How to Choose and Buy Perfume
Perfumes are a mixture of essential oils and aromas. The smell of a particular perfume will vary slightly from woman to woman, as each person’s individual skin chemistry and body temperature will react slightly differently to a given scent, so each individual will have a different preference when choosing a perfume.
You may already enjoy choosing from a wide variety of very different perfumes, selecting whichever best suits your mood on a given day. However, if you usually stick with one favourite fragrance, and now want to change from your current brand to something similar, perhaps for a different occasion or to wear more frequently, then you should choose a perfume with a fragrance from the same category or olfactive family as your current favourite perfume.
Women’s perfume fragrances can be split into seven different olfactive families, as follows:
Aldehydic
This group of perfumes contains chemicals from the aldehyde group. The most famous perfume in this group is Chanel No.5, which was also the first aldehydic perfume to be created.
Other perfumes in this group are Estee Lauder's White Linen and Lanvin’s Arpege.
Chypre
Named after the perfume of the same name created by Coty in 1917, perfumes in this category have a base of bergamot, labdanum, patchouli and oakmoss, which gives a mixture of woody and floral tones. The scent of chypre perfumes tends to be very rich and long-lasting.
Perfumes in this group include Mitsouko by Guerlain and Clinique’s Aromatics Elixir.
Citrus
These perfumes are fresh and light, and traditionally have been used only as eau de colognes, as the fragrance tends to be subtle. Citrus scents include bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, orange and tangerine.
Perfumes from the citrus family include CK One by Calvin Klein and O de Lancôme.
Floral
As the name suggests, the dominant fragrances in floral perfumes are derived from one or several types of flower. This is a very popular group, and floral perfumes tend to be suitable for any occasion. To ensure that the fragrance is long lasting, you should purchase perfumes at the quality end of the scale, as cheaper perfumes tend to use lower quality oils, which can make a difference in this group.
This is the largest olfactive family and includes perfumes such as Sentiment by Escada, Poeme by Lancôme, Anais Anais by Cacharel, Pure Poison by Dior, Chanel No.19, Beautiful by Estee Lauder and Eternityby Calvin Klein.
Fougere
The term ‘fougere’ means fern in French, and perfumes in this category feature a base of oakmoss, lavende and coumarin which combine to produce a woody, herbaceous scent that is especially popular in men’s fragrances. The first fougere perfume was Houbigant’s Fougere Royale (Royal Fern), created in 1882.
This group includes Tuscany by Arais, Wrappings by Clinique, and Jules by Dior.
Oriental
Oriental perfumes form another large olfactory group. Also known as ambers, perfumes in this category are often described as warm and sensual. The scents for these perfumes come from musk, vanilla and exotic woods.
Perfumes in this group include the top-selling Angel by Thierry Mugler, Obsessionby Calvin Klein, Flower by Kenzo, Coco and Allure by Chanel, Emporio She by Giorgio Armani, Opium by Yves St Laurent and Le Baiser du Dragon by Cartier.
Woody
Perfumes with fragrances that are derived from woods such as cedar, patchouli, sandalwood and vetiver are part of the woody group.
They are more commonly found in men’s fragrance ranges, but there are still several women’s perfumes in this family (usually described with Oriental or Floral tones as well) such as CK Be by Calvin Klein, Sensiby Giorgio Armani and London by Paul Smith.
Fragrance Notes
In the description for each perfume on this site, there are details about the top, middle (sometimes known as heart) and bottom notes. Whilst the essential oils and aromas in perfumes are closely guarded secrets by the manufacturers, and perfumes tend to include a wide number of ingredients, the notes of a perfume are used to help describe and classify it.
The definitions of each note are:
- Top notes
These scents create the first impression that you receive when the perfume hits the skin. The ingredients that are used for top notes are very volatile and evaporate quickly, so the scent only lasts for around 10 – 20 minutes. If you test a perfume, wait for 20 minutes, as the initial impression will disappear, leaving you with the middle notes.
- Middle notes
The middle notes provide the main scent of the perfume after the initial impression disappears, and can last from 3 – 6 hours on the skin. They may also help to mask some of the initial scent from the base notes, which can take longer to become perceptible. The middle notes work with the base notes to provide the body of the perfume.
- Base notes
As the name suggests, these form the base of the perfume and give it depth and longevity. The impression from the base notes can be sensed around 30 – 45 minutes after the perfume has been applied.
Product Ranges
When buying perfume you will now find that many brands have extended the line to include a wide range of cosmetics and toiletries.
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