Here at Perfume Point we like to ensure our customers choose the optimum product to fulfil their needs, so we have compiled this useful guide to help you make an informed decision on which is the best product to buy.

Concentrations: Strengths and Value for Money

To help explain the difference in strength, we have listed below the types of fragrance products, their concentrations and the average time it takes for the scent to evaporate.

Perfume	5%-30% concentration of perfume oil	6 - 8 hours
Eau de Parfum or EDP	8%-15% concentration of perfume oil	5 - 7 hours
Eau de Toilette or EDT	4%-8% concentration of perfume oil	4 - 6 hours
Eau de Cologne or EDC / Aftershave	3%-5% concentration of perfume oil	2 - 3 hours

The price of a fragrance product will depend on its strength (% of perfume oil) as well as the bottle size. For example, a 30 ml Eau de Parfum bottle will usually cost more than a 30 ml Eau de Toilette as it is stronger.

The more alcohol a product contains, the quicker its scent will evaporate. Aftershave has the highest alcohol content.

Although an Eau de Toilette is cheaper, it is not necessarily more economical, as it will not last as long. EDT is the most popular and affordable concentration available.

Fragrances should be kept away from heat and light. Storing fragrance in the fluctuating temperatures and humidity of a bathroom will cause a scent to degrade rapidly.

Identical fragrances may smell differently and also last longer when applied to some peoples' skin than others, this is because of the chemical make up and balance of our skin.



The different types of fragrance are described by their scent and the ingredients that have been used to make up a particular scent.

citrus	The clean, tangy aroma of citrus fruits:lemons, mandarins, bergamot oranges and grapefruit.
green:	The sharp green scent of crushed leaves and fresh-cut grass.
water:	Soft sea breezes.
floral:	The fresh-cut fragrance of flowers from a single rose to a rich bouquet.
soft floral:	These soft, powdery floral aldehydes blend nature's flowers with the perfumers aldehydes.
floral oriental:	The soft, spicy notes of orange flowers, sparkling aldehydes and sweet flowers.
floral oriental:	Incense adds a sensual softness to heady flowers, spices and amber.
oriental:	The hypnotic fragrances of oriental resins, night-blooming flowers, vanilla, musk.
woody oriental:	Rich oriental notes blended with the potent wood scents of patchouli and sandalwood.
mossy woods:	Perfumers call these forest notes of oakmoss, woods and citrus chypre fragrances.
dry woods	Dry resins, cedar and tobacco make a mossy-woody fragrance drier, sometimes a little smokey..
aromatic fougere:	Sexy cool-warm notes of citrus and lavender, sweet spices and oriental woods.

The "Stages" of a Fragrance

You may wonder why Perfumes/Aftershaves always smell different after you've had them on a while. This is because the Fragrance develops in 3 stages.

Top Note	The initial, lighter smell of the fragrance, which lasts for around 8-15 minutes.
Heart/Middle note	This remains constant throughout the use of the fragrance (hence the term heart note) and develops after the top note.
Base note	This is the last to develop, and helps to fix the fragrance to the skin. This is where you will smell the woodier' notes of the scent, which become more noticeable when the fragrance has been on the skin for a while.

The "Dispensation" of a Fragrance

You may wonder why Perfumes/Aftershaves always smell different after you've had them on a while. This is because the Fragrance develops in 3 stages.

Spray	Sprays are considered the best way to apply a fragrance as you can spritz them all over. EDT and EDP are always supplied as a spray.
Splash	Splash's are slightly more flexible a dispenser. For example, you may want to add a fragrance to the water in your steam iron to add scent to your clothes. In this instance a splash bottle would be better. Aftershave is always supplied in a splash bottle, as are most samples and vials.