Shopping for your next parfum arabesc can be a tricky affair; after all, how can you decide with so many to choose from? Let our guide to fragrance strengths and styles of fragrances help you find out what perfume or aftershave you should be looking for next!

Perfume Families

The first step to discovering your perfect fragrance is to recognize the various families of scents that are based on every perfume and aftershave.

1. Fresh

Generally, the new fragrances consist of orange, wind, and green leaves. That means they have vibrant, zesty and refreshing smells. Citrus-based fragrances are usually produced with lemon, mandarin and bergamot, while water fragrances are made with aquatic notes such as sea spray; think of Issey Miyake’s L’Eau d’Issey, or Armani’s Acqua di Gio. Clean green aromas for a fresh, uplifting smell are also reminiscent of herbal and leafy scents. Often they may be called aromatic fougère fragrances, produced with notes of lavender, rosemary or basil.

2. Flowery

Floral fragrances are one of the most common, and one of the broadest, families. Every aroma with a sweet and floral smell would belong to this family, with notes such as roses, jasmine, lilies and peonies being used. Floral fragrances can vary from light to delicate, to more complex and intense.

3. Eastern

The Oriental fragrances are dry, sweet and very spicy even. A more luxurious family of fragrances, oriental fragrances range from oriental floral, oriental delicate, and oriental woody. Perfumes and aftershaves in this family are luxurious and sensual, mostly made with the likes of jasmine, orchid and orange blossom with new notes of cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla.

4. Woody

Woody fragrances are another warm family, with a mysterious and captivating scent which is often especially favoured by aftershaves. Using wood-based smells such as cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver and amber, this is an excellent choice for evening wear. Woody fragrances are classified into mossy woods with an earthy, sweet undertone and dry forests that are mostly smoky and leathery.

The words ‘eau de parfum’ and ‘eau de toilette’ have undoubtedly already been used, but what do they mean? Such various types of fragrances denote the intensity, and how long they will likely last until you spray them.

Mixing perfume oil with alcohol produces fragrances; the more perfume oil, the better the scent and the longer it endures.

• The best form of perfume we sell is Eau de Parfum (EDP). Eau de Parfum contains 10-20 per cent of perfume oil and is a common choice for perfume brands and customers alike. Eau de Parfum usually is about 8 hours in length.
  
• Next is Eau de Toilette (EDT), which contains about 5-15 per cent perfume oil. Eau de Toilette fragrances are often pre-fading with a rapid burst of beautiful smells; meaning they can make a great first impression. These fragrances will usually last somewhere between 4 and 7 hours.
  
• Eau de Cologne is a much lighter choice than the two preceding. Eau de Cologne contains only about 2-4 per cent of perfume oil and is mostly used to freshen up at regular intervals as body splashes. In general, Eau de Cologne doesn’t last long; maybe about 2-3 hours.

The lightest concentration that we offer is that of Eau Fraiche. This form of fragrance contains just 1-2 per cent of perfume oil and is extremely sweet. It is excellent for those who don’t want to feel secure! At best, Eau Fraiche will last just a few hours, but they are significant to produce a subtle, delicate fragrance.