The Different Perfume types, strengths and how long they last
It is easy to get confused about what each type of perfume means, and therefore what you should choose.
We would like to add a new category, which is Perfume Oil That makes more categories! The main difference lies in the concentration of essential oils in the fragrance base. The perfumes “base” can be water, alcohol or oil based.
When we mention the concentrations of essential oils in the different categories, it is only in natural perfumes that those essential oils are guaranteed to be made directly from pure essential oils. With other mainstream fragrances, those fragrance blends are made from synthetic “perfume extracts” and are often purely man-made and not natural. Some of these “perfume extracts” can also come from animals.
Therefore, always check the ingredients and certifications of the perfumes you purchase, to ensure they are all 100% natural and vegan, if that is important to you.
I hope this guide is helpful to you, so you can distinguish between them all.
Perfume / Parfum
This has the highest concentration of essential oils or “perfume extract” with around 20 to 30% essential oils in the fragrance blend. It is the most expensive of all the categories due to the higher concentrations of oils.
It is usually heavier and oilier.
It is said to last longer, and can last up to 24 hours.
It is recommended for people with sensitive skin, as there is less alcohol in the blend.
2. EAU DE PERFUME / EAU DE PARFUM:
This is the perfume category with the next highest concentration of oils with around 15 to 20% essential oils or “perfume extract” in the fragrance blend. It is less expensive than perfume.
It has slightly more alcohol and water in the ingredients, however, it still has a high level of perfume oils.
It can last 6 to 8 hours.
Even though it has a slightly higher alcohol content, it is still recommended for people with sensitive skin.
3. EAU DE TOILETTE
This perfume category is for fragrances with essential oil or “perfume extract” concentrations of between 5 to 15%.
It is a light formula and usually in spray bottles.
Surprisingly, it is the most popular type of fragrance, and you often buy “perfume” thinking it is eau de parfum and it is actually eau de toilette.
It is much more affordable than Eau de Parfum, and can last 2 - 4 hours.
Due to the low combination of essential oils and high percentage of alcohol, it tends to dissipate quickly.
4. EAU DE COLOGNE
The category known as Eau de Cologne is one of the lightest fragrance concentrations with essential oils or “perfume extract” of between 2 to 5%.
It is often thought of as a masculine formula, however, there are feminine eau de colognes as well.
They often come in large bottles as you tend to need more of it and will require regular applications.
It can last up to 2 hours and is fairly inexpensive.
5. PERFUME OILS
The final category that we would like to add is PERFUME OILS. These are perfumes that have a pure oil base, and no alcohol or water are used in these blends.
·Within perfume oils, the concentrations of essential oils used for the “perfume” fragrance element can vary.
·Most perfume oils will have concentrations of fragrance essential oils of up to 20%, and then a carrier oil will make up the remainder of the blend.
There are also Perfume Oil Attars which are more concentrated. A natural perfume oil that is an attar is the pure undiluted version of their respective Eau de Parfum. They are made with pure essential oils and absolute and do not contain any carrier oil or alcohol. Attars are longer lasting than eau de perfumes. They are applied with the stick of the bottle instead of being sprayed.
Hopefully this has helped you to understand the different natural perfume categories on the market today, so you know what you are getting.