The layers of perfume

Perfume, the finishing touch when it comes to your outfit or look. Did you know that a woman spends an average of 3500 euros on perfume in her life? If we delve into history, we see that perfume originated with the Greeks and the Egyptians. Herbs and branches were burned to release odors that served as offerings to the gods. Smell played an important role during this time. Later on, scented oils were also made and perfume was created over the thousands of years as we know it today. But how does such a perfume actually work? Besides the fact that it is a liquid that smells nice, I know almost nothing about it. In this blog I will take you through the structure of perfume and which types of perfume there are.

Different layers

A perfume consists of three layers, which we also call notes. There is the top note, which you smell almost immediately when you open the bottle. These scents are meant to attract attention and are therefore very clearly present. The smell disappears quite quickly and you can only smell it for 1-2 hours. The next layer is the heart note. The heart note, together with the base note, forms the basis of the fragrance and is often a slightly heavier, more present fragrance. Light fruity scents are not suitable as a heart note because they would dissipate too quickly. The heart note often consists of scents such as flowers or herbs and lasts for 4-5 hours. The base note sets the foundation for the fragrance, as the name suggests. These are scents that mainly stay present for a long time and support the heart note and top note well. Scents such as amber and vanilla are often used as a base note.

Different types

Perfume has different prices, often the price is determined on the basis of the amount of fragrance ingredients it contains. The greater the percentage of fragrance components, the more present the fragrance and the longer it lasts. We can distinguish three large groups in this, for example the strongest eau de parfum. Eau de parfum contains the highest concentration of fragrance and lasts for a long time, often for at least five hours. Eau de parfums have a deep clear scent and for this reason are also more expensive than eau de toilette and eau de cologne.

Eau de toilette is the slightly less concentrated version. Eau de toilette is slightly more subtle in terms of scent and also lasts a little less long. Perfect for when you want to wear a slightly fresher, less present scent. This is comparatively a lot cheaper than eau de parfum.
When you think of cologne, you may (like me) initially think of men's perfume. Yet this is not the case. Eau de cologne is the least concentrated compared to the perfume types just described. This is ideal for when you have to get out the door quickly, for example, and are therefore available for both men and women.

Every skin is different

Perfume smells different on every skin. This is because every skin is slightly different in terms of acidity, or because the hormone balance is different in every person. Therefore, it may be that you really like a scent on someone and then you are not quite as satisfied when you wear it yourself. It is important to choose a scent that suits you well and of course smells wonderful, because let's face it: nothing is more fun than hearing that you smell good, right ;)?