In ancient times, people also used perfume products. In 2003, archaeologists discovered in Cyprus the ruins of a workshop where perfumes were made. It is known that in the old days, people, as now, widely used flowers and herbs, essential oils, minerals, resins, and various fragrant woods. But antique perfumes are significantly different from modern ones. How? Bearing base. Aromas can be retained in fat, which is what perfumers used to do in the old days. Therefore, they were "anointed", rubbing into the skin, hair, beards.
The first modern perfume appeared in 1370 in Hungary. It was there that perfumers, in order to present perfume as a gift to Queen Elizabeth, dissolved essential oils in alcohol. "Hungarian water" gained great popularity in Europe during the Renaissance. But life does not stand still, and the center of perfume production has shifted to France, which still retains the status of the capital of perfumes. It's time to get acquainted with what perfume products are. What is the meaning of the abbreviations EDP, EDT and EDC? This article is devoted to one issue: between perfume, cologne, eau de toilette and eau de parfum inwhat's the difference?
All s alt in concentration?
When the Hungarians began to dissolve the fragrant essence of the fragrance in neutral alcohol, a simple pattern emerged. The more alcohol, the less pronounced and sharp the smell of perfume becomes. And besides, the product itself becomes cheaper. After all, the most valuable thing in perfumes is essential oils. But, on the other hand, a product with a lot of alcohol is more volatile. Therefore, the smell of such perfume products will be short-lived.
In specialized stores, you can often see the same fragrance presented in different concentrations. Often, firms produce some kind of perfume paired with identical toilet water. Calling the latter an exact copy would be incorrect. It differs from spirits not only in a more affordable price. The developers have made the fragrance youthful, daytime or summer. At least it's more gentle and less harsh. So what is the difference between perfume and toilet water? The concentration of essential oils.
Perfumes
The French, having acquired a monopoly on the European production of perfumes, immediately introduced a strict classification of goods according to the percentage of fragrant substances. And now there are strict standards in the world, once introduced by the Association of Perfumers of this country. So let's get to know them.
- The first, most concentrated substance is one or a mixture of aromatic oils. There is no alcohol at all.
- Perfume is next on the scale. They are labeled with the words Parfum or Extrait. The products of this kind of essential oils should not containless than 18 percent. The usual concentration of spirits is 25-30%.
- Eau de parfum is often called "perfume for the day". In it, the concentration of aromatic substances ranges from 10 to 18%. If the perfume retains the smell of 6 hours or longer, then the perfume water disappears in four. This type of product is referred to as EDP(Eau de Parfum).
- Eau de toilette is next on the scale. These are products where the concentration of fragrant substances ranges from 4-10 percent.
- A step below is cologne. Unlike EDT, Eau de Cologne (EDC) is only one and a half percent aromatic.
- And closes the list is solid water (Eau de Solide) with an oil concentration of 1%.
Olfactory wardrobe and the place of toilet water in it
Every person who takes care of himself, no matter if he is a woman or a man, should have several types of perfume products. They can be of the same aromatic composition, but it is better to have different ones. And that's why. We live in a country where the seasons are clearly distinguished. In summer heat, winter frost, spring thaw and autumn drizzle, smells sound different. There are also various situations in life: meeting with friends, working in the office, business or romantic date, going to the theater and, finally, a dinner party or other special event. It is under these cases that perfume developers compose their compositions.
As a rule, real perfumes sound elegant, but strong, sharp, powerful. During the day, such a fragrance enters into a certain dissonance withoffice environment. In the summer and in a closed room, he can "strangle" others. Eau de parfum created for daytime wear. Young girls, for whom Extrait is too complicated and pretentious, can wear it instead of perfume. Eau de toilette is a great purchase for a hot summer. And finally, cologne. It perfectly refreshes its owner, and a wave of bergamot, lemon and lavender gives positive to everyone around.
Should I have eau de toilette in my olfactory wardrobe
Many women in Russia think that this type of perfumery is for the poor. But in other countries, a different view of such products. Perfume people use only on special occasions. Therefore, one bottle is stored for years. And constantly most often use "day perfume", that is, eau de parfum. It is this type of product that manufacturers produce on a huge scale. And men's perfumes do not rise in their concentration above 15 percent of aromatic substances at all.
Manufacturers strive to cover the largest possible target audience. Therefore, along with eau de parfum, they often produce eau de toilette. What for? There are several reasons for this. Firstly, for a hot summer, the concentration of perfumed water may seem excessive. And, secondly, a powerful and complex fragrance sits ridiculously on too young persons. Finally, eau de toilette is a very, very budgetary analogue of perfume. Therefore, it is simply necessary to have it in your wardrobe, even if chickens do not peck at your money.
Eau de toilette history
Few peopleknows that the prototype of this perfumery product appeared in the ancient world. People diluted aromatic oils in water and sprayed the premises with it (as an air freshener), rinsed their hair and fabrics. But modern eau de toilette dissolved in alcohol is an invention of… Napoleon Bonaparte.
When the great commander was in exile on the island of St. Helena, his favorite cologne began to come to an end. Then Bonaparte added bergamot oil to the bottle. Napoleon called his invention Eau de Toilette - toilet water. The term became official in the 20s of the 19th century. Now this type of perfumery products has become the most popular and in demand. He often repeats especially popular best-selling perfumes.
