How to Choose Your Perfume

A recent member of Fragantica I have to date reviewed about 35 well-known and modern Eau de Parfums and Eau de Toilettes on various Internet review sites and discussion forums.

A budding chemist who's passionate about perfumery I have an ever growing number of perfume samples, about 25 vintage rare perfume bottles most of them containing the original juice and about 50 modern perfumes that I've been using and collecting in the past 4 - 5 years or so.

Introduction

Choosing a perfume that suits you is not easy. First of all we need to know ourselves a bit. We have to be honest and not just following trends and fashions and just because everyone's wearing it, it doesn't mean it's right for you.

Below I have written a quick introduction into perfume notes and the different olfactory families that perfumes are put into. This guide will help you understand your olfactory preferences and when you're in the shop, choosing your next perfume, you are able to recognize the type of perfume you're sniffing so you'll spare yourself some heartache by choosing a perfume that 'smells gorgeous' but when you get home with it, you realize, it doesn't suit you at all.

I noticed that throughout secondary school and even at university my schoolmates were all buying the latest trends not knowing what those fragrances actually contained or smelled like. They said it just smelled 'gorgeous' or 'sweet'. I kept wondering whether they will ever wear a perfume that actually expressed their personality just like the clothes or hairstyle we wear? Certainly tastes change too and I've made various mistakes in course of the last 15 or so years myself, I have also been actively making an effort to understand scents and my skin chemistry better.

Music to my nose - What are fragrance notes?

Different plant oils break down at different rates; light molecules evaporate quickly, heavy ones slower. The composition of a perfume is called an accord where there are three set of 'notes' that appear gradually on top of each other thus creating an olfactive harmony.

Top notes (head)

The compounds that make up the top notes are usually sharp and volatile. When you spray the perfume on, you get the impression of these notes first. This note will last for about 10 - 20 minutes before it evaporates.

Middle notes (heart)

These scents appear just before the top notes die down and are usually rounded and soft. Rose, jasmine and lily scents are typical middle notes. The 'heart' gives the perfume its main character together with the base notes. The middle notes can start appear a few minutes after application and will last about 3 - 6 hours on the skin.

Base notes (dry-down)

These scents are heavy and large molecules that evaporate slowly. They emerge last and have a rich and deep character. They are also used to give lasting power to the perfume. You'll probably detect the first base notes between half an hour to an hour and they can last up to 24 hours on the skin.

How to choose your perfume?

Each individual will have a different preference when choosing a perfume. Why?

Firstly, perfumes are a mixture of essential oils and aromas. The smell of a particular perfume will vary slightly from person to person, as each person's individual skin chemistry and body temperature will react slightly differently to a given scent.

Secondly, our olfactory memories are continually formed since the day we were born. Memories are formed in a biochemical process as an 'emotional imprint' in our nerve cells. We can unconsciously identify a staggering 10,000 different smells. So, what we like in a perfume may be the smells our brain registered as a positive olfactory memory associated with people / events in our lives and the comfort / contentment we were experiencing at the time with them.

You will notice that even if you don't stick to a particular brand, you will most likely to choose a perfume from the same olfactive group(s). Personal preferences do change as we get older mostly due to the fact that our skin texture and its chemistry changes.

You have probably noticed that even wearing the same perfume day after day, it can develop itself differently. The different behaviour is due to the hormones your skin secretes during its monthly cycle which fluctuate periodically.

Our olfactory preferences change with age too, as we get older, we'll tend to be drawn to different types of smells and even abandon a formerly loved group altogether. In my twenties I was mad about fruity-florals like Dali Dalimania and simply could not stand oriental perfumes. About 4 years ago it was all about to change. What I wear now is mostly the romantic florals (the classic Anais Anais from Cacharel) or sweet, ambery orientals such as my favorite Guerlain L'Instant. I can still of course be seduced by a fruity perfume but only if it's an exceptionally nice and complex blend probably from a French house e. g Delices de Cartier.

Which group my perfume belongs to?

Fragrances are put into 8 main olfactory families or groups. I added another one, aromatic, which is a group made up of aromatic plants. Widely used in aromatherapy and herbal medicine their popularity has lately increased in high-end perfumery as well. Perfumes rarely belong to a single olfactory group nowadays. You'll see that often 2 or 3 names of these groups are combined when classifying a particular fragrance e.g oriental woody, floral fruity, floral aquatic.

An aldehydic perfume contains chemicals from the aldehyde group. Character: pure and fresh. Example: Chanel N°5 (Chanel)

An aromatic perfume is made up of various herbs e.g. rosemary, basil or thyme. Character: rustic and fresh. Example: Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca (Guerlain)

An aquatic perfume will have a base of synthetic ingredients that give the sensation of the sea, mountain air or fresh linen. Character: clean and modern. Example: L'Eau d'Issey" (Issey Miyake)

A citrus / fruity group includes bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, mandarin and sweet orange and fruits such as peach, red berries, watermelon. Character: fresh and light. Example: Dior Addict 2 (Dior)

A floral perfume will contain extracts of flowers such as rose, lily or jasmine. Character: sweet and delicate. Example: Pure Poison (Dior)

A green perfume formerly known as chypre is made up of bergamot, labdanum, patchouli and oakmoss. Character: woody and floral. Example: Coco Mademoiselle (Chanel)

A gourmand perfume contains notes like vanilla and tonka bean, chocolate or caramel. Character: sweet and edible. Example: Delices (Cartier)

An oriental perfume will have a base of amber, musks, vanilla and other exotic plants. Character: warm and sensual. Example: Dior Addict (Dior)

A woody perfume is made up of woods such as cedar, patchouli, sandalwood and vetiver. Character: earthy and masculine. Example: Mediterranean (Elizabeth Arden)

How to try a perfume?

The worst place to sample a fragrance is in the fragrance shop where all the different odors mix and float about. It's best to take a fragrance sample home and try it out for a day. If you want to test the perfume in the shop, make sure you squirt once on your wrist and once inside of your elbow.

Never rub it in your skin as it will destroy the small molecules of the more delicate notes. Make sure you're not already wearing a perfume on your wrist as this can alter the composition you're about to test. When you leave the shop, cover your arm up with a sleeve if possible so the volatile ingredients do not escape. Let it settle for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates and the top notes appear without the alcohol fume.

Conclusion

Go wild...! :-)

(c)powered by lillybee
Fragrantica member