Until recently, I almost never wore fragrance. I still don't wear fragrances every day. It's a taste issue and a matter of other people's allergies, and my own allergies. I used to think that I was allergic to all scents, but that wasn't so. I am really only allergic to certain things that are put into perfumes. My husband, who loves fragrance, always wanted to buy me expensive perfumes when we were dating and first married. Sadly, the more expensive the perfume, the more allergic I seemed to be. I had given up hope all together of ever wearing anything that smelled pretty again.
But, when I became an AVON representative, I learned about "fragrance families" and what the difference was between an Eau de Parfum versus a Body Spray. Suddenly, I was able to discover how to make the choices I needed to make to keep myself from having an allergic reaction. I discovered what to look for and what to avoid. It turns out that I am allergic to the "amber" notes used in many fragrances. Now, I just know to avoid fragrances with Amber base notes. Some of them I can get away with as long as I use a very light concentration or the amber is in the top notes or middle notes of the scent.
It's been wonderful to be able to purchase a fragrance and really enjoy wearing it, or to purchase one for my husband and enjoy it on him all day long. Now, instead of running away from the perfume counter, I have fallen in love with fragrance for the first time!
I'd like to share some of that knowledge with you over the next couple of days. Today, I'll be talking about the differences between the levels of fragrance. Tomorrow, I'll cover the families of fragrance for women and for men and how to properly sample a fragrance (Did you know there was a proper and improper way? I didn't!). And I'll revisit fragrance again on Friday to explain how a fragrance is constructed.
Maybe I'm the only one in the world who didn't know this stuff, but I thought it might be helpful information with Valentine's Day coming up. If scents have always been a problem for you, read on and follow-up tomorrow. You may discover that you don't have to hide from fragrance anymore!
Fragrance Concentrations:
The three most common fragrance forms are Eau de Cologne, Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum. Each one has a different percentage of the essential oil of the fragrance in it.
Eau de Cologne is the lightest interpretation of a fragrance with concentration of 2% - 6% essential oil in it. It is also sometimes referred to as "Body Spray" or "Cologne Spray". Because it's so light, Eau de Cologne can be reapplied often throughout the day.
Eau de Toilette is a concentration of 8% - 16% essential oils. Eau de Toilette is sometimes referred to as EDT. It's stronger than a Eau de Cologne, but less potent than Eau de Parfum.
Eau de Parfum is the most concentrated form of a fragrance at 16% - 21% essential oils. Because it has a higher concentration of fragrance, it does not need to be applied as generously or as often.
One way to make your fragrance last longer is to use layering. Layering is when you use a body wash, lotion, powder and/or deodorant that utilizes the same fragrance. By layering, you can add hours to your scent-life. This can be used with any concentration, but is probably most important to keep in mind if you like Eau de Cologne or Eau de Toilette fragrances.
Well, tomorrow we'll talk about Fragrance Families and how to find the right one for you!
Have a beautiful day! Stay warm and cozy!
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