History of perfumePerfume is thousands of years old - the word "perfume" comes from the Latin per fume "through smoke". One of the oldest uses of perfumes comes form the burning of incense and aromatic herbs used in religious services, often the aromatic gums, frankincense and myrrh, gathered from trees. The Egyptians were the first to incorporate perfume into their culture followed by the ancient Chinese, Hindus, Israelites, Carthaginians, Arabs, Greeks, and Romans. The earliest use of perfume bottles is Egyptian and dates to around 1000 BC. The Egyptians invented glass and perfume bottles were one of the first common uses for glass.
Concentration levels
Perfume oil is necessarily diluted with a solvent because undiluted oils (natural or synthetic) contain high concentrations of volatile components that will likely result in allergic reactions and possibly injury when applied directly to skin or clothing. Solvents also vaporize the essential oils, helping to diffuse them into the air.
By far the most common solvent for perfume oil dilution is ethanol or a mixture of ethanol and water. Perfume oil can also be diluted by means of neutral-smelling lipids such as jojoba, fractionated coconut oil or wax. The concentration by percent/volume of perfume oil is as follows:
• Perfume extract: 20%-40% aromatic compounds
• Eau de parfum: 10-30% aromatic compounds
• Eau de toilette: 5-20% aromatic compounds
• Eau de cologne: 2-5% aromatic compounds
As the percentage of aromatic compounds decreases, so does the intensity and longevity of the scent created. Different perfumeries or perfume houses assign different amounts of oils to each of their perfumes. Therefore, although the oil concentration of a perfume in eau de parfum (EDP) dilution will necessarily be higher than the same perfume in eau de toilette (EDT) form within the same range, the actual amounts can vary between perfume houses. An EDT from one house may be stronger than an EDP from another.
Perfume Tips
1. It is not moronic to spritz perfume in the air and walk through it. Just be prepared to clean up the oily patch beneath you, afterall a tiny amount of perfume will descend onto the floor.
2. Go ahead and spritz some on your hair.
3. Never spray perfume onto silk. It will spoil the silk.
4. People with oily skin tend to have stronger fragrance as compared to those with dry skin.
5. Since perfume scent retains longer on oily skin, apply a layer of oil-based natural skin lotion onto the skin before putting on perfume.
6. Best spots to apply perfume: the nape (back) of the neck, inner elbow, cleavage, behind the ears and along the shoulders.
7. To prolong a bottle of perfume, place it in a cool dry place. Exposure to sun can lead to discoloration, smell alteration and evaporation.
8. If you have fallen deeply in love with a perfume that your skin is allergic to, why not use it to scent your bags, purses, hair, jackets (or clothes that are not directly in contact with your skin). That should be some consolation!
9. To test if the skin is allergic to a particular perfume, try this: apply a small amount on the wrist, or the inner elbow or the back of the hand/arm and if there is a reaction after 1 hour, then the perfume is probably not for suitable.
10. Test just 4 different types of perfumes at a time. Too many varieties can be confusing to the nose, otherwise you can sniff some coffee powder to bring back its neutral state and continue with the testing. You should also test how the fragrance turns out after about 10 minutes, after the alcohol has evaporated and the perfume would have blended with the natural oils of your skin.
11. When the weather is hot, avoid applying fragrance on exposed areas as the heat reaction may cause skin irritation.
12. Sunlight can react with the chemicals in a perfume to cause pigmentation as seen on the necks of people after years of applying perfume on the same spot.
Concentration levels
Perfume oil is necessarily diluted with a solvent because undiluted oils (natural or synthetic) contain high concentrations of volatile components that will likely result in allergic reactions and possibly injury when applied directly to skin or clothing. Solvents also vaporize the essential oils, helping to diffuse them into the air.
By far the most common solvent for perfume oil dilution is ethanol or a mixture of ethanol and water. Perfume oil can also be diluted by means of neutral-smelling lipids such as jojoba, fractionated coconut oil or wax. The concentration by percent/volume of perfume oil is as follows:
• Perfume extract: 20%-40% aromatic compounds
• Eau de parfum: 10-30% aromatic compounds
• Eau de toilette: 5-20% aromatic compounds
• Eau de cologne: 2-5% aromatic compounds
As the percentage of aromatic compounds decreases, so does the intensity and longevity of the scent created. Different perfumeries or perfume houses assign different amounts of oils to each of their perfumes. Therefore, although the oil concentration of a perfume in eau de parfum (EDP) dilution will necessarily be higher than the same perfume in eau de toilette (EDT) form within the same range, the actual amounts can vary between perfume houses. An EDT from one house may be stronger than an EDP from another.
Perfume Tips
1. It is not moronic to spritz perfume in the air and walk through it. Just be prepared to clean up the oily patch beneath you, afterall a tiny amount of perfume will descend onto the floor.
2. Go ahead and spritz some on your hair.
3. Never spray perfume onto silk. It will spoil the silk.
4. People with oily skin tend to have stronger fragrance as compared to those with dry skin.
5. Since perfume scent retains longer on oily skin, apply a layer of oil-based natural skin lotion onto the skin before putting on perfume.
6. Best spots to apply perfume: the nape (back) of the neck, inner elbow, cleavage, behind the ears and along the shoulders.
7. To prolong a bottle of perfume, place it in a cool dry place. Exposure to sun can lead to discoloration, smell alteration and evaporation.
8. If you have fallen deeply in love with a perfume that your skin is allergic to, why not use it to scent your bags, purses, hair, jackets (or clothes that are not directly in contact with your skin). That should be some consolation!
9. To test if the skin is allergic to a particular perfume, try this: apply a small amount on the wrist, or the inner elbow or the back of the hand/arm and if there is a reaction after 1 hour, then the perfume is probably not for suitable.
10. Test just 4 different types of perfumes at a time. Too many varieties can be confusing to the nose, otherwise you can sniff some coffee powder to bring back its neutral state and continue with the testing. You should also test how the fragrance turns out after about 10 minutes, after the alcohol has evaporated and the perfume would have blended with the natural oils of your skin.
11. When the weather is hot, avoid applying fragrance on exposed areas as the heat reaction may cause skin irritation.
12. Sunlight can react with the chemicals in a perfume to cause pigmentation as seen on the necks of people after years of applying perfume on the same spot.
