All perfumes are not alike. Did you know that perfume can come in different concentrations? And these concentrations actually form different categories of perfumes. These concentrations also affect the price point for the perfume.
Natural perfumes follow these same concentrations in their formulations.
The majority of perfumes are either an eau de parfum or an eau de toilette in their concentration levels.
Perfume Type |
Strength |
How long lasts |
Browse Types |
| 1. Perfume or Parfum | 20-30% | 12+ hours |
|
| 2. Eau de Perfume or Eau de Parfum, | 10-20% | 8+ hours |
Men Range Women Range Unisex Range |
| 3. Eau de Toilette, | 5-15% | 4-7 hours | |
| 4. Eau de Cologne, | 2-4% | 2-3 hours |
|
| 5. Eau Fraiche. | 1-3% | 2 hours | |
| 6. Perfume Oil | 10 - 20% | 8 hours | Women’s Range |
The Different Perfume types, strengths and how long they last:
The strength of a perfume refers to the concentration of fragrance oils in the fragrance. Typically, the higher the concentration of oils, the longer the scent will last on your skin.
It is easy to get confused about what each type of perfume means, and therefore what you should choose.
We would like to add a new category, which is Perfume Oil. That makes SIX categories!
The main difference lies in the concentration of essential oils in the fragrance base. The perfumes “base” can be water, alcohol or oil based.
When we mention the concentrations of essential oils in the different categories, it is only in natural perfumes that those essential oils are guaranteed to be made directly from pure essential oils. With other mainstream fragrances, those fragrance blends are made from synthetic “perfume extracts” and are often purely man-made and not natural. Some of these “perfume extracts” can also come from animals - see our article ‘A Guide to Vegan Non-Toxic Perfume’ about animal scents and how they are used in perfumes.
Therefore, always check the ingredients and certifications of the perfumes you purchase, to ensure they are all 100% natural and vegan, if that is important to you.
You can take our Scent Quiz to help find your preferred Scent Category.
I hope this guide is helpful to you, so you can distinguish between them all.
Add this diagram on your website
Perfume / Parfum
This has the highest concentration of essential oils or “perfume extract” with around 20 to 30% essential oils in the fragrance blend. It is the most expensive of all the categories due to the higher concentrations of oils.
It is usually heavier and oilier.
It is said to last longer, and can last up to 24 hours.
It is recommended for people with sensitive skin, as there is less alcohol in the blend.
Eau de Perfume / Eau de Parfum:
-
This is the perfume category with the next highest concentration of oils with around 15 to 20% essential oils or “perfume extract” in the fragrance blend. It is less expensive than pure parfum.
-
It has slightly more alcohol and water in the ingredients, however, it still has a high level of perfume oils.
-
It can last 6 to 8 hours.
-
Even though it has a slightly higher alcohol content, it is still recommended for people with sensitive skin.
Women’s Range of Natural Eau de Parfum
Men’s Range of Natural Eau de Parfum
-
BONUS: Sign up to our Scent Circle Newsletter (at the bottom of this page) to receive 15% off your first order with us.
Eau de Toilette
-
This perfume category is for fragrances with essential oil or “perfume extract” concentrations of between 5 to 15%.
-
It is a light formula and usually in spray bottles.
-
Surprisingly, it is the most popular type of fragrance, and you often buy “perfume” thinking it is eau de parfum and it is actually eau de toilette.
-
It is much more affordable than Eau de Parfum, and can last 2 - 4 hours.
-
Due to the low combination of essential oils and high percentage of alcohol, it tends to dissipate quickly.
Eau de Cologne
-
The category known as Eau de Cologne is one of the lightest fragrance concentrations with essential oils or “perfume extract” of between 2 to 4%.
-
It is often thought of as a masculine formula, however, there are feminine eau de colognes as well.
-
They often come in large bottles as you tend to need more of it and will require regular applications.
-
It can last up to 2 hours and is fairly inexpensive.
Eau Fraiche
-
This category is for perfumes that are the most diluted with essential oil and “perfume extract” concentrations of around 1 to 3%.
-
The main ingredient is water as ‘Eau Fraiche’ means fresh water.
-
It can last up to an hour and is often used to freshen up.
Perfume Oils
-
The final category that we would like to add is PERFUME OILS. These are perfumes that have a pure oil base, and no alcohol or water are used in these blends.
-
Within perfume oils, the concentrations of essential oils used for the “perfume” fragrance element can vary.
-
Most perfume oils will have concentrations of fragrance essential oils of up to 20%, and then a carrier oil will make up the remainder of the blend.
There are also Perfume Oil Attars which are more concentrated. A natural perfume oil that is an attar is the pure undiluted version of their respective Eau de Parfum. They are made with pure essential oils and absolute and do not contain any carrier oil or alcohol. Attars are longer lasting than eau de perfumes. They are applied with the stick of the bottle instead of being sprayed. Women’s Range
Hopefully this has helped you to understand the different natural perfume categories on the market today, so you know what you are getting.
Learn more about Natural Perfumes:
* 20 Fragrance Hacks to Help Your Perfume Last Longer
* What is Perfume and Fragrance Sensitivity?
* Starting Your Natural Fragrance Journey; Everything You Need to Know
* Finding The Best Natural Fragrance for You
What do Our Collective Founders Love?
Nina from Serene Body Health - “My choice of course are the perfume oils because they are made with natural fragrance oils (essential oils) diluted with jojoba oil which is full of antioxidants and is very moisturising on the skin. They cause less irritation to the skin because they are alcohol free. They can be applied directly onto the skin so there is no waste, and they can be inhaled for added health benefits.”
Tonia from IME - “All our perfumes are Eau de Parfum including the men's Elemental range. It was important to us to create the men's range the same Eau de Parfum strength rather than the stereotypical 'cologne' as colognes don't have the same longevity and we wanted them to be enjoyed for as long as possible without having to be reapplied. Plus, my husband is very liberal with his perfume and a bottle of cologne just wouldn't last a week if that was the case!”
Liz from One Seed - “There is no hard and fast rule about fragrance concentration, so use this as a guide only. Generally speaking EDT wont last as long on the skin (perhaps 2-4 hours), and EDP should last around 4-8 hours. But that depends on so many factors. For example, some scent molecules have a much higher odour intensity and so can be used at a much lower concentration, whereas others have less intensity and may be used at higher concentrations to be more noticeable. If you have a fragrance which is considered EDT due to its fragrance concentration being 7% but a large volume of that is base notes (which linger longer) or high intensity molecules, you can still call it an EDT but it may last as long on the skin as an EDP. All of our perfumes are EDP by volume (10.5-13% fragrance) but there is a variation in the longevity of each fragrance, from 3 to 8 hours. It’s important to note that longevity of a fragrance is also affected by your own unique skin profile, your hormones, the weather and your level of activity.”
Rachel from Hanako - “Each of our blends use only 100% pure essential oils, gem and flower essences, crystal infused spring water and bathed in mantra as they are being made. The natural perfumes of our “I AM... Range” are made at 2.5% pure essential oils which are considered a safe level for the body when using aromatherapy. Our blends are created not just for scent but the energetic properties each ingredient holds for the intention of the blend. Say for example you have “I AM... Grounded”, I use really earthy and grounding pure essential oils that help the being to stabilize and earth along with gem and flower essences that guide you back to base and bathed in a specific mantra that encapsulates the whole of the intention of grounding.”
