Guys: How to buy a perfume

I am often told that I need to do my research when it comes to buying things I don’t have a clue about and that buying on an impulse, or a piece of info I heard from someone else, is stupid. In my case that only ever happens when I’m buying electronics like laptop and phone. Knowing this on the other hand has often made me turn around and answer with “what is the big deal” or “what’s the difference between this and the one that came out a year ago???…”. It is true that often when we care so much about something even slight differences stand out as huge, but the opposite is also true when not caring at all can make you miss huge differences that later on will be a huge pain in the ass. 
So that being said it’s only natural for me to assume that not all guys might know the huge or slight differences between perfumes because they don’t care as much and because this is information only women are exposed to, since their birth pretty much. Far from me to be sexist, I have dealt with a lot of males buying perfume and can actually form a general opinion about them; I have also been schooled on perfumes (yes there is a course) to be in a positon to give a little advice. I have to also say though I’ve been surprised and wowed many a time by a gentleman who had an extensive knowledge in this department.

So let’s start a series of articles that breaks down everything that comes to perfumes, starting with this one explaining the vocabulary used and the differences between the words of “perfume”, “Eau De toilette” and “cologne” that you see on the bottles.

What is a fragrance anyway? This might seem like a simple question but let’s start with that. Fragrance is a concentration of oils in an alcohol solution. Oils can come from different sources whether it be flowers, animals or herbs. So why do we mix oils in an alcohol solution instead of directly applying it to our skin? Well, first because we are not sophisticated French people, and second, oils alone are irritating to the skin and would cost a loooot of money alone. Oil is the scent; it’s what you need to react with your skin to give off a scent. however, you still need the alcohol to dilute this oil and disperse it as a fine mist on your skin. When you buy a “perfume” or a “cologne” what you’re really buying is varying percentages of oils diluted in alcohol. There are generally, at least in north America anyways, three variations and the higher the concentration of oils vs the alcohol, the higher the chance that it will stay on your skin longer.
Eau de perfume, or what is typically called a perfume, has the highest concentration of oils and will typically last about 6 hours, give or take; so when a cosmetician asks you to try on a “perfume”, no she is not implying that you are a girl, she really, actually, IS holding a bottle of perfume. A perfume has typically between 20%-70% oils and although 20% may not seem like a lot, in the fragrance world it is. And so because it is very concentrated, you are advised to put this on your pulse points only, and not a lot, so no one can smell you from across the room; let’s not be one of “those people”.
If however you’re buying something that says Eau de toilette then go ahead and spray that on more than just your pulse points. The percentage of oils in that one is only about 5–15%, still a considerable amount, but a lot less concentrated. This concentration is made for a person who doesn’t want to smell like it all day but likes it to still have enough power to stay on for about 3–4 hours, long enough for a dinner or the first few hours of a night out. I cannot stress this enough that in most cases this is the exact same smell and the exact same ingredients (more or less) and it only smells different because it’s a little lighter, so don’t think you’re being fooled into buying a totally different fragrance. In some cases, cosmetic companies make only this type of a concentration for men because they assume there is a bigger market for it and generalize that most guys, especially the younger, will associate a higher concentration with their dads. If however both concentrations are offered within a line, it’s because there is a need where some men will buy both and switch between as they see fit. Also I’m finding more of a trend in the recent years where one or two of the heavier ingredients in the perfume is replaced with something else in the Eau de toilette in order to sell it as a different scent. Sometimes (not often) it’s just about what sells.
And finally cologne or, as it’s called among us cosmeticians, “Eau de Cologne”. This is what most guys know or say instead of perfume. This is the weakest in terms of oil concentration and is meant to be used as a “refresher”, something to wake you up if you don’t have time to shower (we’ve all been there) or if it’s too hot. Cologne is perfect if you don’t care that it’s gonna last all of two seconds because it’s the instant gratification you’re after or you don’t like spending tons of money on a perfume (you prefer to buy the latest Uncharted instead).
So there you go three options of formulas you can go for to and whatever you choose no one is judging and now you can know exactly what you’re buying. Conclusion: I’m a happy cosmetician because you now feel comfortable talking to me and also you’ll be less confused when I’m talking. That is gentlemen what I call a win win!