In ancient times, people also used perfumery products. In 2003, archaeologists discovered the ruins of a workshop in Cyprus where perfumes were made. It is known that in the old days people, like now, made extensive use of flowers and herbs, essential oils, minerals, resins, and various fragrant woods. But ancient spirits are significantly different from modern ones. Than? Bearing base. Fragrances can be held in fat, as perfumers used in antiquity. Therefore, they were "smeared" by rubbing into the skin, hair, and beards.
The first modern perfumes appeared in 1370 in Hungary. It was there that perfumers, to present perfumes 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 perfumery production center has shifted to France, which to this day holds the status of the capital of perfumes. It's time to get to know what perfumery is. What is the meaning of the abbreviations EDP, EDT and EDC? This article focuses on one question: what is the difference between perfumes, cologne, eau de toilette and eau de parfum?
All salt in concentration?
When the Hungarians began to dissolve the fragrant essence of the aroma 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 is becoming cheaper. After all, the most valuable 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 perfumery products will be short-lived.
In specialized stores, you can often see the same flavor, presented in different concentrations. Often companies produce some perfumes paired with identical toilet water. Calling the last exact copy will be incorrect. It differs from spirits not only at a more affordable price. The developers made the fragrance youth, day or summer. At least he is more gentle and less harsh. So what is the difference between perfumes and eau de toilette? The concentration of essential oils.
Perfumery substances
The French, having gained a monopoly on European perfume production, immediately introduced a strict classification of goods with respect to the percentage of fragrance substances. And now in the world there are strict standards introduced once 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.
- The next on the scale are perfumes. They are labeled with the words Parfum or Extrait. In the production of this kind of essential oils should be at least 18 percent. The usual concentration of perfumes is 25-30%.
- Perfume water is often called "perfume for the day." In it, the concentration of aromatic substances varies from 10 to 18%. If perfumes retain a smell of 6 hours or longer, then perfume water disappears in four. This product is referred to as EDP (Eau de Parfum).
- The next on the scale is toilet water. This is a product where the concentration of aromatic substances ranges from 4-10 percent.
- The cologne stands below. Unlike EDT, Eau de Cologne (EDC), only one and a half percent consists of an aromatic composition.
- And closes the list of solid water (Eau de Solide) with an oil concentration of 1%.
Olfactory wardrobe and place of toilet water in it
Every person who takes care of himself, no matter whether it is a woman or a man, must have several types of perfumery products. They may be of the same aromatic composition, but it is better to different. And that's why. We live in a country where the seasons of the year are clearly distinguished. In the summer heat, winter frost, spring thaw and autumn drizzle, the smells sound differently. There are also various life situations: meeting with friends, working in the office, a business or romantic date, going to the theater and, finally, a dinner party or other special occasion. It is for these cases that perfume developers compose their compositions.
As a rule, real perfumes sound elegant, but strong, sharp, powerful. In the afternoon, this aroma comes into a certain discord with the office environment. In the summer and in a closed room, he can "strangle" others. Perfume water is designed for daytime wear. Young girls for whom Extrait is too complicated and pretentious can wear it instead of perfumes. 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.
Do I need toilet water in my olfactory wardrobe
Many women in Russia think that this type of perfumery is the lot of the poor. But in other countries a different view of such products. People use perfumes only on special occasions. Therefore, one bottle is stored for years. And constantly, most often use the "day perfume", that is, eau de parfum. It is this type of product that manufacturers produce on a massive scale. And men's perfumes generally do not rise in their concentration above 15 percent of aromatic substances.
Manufacturers seek to reach the largest possible target audience. Therefore, along with perfumed water, they often release toilet water. What for? There are several reasons for this. First, for hot summers, the concentration of perfumed water may seem excessive. And secondly, on too young women, a powerful and complex aroma sits ridiculously. Finally, eau de toilette is a very, very low-cost analogue of perfume. Therefore, it is simply necessary to have it in your wardrobe, even if your chickens are not biting money.
The history of toilet water
Few people know that the prototype of this perfumery product appeared in the ancient world. People planted aromatic oils in water and sprayed it with rooms (like an air freshener), rinsed their hair and fabrics. But modern, dissolved in alcohol, eau de toilette is an invention ... of Napoleon Bonaparte.
When the great commander was in exile on the island of St. Helena, his beloved 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 particularly popular bestselling perfumes.
