Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Perfume and AfterShave Information

Fragrance Guide
Fragrances consist of a concentration of perfume oils in a solvent (normally alcohol). The amount of oil in the scent dictates whether it is an EDP (Eau de Parfum), an EDT (Eau de Toilette), an EDC (Eau de Cologne) or an Aftershave.

The type of scent chosen decides how long the fragrance last on the skin, and also its price.

Here is the guide:

Type Concentration of perfume oil Scent to evaporate
Perfume 15-30% 6-8 hours
Eau de Parfum 8-15% 5-7 hours
Eau de Toilette 4-8% 4-6 hours
Eau de Cologne/ Aftershave 3-5% 2-3 hours

The price of a product will depend on several factors; the type of scent (EDP, EDT, EDC), designer brand and, of course, the size. The most expensive are the pure perfume products, followed by EDP, EDT and EDC/Aftershave.

The chemical make up and balance of our skin also defines how long a fragrance actually lasts, therefore it is common that some fragrances smell differently and last longer on some people's skin.

Fragrance Categories
Emotions play such a large part in the sense of smell; because of this people assume there is no logic in their choice of fragrance. It is highly likely that at least two of their favourite fragrances belong to the same "family."

There are four major groups of fragrances defined by perfumers - Floral, Oriental, Woody and Fresh. Each of these groups is then split between three "categories." Aromatic Fougere is a universal fragrance family that includes elements from all the other families; the freshness of a citrus; floral notes of lavender; the spicy-sweetness of floral oriental; the ambery depth of an Oriental; mossy wood notes of oakmoss and sandlewood.

Here is a table that correctly categorises each fragrance:

Group Blend Family
Floral Fresh Cut Flowers Floral
Aldehydes Powdery Notes Soft Floral
Orange Blossom Sweet Spices Floral Oriental
Oriental Incense Amber Soft Oriental
Oriental Resins Vanilla Oriental
Sandlewood Patchouli Woody Oriental
Woody Aromatic Woods Vetiver Woods
Oakmoss Amber Mossy Woods
Dry Wood Leather Dry Woods
Fresh Bergamot Citrus Oils Citrus
Galbanium Green Notes Green
Marine Aquatic Notes Water

Stages of the Fragrance
Perfume and aftershaves develop in 3 stages and this does alter the scent:

Top Note - The initial smell of the fragrance which lasts between 8-15 minutes.

Heart/Middle Note - This smell remains constant when using the scent and develops after the top note.

Base Note - This is the final stage of development and helps attach the fragrance to the skin. Woodier notes become more prominent once the fragrance has been on the skin for a while.

Storage
Fragrances including perfume and cologne should be kept away from extreme heat and light and stored in a suitable location. Storing fragrance in fluctuating temperatures (such as a bathroom) will cause the scent to degrade very quickly.

Perfume ingredients and Information

You can use most essential oils for blending.

Here is more perfume info for you:

Fragrance Families:
Floral: A Floral fragrance is generally a fragrance that has a single flower scent or is predominantly a single floral scent. The most notable examples are Rose, Jasmine, Gardenia, and Ylang-Ylang. There are many others of course.

Fougere: [pronounced "foo-zhair"] comes from the French word for "fern"; most often associated with men's fragrances; this is a mossy or woodsy kind of scent often contain Lavender and Oakmoss.

Green: Green scents would be considered "natural" in flavor. Herbaceous scents would fall in this category. The hallmark of this fragrance family is "fresh". Some examples would be: fresh-cut grass, leaves, forest scents, pine.

Spicy: Spicy scents will often make your nose "tickle". They are pungent and carry a high amount of the chemicals eugenol and isoeugenol. Some well-known examples of spicy scents would be clove, cardamom, coriander, ginger, carnation, and lavender.

Oriental/Amber: Oriental fragrances are common in both male and female fragrances. They are often warm, spicy and sweet and contain ingredients such as Vanilla and Tonka bean. Musks and precious woods like Sandalwood is also very common in these fragrances.

Citrus: The earliest colognes were in the citrus family and citrus fragrances are still popular today. Obviously, this fragrance family would feature fragrances that are citrus and/or tart scents, i.e. lemon, lime, orange, bergamot, clementine, yuzu, grapefruit, pineapple,

mandarin, etc...

Modern/Aldehydic: These perfumes are blended from organic chemical that have been produced synthetically. These scents do not exist, as plants, in the world. They are very potent and are used in extreme dilution by perfumists. Aldehydes often make exciting top notes in a perfume blend.

Chypre: Chypre [pronounced "sheep-r"] is a uni-gender category that appeals to both men and women. A Chypre fragrance contains woody, mossy and floral notes, as well as the scent of leather. This kind of scent is tenacious and rich, often containing Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Bergamot and Vetiver. Chypre was named after a feminine fragrance by Coty called 'Chypre' in 1917. [The name 'Chypre' is French for Cyprus, which is where many of the notes that make up the Coty fragrance (and this fragrance family) could be found.]

Oceanic/Ozone: The Marine fragrance family is relatively new and is used to describe scents that evoke a feeling of the sea air. An ingredient called calone is said to be used to give the marine scent. This, too, is a uni-gender scent category.

TOP NOTE

The top note is immediately detectable, due in large part to the fact that it is evaporating quickly and so is more evident. Poucher determined that top notes fell within a rating of 1 to 15.

