traditional oriental spicy notes with earthy notes like sandalwood and rosewood.
Oriental: Perfume notes with cinnamon, musk, vanilla, and jasmine, which impart a sweet, rich, and warm feeling.
Soft oriental: Typically a mix of floral notes and subtle spice notes.
Woody fragrances
Woody fragrance family
Mossy woods: Featuring oakmoss and amber, these scent families are smooth and have a few earthy scents.
Woody notes: Cedarwood and sandalwood are among the deep, aromatic notes contained in these warm scents. There are some woody scents that incorporate citrus or floral notes to help cool the warmth of the woody scent.
Dry woody: Smells smoky, and leathery with crisp, dry woody perfumes.
4 How to Choose the Perfect Scent?
Now that you’ve studied the fragrance wheel, you’re confident you understand fragrance families. Here are some tested tips which will help you in choosing your favourite fragrance.
- Start by looking what scents you like in other products to determine what kind of scent you prefer. There is no need to be an expert in perfume brands to find the perfume scents you’ll like.
- The best way to figure out whether you’ll like a new fragrance is to sample it first and then let it develop on your skin for a few hours.
- Spray the new perfume on a pulse point so that your body’s natural heat helps the fragrance to develop fully.
- When buying perfume, you should go with your taste and style, not someone else’s. Discovering a scent you love doesn’t have to be about trends, it’s about finding one you truly love.
5 Tips to apply perfume for a long-lasting fragrance
Make sure to apply your perfume before putting on your clothes.
Do not spray the fragrance close to your body. Keep a distance of a minimum of 6-8 inches from your chest.
Apply the fragrance directly onto the pulse points. By doing this, you’ll increase the effectiveness of the spray and not lose so much of the smell. If you don’t have a spray perfume, You can always use your hands to add perfume to a pulse point. Apply the fragrance on these pulse points and feel the difference yourself,
- Around your collarbones
- Inner elbows
- Behind your ears
- Back of your knees
- Top of the wrist
- On the back
- Belly button
- On your clothes
Do not overspray the perfume. It is always a good idea to spray the perfume in an optimal quantity. If you want a more strong fragrance, you can apply it after some intervals.
Tip: Moisturize the skin before applying the perfume for a long-lasting fragrance.
6 Wrapping Up
We hope that our guide on different types of perfume helped you gain more knowledge on different scent families and how to apply them correctly for better experience. If this blog helped you please leave a comment below. If you are having a hard time choosing the best women’s fragrances or the best men’s fragrances, our fragrance expert are here to help you out.
Community Q&A
About This Article
This article has been viewed 1714 times.