The perfume and cologne industry is one of the fastest growing product based industries worldwide. A huge seller that booms at certain times of the year such as valentines day, mothers day, fathers day and Christmas. Perfumes are one of the most common gifts bought at these holidays and the range of prices mean that the sale of perfumes and colognes is not unique to any country.
Almost every household has at least one perfume bottle in the house but usually many more, because there is no real age group for this type of product it is popular with everyone, man or woman from the teens to much later in life.
About Perfume and Cologne
The word perfume comes from the Latin words “per fumus” which translates as “through smoke”. Perfumed substances have been used throughout history but the perfume we know and love today comes from the contemporary version created in 1000 AD with the practice of distilling oil from rose petals.
Eau de Cologne was developed by the Farina brothers in Cologne, Germany, hence the name and while this type of fragrance was not the first men’s perfume, it coined the term “cologne” which is still used today. The scent however has changes, where cologne was once a perfume in its own right, (an appealing blend of neroli, lavender and bergamot) more commonly nowadays, it is a variant of perfume, a less concentrated version of perfume, typically containing 5 percent essential oil as compared to perfume which has a standard amount of 25 per cent.
Perfume and Cologne Facts
In the 1700’s Paris was the world center of perfume because of its flower and herb growing trade.
The first real era of perfume as we know of it today was the late 1800’s where the appeal of perfumes began to spread throughout Europe and the United States.
The Egyptians are said to have created the first perfume, the Egyptians are also known to have been experimental with many different types body enhancements and are thought to be responsible for many firsts in what is now the cosmetic industry, including makeup, which was worn by both sexes and often contained lead.
Perfumery means, the art of making perfumes.
Perfume types refer to the concentration of perfume oils in a solvent such as alcohol or base oil.
“Eau de” is French for “water of”
The biggest selling perfume in the world since 1921 is Chanel No. 5
Coco Chanel was named in TIME Magazine as one of the 100th most influential people of the 20th century. Buy Chanel No. 5 Parfum Classic
Some women trying to make their fragrance last all day will use a layering technique, this is done by using several products from the same fragrance range, for example they may use the shower gel, body cream or lotion followed by the perfume itself.
To test a fragrance you should add a few drops to the wrist area, without rubbing (this damages the scent molecules and can change the notes of the perfume) Before smelling the scent you should leave it to rest for one minute, allowing the 1st note to be released above the alcohol, this gives a much better indication of how the perfume will react with your own body’s chemistry
You should only test one perfume at any time, testing more than this can saturate your sense of smell.
Common pulse points on the body, such as the wrists, temples, inner elbows, behind the knees and under (not behind) the ears are the best places to apply perfume or cologne.
Common Concentrations used for Perfume and Cologne
- Perfum equals 20% perfume oils
- Eau de Parfum and Parfum de Toilette equals 15%
- Eau de Toilette equals 10%
- Eau de Cologne equals 5%
Popular Perfumes and Colognes in America
Estee Lauder – “beautiful perfume” and “Pleasures”
Tommy Hilfiger is one of the most recent designer brands of perfume and the hilfiger scents are becoming increasingly popular.
Beyonce – “True Star”
Ralph Lauren is one of the biggest designer labels that started the trend of perfume manufacturing; “Pure Turquoise” is a recent popular perfume from this designer.
Calvin Klein – latest “CK IN2U”
Popular European Perfumes and Colognes
Germany – Hugo Boss
Italy – Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Prada and Dolce and Gabbana
France – Chanel, Cartier and Christian Dior
Celebrities and Signature Perfumes and Colognes
Celebrities are now starting to mass produce their own signature scents with great success, the sales of these superstars perfumes is greatly increased by their already strong influence and many celebrities and popular personalities are releasing their own scents which are usually slightly more affordable than the designer brands of perfume.
Some of the stars to create their own scents include:
Beyonce Knowles, J Lo, Jessica Simpson, David and Victoria Beckham, Avril Lavigne, Britany Spears, Reese Witherspoon, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Isabella Rosselini and Catherine Zeta Jones to name but a small few.
While perfume and colognes were once a luxury item and a status symbol denoting wealth and importance, they are now common household items that can be found in the possession of everyone from young teens to grandparents. This is due to the introduction of synthetically manufactured essences that have made the mass production of perfume and cologne possible. While many of the cheaper perfumes will use these synthetic essences, many designer perfumes still choose to use the real essences in their fragrances.
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