Most of the times, people have a hard time understanding the difference between a perfume and eau de cologne. Many differentiate them on the basis of gender but contrary to the notion; it has nothing to do with gender. It is differentiated mainly on the basis of concentration of essential oils in the fragrance’s water and alcohol base. The concentration decides that how long the scent is going to last and when to use it.
Below is a description of both perfumes and eau de cologne–
1. Perfume
Perfume is the most concentrated of all the fragrance options. Perfumes hold a higher concentration of oils which is normally around 20-30 percent. It is composed of 20 to 30 percent pure perfume essence. A single spray of perfume can last up to 24 hours. Perfume usually also commands the highest price of all the fragrance types due to the high concentration of fragrance. People with sensitive skin may do better with perfumes as they have far less alcohol than other fragrance types and therefore are not as likely to harm or dry out the skin.
However, these intense scents can sometimes give rise to a misleading array of top notes when applied at first. With a dry-down period that lasts up to seven hours, the final scent is highly affected by your body chemistry. It can change dramatically over the course of an evening depending on your activities. It is always a good idea to pay attention to the way your scent changes throughout the day to ensure you like the scent as much at the end of the day as you did at the beginning.
The perfume world also puts perfumes into scent families. The categories exist because the designers use these terms. There are no groups that everyone agrees on nor any rule about categorization. However, here are some classifications you may have come across:
- Floral Perfumes: smells like flowers
- Fruity Perfumes: smells like fruit, including citrus
- Green Perfumes: fresh grass or leaves
- Herbaceous Perfumes: like any variety of herbs
- Woody Perfume: like different types of wood
- Amber Perfumes: like tree resin
- Animalic Perfume: bodily smells
- Musk Perfumes: like a substance made by the musk deer
- Oriental Perfume: amber and spice
2. Cologne
Eau de Cologne or EDC has a much lower concentration of fragrance than perfumes. EDC usually has a 2% to 4% percent concentration of fragrance and a high
concentration of alcohol. The term is commonly reserved for light and fresh masculine scents, which are often fruity or musky and typically last a few hours.
During the first hour, the middle notes that are the heart of the fragrance prevail. During the second hour, the base notes that comprise a fragrance’s body take over. This is called the dry-down period, and it’s when your body chemistry interacts with long-lasting fixatives to
produce the true or final scent. As eau de cologne has a lower concentration, the scent does not last as long so you may need to reapply if you go out for after-work drinks or dinner.
It is cheaper than other types of fragrance; however the scent generally lasts for up to two hours. EDC comes in bigger bottles as more of the fragrance needs to be used. Initially eau de cologne cited to a traditional recipe that used herb and citrus notes with little anchoring with base notes.
You can apply it as per your wish but the process is different than with perfume preparations that have a much stronger scent. Shake a little bit and spray onto your palm and rub your hands together quickly. Rub over your neck and behind your ears for that amazing fragrance.
Concentration of Perfume & Cologne is as follows-
Perfume: Most Concentrated 20-30%, 6 -8 hours
Perfume is also known as extrait de parfum or pure perfumes. This has top concentration of perfume and will last up to 6-8 hours. Perfume will contain anywhere between 15-40% perfume essences but usually, contains between 15-30%. It has the strongest scent in any product line. As perfume has a thicker and oilier inconsistency than other scent products, it does not come packaged as a spray. You will find it in stoppered bottles.
Cologne: Lower Concentration 2-4%, 2-3 hours
Eau De Cologne has a low concentration which is about 2-4% of perfume essence and is usually cheaper than perfume. Colognes come in big bottle as more of it is needed because the fragrance only lasts up to 2-3 hours.
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