FAQs

PERFUME EXTRACT, EAU DE PARFUM, EAU DE TOILETTE: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

In perfumery, and more broadly, words mean a lot. These 3 terms, although often used without distinction, nevertheless carry fundamental differences.

In perfumery, the perfume extract corresponds to the purest and most intense blend. Its hold is optimal, it generally lasts between 8 and 12 hours on the skin.

Eau de parfum, for its part, is less concentrated but ensures very long lasting power of up to 8 hours.

Eau de toilette, on the other hand, is lighter and more subtle, often appreciated in summer, it still offers a hold of up to 6 hours.

WHAT ARE THE “NOTES” OF A PERFUME?

Notes are the different phases of evolution of the scent of a perfume when it is sprayed. Each of these phases, or groups of "notes", is accompanied by a different degree of volatility.

Top notes give the first impression of a fragrance. These are the lightest and most volatile notes, bursting onto the skin when you spray the perfume, or the fresh scent that comes when you open a bottle. Highly volatile, top notes usually disappear after 10 to 15 minutes.

Typical top notes: bergamot, citrus oils, aldehydes

When the top notes disappear, it is the heart notes of the perfume that blossom on your skin, and last on average 3 to 4 hours. These are scents of medium volatility, which give personality and character to the composition and create the aura that gives its dominant theme to the perfume.

Typical heart notes: rose, jasmine, tuberose and most flowers

This theme is accentuated and fixed by the note of background , which contains the soul of the perfume. Heavier and less volatile, these notes form the base of the perfume and give it depth and tenacity. It is thanks to the base notes that we remember the perfume; in addition, they help it to remain on the skin.

Typical base notes: musk, amber, oakmoss, vanilla, wood

CAN A PERFUME CHANGE MY MOOD?

Yes. One of the most remarkable characteristics of perfume is its ability to influence our emotions almost instantly. Studies have shown that scents can stimulate or calm us, promote good or bad moods, evoke positive or negative memories, and give rise to sweet dreams. Aromatherapy, the art of healing with aromatic essential oils, is based on the principle that the aroma of essential oils has the power to influence mood.

Perfume has long been recognized as a powerful and subtle tool for rebalancing the body and mind. An ancient Chinese proverb states that "A perfume is always a medicine."

Ann Gottlieb, a perfume consultant who helped develop Calvin Klein fragrances, says: "Most of the substances used in aromatic products with supposed therapeutic properties are actually based more on tradition and folklore than on science. However, a growing number of studies show that we can influence mood through scents. Soon, perfumes will no longer just make you smell pleasant, but will also have a real psychological effect."

Studies show that the smell of peppermint or lily of the valley increases alertness at work. In Tokyo, a company diffuses a light scent of peppermint in its offices to improve productivity. Another company sprays different scents through the air conditioning system, for the same purpose. A whiff of citrus helps start the day on the right foot. A subtle floral scent promotes concentration in the mid-morning and afternoon. A touch of cedar seems to relieve fatigue at lunch and in the late afternoon.

Since the limbic system controls both smell and emotions, it makes sense that certain scents have the power to stimulate or relax the senses.

WHERE SHOULD PERFUME BE APPLIED?

“Where you want to be kissed,” Coco Chanel said… or where the skin is warmer, because heat helps diffuse and amplify the aromas of a perfume. “Pulse points” (see below), warmed by good blood circulation, close to the surface of the skin, are perfect activators for perfume.

Spray the perfume about 20 cm from your skin. The perfume will last longer if it is sprayed evenly over a wide area rather than generously over a small area.

Should you rub your wrists together to dry the perfume? No – it damages the notes and dulls their development.

Perfumes travel upwards – so you need to apply them to multiple pulse points, not just the base of your throat, for example. A spray on the back of your knee is particularly effective. As you move, your body heat will lift the scent up to your nose.

WHERE ARE MY PULSE POINTS?

Inside the wrists, in the elbow, on the temples, under the earlobe (and not behind), in the hollow of the neck, nice and warm, at the base of the throat, behind the knees and everywhere you feel your heart beating.