Eau de toilette and cologne
The difference between these two types of perfume products is the concentration of essential oils. We repeat: there are only 1-1, 5% of them in cologne. But the differences don't end there. Cologne has an interesting history of origin. Its formula was composed by the Italian perfumer Giovanni Mario Farina. In 1709 he founded a shop in Cologne. He dedicated the formula he invented to his new homeland. The popularity of "Cologne water" (Kölnisch Wasser) is also explained by the level of unsanitary conditions in those days. The citrus scent did a good job of masking the smell of an unwashed body.
Bergamot and lemon oils were the foundational notes in the Eau de Cologne formula. Cologne appeared in Russia along with Napoleon's troops. Local perfumers have contributed to these products. They added neroli to bergamot and lemon oils. Thus arose the well-known"Triple cologne". But numerous brands of toilet water do not always contain citrus notes. Often they are floral, fruity, aquatic, fougere, oriental. Colognes, on the other hand, emphasize freshness.
Toilet water: an overview of the classification of odors
The Committee of Perfumers of France has introduced a scale of aromas, according to which it is possible to systematize all new perfumes and toilet waters that appear on the market. In total, experts have 7 families of smells:
- Citrus. The note extracted from the zest dominates. Like cologne, it gives the image freshness, energy.
- Wood. Sandalwood, cedar, vetiver dominate. Warm and discreet fragrances are used in unisex. Suitable for winter wear and in the office.
- Floral. The name speaks for itself. Floral fragrance will give the image of romance, femininity. This perfume is suitable for a first date.
- Oriental. Oriental spices are used, as well as musk and amber. Suitable for not the first date, as they are often aphrodisiacs.
- Chypre. Named after the island of Cyprus, where the first patchouli, moss and incense fragrance originated.
- Fougere. Often synthetic and complex flavors. Suitable for casual wear.
- Gurmandis. Recently this group has become very popular. Coffee, chocolate, vanilla and other goodies will make any woman desirable.
But practice, as you know, is always more complicated than theory, and often perfume samples belong to severalgroups. For example, the Antonio Banderas Miami Sedation eau de toilette for women, which appeared in 2018, belongs to both the fruit and flower families at the same time.
Perfume Pyramid
As with perfumes, fragrances of eau de toilette are revealed gradually. In the 19th century, perfumers developed the doctrine of the "pyramid". Consider what it is, using the example of Antonio Banderas' toilet water "Her Night Secret". This is a 2016 flanker for the flagship Her Secret fragrance, launched four years earlier. So, the pyramid is divided into three parts. The first is the top notes. This is the smell that you immediately feel as soon as you open the bottle.
This eau de toilette top notes are oils of lemon, mandarin, green apple and blackcurrant. After a quarter of an hour, the middle segment of the pyramid begins to appear, which perfumers call the "heart" of the fragrance. In "Her Night Secret" it is gardenia and orange blossom. And finally, the aftertaste, the plume of the perfume composition. It appears later, but also sounds longer. In the sample we tested, the base is warm tones of amber, sandalwood, tonka bean and patchouli.
Eau de toilette flanker - what is it?
Sometimes fashion houses release a fragrance in several concentrations at once. And in this case, the composition of eau de toilette differs from perfumed or perfume only by a high content of ethyl alcohol and water. But it happens - and quite often - that the manufacturer modifies the aromatic formula. Such samples are called flankers. It should be said thatthe manufacturer will never experiment with failed fragrances. Flankers are acquired only by sales leaders. In eau de toilette perfumers:
- Change accents by emphasizing which one note. Then the words “Patchouli”, “Mandarin”, etc. are added to the main name
- Make seasonal versions. Then “Summer”, “Primavera”, etc. are added to the name
- Change the target audience. For example, they make a men's flanker of a women's fragrance or they make a unisex one.
What are replicas in perfumery
Some fashion houses sell licenses to manufacture their products in other countries. Therefore, even in trusted perfume stores, you can find French perfumes made … in Turkey and even in Russia. And to call it a fake, from a legal point of view, it is impossible. For example, Boss toilet water is legally produced by Procter & Gamble.
But the consumer will feel the difference very clearly. After all, having bought a license, such a manufacturer will try to reduce the cost of production. He can use, instead of natural, synthetic materials, or replace a glass bottle with a plastic one. But, at least in such samples, the original formula is preserved. But the market is also flooded with obvious fakes.
How to recognize a replica
Don't rush to buy a product just because you like the tester. After all, the sample bottle contains the original flavor. But what is bottled for sale? How to distinguish original toilet water from a fake?First of all, we focus on the barcode.
The first three digits must match the digits assigned to the country. That is, if “Made in France” is written on the bottle, then the barcode must begin with the numbers 30-37. And if it says 460-469 or 869, the perfume was produced in Russia or Turkey.
Continue checking
But unscrupulous counterfeiters have learned to forge barcodes as well. So we keep checking. In answering the question of how to distinguish original toilet water from a fake, the packaging will tell us a lot. The inscriptions must be without smears, the mica shell is glued evenly. Famous houses put a cardboard frame in a box with perfume so that the bottle does not dangle in the case. Counterfeiters often neglect this.
When planning to purchase products of a certain company, check out how its bottles are designed. Check the presence (or absence) of all these bows, pendants, gold stamping and similar decorative elements.