By way of example, here are some rates of popular top notes:

Mandarin = 2

Coriander = 3

Nutmeg = 11

Discount perfume examples of Top Notes:

Floral & Citrus: Chamomile, Gardenia, Geranium, Iris, Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Marigold, Rose, Tuberose

Fruity: Apricot, Black Currant, Grape, Peach, Pear, Plum, Marigold (tagetes), Melon, Orange, Raspberry

Citrus: Bergamot, Clementine, Lemon, Lemon Verbena, Lime, Mandarin, Neroli, Petitgrain, Pineapple, Tangerine, Yuzu

Green: Basil, Clary Sage, Galbanum, Hyacinth, Lavender, Mint, Rosemary

Spicy*: Cinnamon, Cardamom, Clove, Pepper, Nutmeg, Coriander, Allspice

Woody: Sandalwood**, Rosemary, Cedar, Oakmoss**

[* Sometimes appears as top notes]

[** Also listed as a fixative by other books and by Making Soaps & Scents, itself. My thought is that they are considered "top" notes because they rise to the front of the blend as well as being at the base.

TOP NOTE

The top note is immediately detectable, due in large part to the fact that it is evaporating quickly and so is more evident. Poucher determined that top notes fell within a rating of 1 to 15.

By way of example, here are some rates of popular top notes:

Mandarin = 2

Coriander = 3

Nutmeg = 11

Fragrance examples of Top Notes:

Floral & Citrus:

Chamomile, Gardenia, Geranium, Iris, Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Marigold, Rose, Tuberose

Fruity:

Apricot, Black Currant, Grape, Peach, Pear, Plum, Marigold (tagetes), Melon, Orange, Raspberry,

Citrus:

Bergamot, Clementine, Lemon, Lemon Verbena, Lime, Mandarin, Neroli, Petitgrain, Pineapple,

Tangerine, Yuzu

Green:

Basil, Clary Sage, Galbanum, Hyacinth, Lavender, Mint, Rosemary

Spicy*:

Cinnamon, Cardamom, Clove, Pepper, Nutmeg, Coriander, Allspice

Woody:

Sandalwood**, Rosemary, Cedar, Oakmoss**

[* Sometimes appears as top notes]

[** Also listed as a fixative by other books and by Making Soaps & Scents, itself. My thought is that they are considered "top" notes because they rise to the front of the blend as well as being at the base.]

MIDDLE NOTE

The perfume middle note lasts longer than the top note and has the advantage of mixing with the top note to begin with, and leads into the base note at the end of its phase.Middle notes generally develop within 10 minutes and can last as long as hours. Middle notes tend to be rich in florals.Poucher's classification system rates middle notes as being between 16 and 69. Some examples of middle notes are:

Marjoram = 18

Clove Bud = 22

Jonquil absolute = 24

Ylang-Ylang absolute = 24

Rose absolute = 43

Tuberose absolute = 43

Jasmine absolute = 43

You'll note the "heaviness" of rose absolute. We've been told that while rose is very expensive, that we don't need a lot of it for it to make an impact. With this quantification system, we have an easier way of understanding that statement!We can also see that Jasmine, which is less expensive than rose, can have a similar impact at a lower cost. It does affect our choices for the other notes though, doesn't it?

Fragrance examples of Middle Notes:

[NOTE: You will see perfume fragrances repeated in this list. The rationale for the duplication seems to be that the fragrances in question are on the edge between fleeting and more enduring. They are also successfully blended with other scents to create a true middle note.]

Floral:

Camellia, Carnation, Cyclamen, Daffodil, Frangipani, Freesia, Gardenia,

Geranium, Heliotrope, Honey, Honeysuckle, Iris, Jasmine, Jonquil, Lavender,

Lilac, Lily of the Valley, Magnolia, Mimosa, Narcissus, Orange flower/blossom,

Orchid, Peony, Rose, Stephanotis, Sweet Pea, Tuberose, Violet, Water Lily,

White Lily, Ylang-Ylang

Green:

Mostly aldehydes

Cucumber, Grass, Green leaves, Lettuce, Tomato,

Modern:

Mostly aldehydes simulating:

floral, fruity, citrus or woody notes

Oriental/amber

Amber, Musk, Vanilla

Chypre: (pronounced 'sheep-r')

Calamus, Clary Sage, Labdanum, Oak Moss, Patchouli, Storax

Citrus:

Bergamot, Lemon, Lemon Verbena, Lime, Mandarin, Orange

Pettitgrain, Tangerine,

Spicy:

Allspice, Cinnamon, Clove, Coriander, Ginger, Myrrh, Nutmeg,

Pepper, Pimento

Oceanic:

Aldehydes which simulate:

Freshly-washed linen, Ocean breeze, Sea Air

BASE NOTE

The base note is the longest lived of all the notes. However, in spite of coming "last", it is arguably the most important choice in your blend. The discount perfume base note is present throughout the other two notes. While it is not noticeably detectable until the others have evaporated, it has affected and altered all of the scents contained in the blend. The change of the base note fragrance can radically alter the perfume.Base notes are notable because of their longevity. Base notes may also be thought of as "fixatives".

Some examples of base notes listed in Perfumes, Splashes & Colognes are: Galbanum resin = 90 Propanax resin = 90 Angelica = 94 Fixatives = 100 Frankincense Benzoin Patchouli Sandalwood Oakmoss Tonka bean Vetiver Balsam Copaiba resin balsam of Judea balm of Gilead balm of Peru Tolu balsam

Fragrance examples of Base Notes listed in Making Soaps & Scents: Animalic (origin: "animal" or synthetic): Ambergris Castoreum Civet Musk Resinous (origin: resin from roots or trees, etc...)

Angelica root, balm of Gilead, balm of Peru,Balsam, balsam of Judea, Copaiba resin, Frankincense, Galbanum, Tolu balsam

Woody:

Aloewood, Ambrein, Benzoin, Cedarwood, Coumarin (similar to Tonka bean), Labdanum, Musk, Oakmoss, Orris root, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Styrax (storax), Tarragon leaves, Tonka (tonka bean), Vanilla; Vanillin, Vertiver (vetivert; vetiveria), Virginia cedar