Eau de toilette and cologne
The difference between these two types of perfumes is the concentration of essential oils. We repeat: in the cologne there are only 1-1.5% of them. But the differences do not end there. The cologne has an interesting history of occurrence. His formula was composed by Italian perfumer Giovanni Mario Farina. In 1709, he founded a store in Cologne. He dedicated the formula he invented to his new homeland. The popularity of “Cologne water” (Kölnisch Wasser) is also due to the level of unsanitary conditions in those days. The aroma of citrus very successfully masked the smell of unwashed body.
Bergamot and lemon oils were fundamental 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 eau de toilette do not always contain citrus notes. Often they are floral, fruity, aquatic, aromatic, oriental. Colognes emphasize freshness.
Eau de toilette: a review of odor classification
The Committee of Perfumers of France introduced the scale of aromas, according to which it is possible to systematize all new perfumes and toilet waters that are on sale. In total, experts have 7 families of odors:
- Citrus. A note extracted from the zest dominates. Like cologne, it gives the image of freshness, energy.
- Woody. Sandalwood, cedar, vetiver dominate. Warm and restrained scents are used in unisex. Suitable for winter wear and office.
- Floral. The name speaks for itself. Floral aroma 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 ambergris. Suitable for not a first date, as they are often aphrodisiacs.
- Shiprovye. It is named after the island of Cyprus, where the first aroma from notes of patchouli, moss and incense appeared.
- Aromatic. Often synthetic and complex aromas. Suitable for casual clothes.
- Gourmandis. Recently this group has become very popular. Coffee, chocolate, vanilla and other goodies will make any woman welcome.
But practice, as you know, is always more complicated than theory, and often perfumery samples belong to several groups at once. For example, the “Antonio Banderas Miami Production” toilet water for women, which appeared in 2018, belongs to both the fruit and flower families at the same time.
Perfume Pyramid
Like perfumes, eau de toilette flavors are revealed gradually. In the 19th century, perfumers developed the doctrine of the "pyramid". Consider what it is, using the example of Antonio Banderas eau de toilette “Her Night Secret”. This is the 2016 flanker for the main fragrance “Her Secret”, which appeared 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 when you barely open the bottle.
In this toilet water, the top notes are oils of lemon, mandarin, green apple and blackcurrant berries. 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, a loop of perfume composition. It appears later, but also sounds longer. In the sample we tested, the base consists of warm tones of ambergris, sandalwood, tonka bean and patchouli.
Eau de toilette flanker - what is it?
Sometimes fashion houses produce aroma in several concentrations at once. And in this case, the composition of eau de toilette differs from perfumed or perfumes only in a high content of ethyl alcohol and water. But it happens - and quite often - that the manufacturing company modifies the aromatic formula. Such swatches are called flankers. It should be said that the manufacturer will never begin to experiment with failed flavors. Flankers acquire only the top sellers. Perfumers in eau de toilette:
- They change the emphasis, highlighting 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 male flanker of a female fragrance or produce unisex.
What are replicas in perfumery
Some fashion houses sell licenses for the manufacture of their products in other countries. Therefore, even in proven perfume shops you can find French perfumes made ... in Turkey and even in Russia. And to call it a fake, from a legal point of view, is impossible. For example, Boss toilet water is quite legally produced by Procter & Gamble.
But the consumer will very clearly feel the difference. After all, having bought a license, such a manufacturer will try to reduce the cost of production. It 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 kept. But the market is also awash with obvious falsification.
How to recognize a replica
Do not rush to buy a product just because you liked the tester. Indeed, the sample bottle contains an original aroma. But what is bottled for sales? How to distinguish eau de toilette from 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 should begin with the numbers 30-37. And if it says 460-469 or 869, perfumes were released in Russia or Turkey.
We continue to check
But unscrupulous counterfeiters have learned to fake barcodes. Therefore, we continue the verification. In response to the question of how to distinguish original toilet water from a fake, the packaging will tell us a lot. The inscriptions should be without smears, the mica shell is glued evenly. Famous houses put a cardboard frame in a perfume box so that the bottle does not hang in the case. Counterfeiters often neglect this.
When planning to purchase products of a certain company, get acquainted with how its bottles are designed. Verify the presence (or absence) of all these bows, pendants, gold stamping and similar decorative elements.