CosBeauty Magazine #90

The skin
youre in
Our skin has a unique code of hormones and pheromones that can
slightly – or extremely – alter the way a fragrance smells. When
choosing a perfume, it’s a good idea to spray a small amount on the
wrist, wait a few moments and then smell the scent. Depending on your
chemical makeup, it can enhance or diminish the smell.
As soon as you spritz a perfume and it reacts with your skin, you’ll
smell the top note. It’s like an introduction to the fragrance. It might
be fleeting, but it’s your first impression, the first scent listed on the box,
and often the selling point for the perfume. After about 30 seconds or
so, you’ll start smelling the middle and base notes and the fragrance
will be noticeably different.
The top notes are meant to evaporate within a couple
of hours, so they’re usually made up of lighter oils. Citrus, herbal
and subtle florals are common top notes, so you tend to notice
lots of grapefruit, anise, lavender, chamomile and rose as you
spray your way around the perfume department.
Choose
your
concentration
• The highest concentration is simply called
perfume, or parfum. This level usually will
last all day with just one application to the
wrists or pulse points.
• The next level is eau de parfum (EDP),
which typically can last about six hours after
application.
• The third level is called eau de toilette
(EDT). It typically requires more than one
application throughout the day to last.
• The fourth and lowest fragrance
concentration is eau de cologne, which
typically only lasts a couple of hours.
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