Perfumes are an essential part of our styles. Like clothes and accessories, your perfumes also say a lot about you. But how do you select a perfume that fits your style when so many options are available?

Choosing a perfume is not as simple as visiting a perfume shop and smelling several perfumes in one go. Doing this will confuse your sense of smell, and you might end up buying a perfume that doesn’t feel (and smell) right.

Surprisingly, numerous underlying factors affect how a perfume smells on you, like your body temperature, diet, and hormones. This is why a perfume that smells incredible on someone else might not be good enough for you.

Let’s look at the main two factors that will tell you how to select the right perfume.

Choose the Right Perfume Concentration

Some perfumes smell strong, while others feel lighter. Have you ever wondered why? The strength of a perfume depends on its concentration. There are five categories of perfumes based on their concentration:

• Parfum
• Eau de parfum
• Eau de Toilette
• Eau de Cologne
• Eau de Fraiche.

Parfum smells the strongest because these perfumes contain the highest level of essential oils or perfume extracts. They are followed by eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne, and eau de fraiche in order.

Which concentration works the best for you? Well, it depends on your skin type and personal preferences.

People with oily skin are better off with lighter fragrances like Nautica Voyage Eau de Toilette 100ml Spray. Why? Because perfumes smell stronger when mixed with the body’s natural oils. When applying stronger scents, spraying just a little is enough to last long on people with oily skin.

On the other hand, perfumes evaporate on dry skin quite soon. Hence, people with dry skin can go for stronger perfumes like Giorgio Armani My Way Intense Eau de Parfum 50ml (Eau De Parfum)or spray more if they want to use lighter fragrances. You should avoid strong perfumes if you have sensitive skin.

Find out the Notes of a Perfume

Perfumery is one of the most exotic art forms to exist today. Multiple ingredients are mixed in varying concentrations to build different layers of perfume. The layers that make up a final fragrance are known as perfume notes. Each perfume has three notes: top, heart, and base.

The top notes are the first smell that hits you after applying perfume. It evaporates quickly within five to fifteen minutes, making way for the heart notes (also called middle notes) to do their magic. Heart notes compose 70% of perfume and last longer, while the base notes kick in after 30 minutes and stay on until the scent completely fades away. Top, heart, and base notes together make up a complete fragrance.

It’s important to know the notes of a particular perfume before buying it. Let’s talk about the notes of Adidas Born Original for Him Eau de Toilette Spray, one of the best-selling perfumes for men.

This perfume leaves a citrusy solid first impression with top notes of Rhubarb and Lavender mixed with Violet leaf. After a while, you can enjoy the middle notes of Orange and Black pepper with the Sage. At last, the base of Sandalwood and Cashmere wood with Cedar.

How to Select the Right Perfume    

The correct way to test a fragrance is on your wrists and pulse points. These areas are warmer than others and cause the fragrance to warm up, which releases the notes you’re meant to smell.

Never judge a scent on just the initial sniff. Those are just the top notes you smell in the beginning. Wait for at least 15 minutes to reach the heart notes and an hour to touch the base notes. It’s even better if you leave it on for more than 2-3 hours. All of us have different skin chemistry, and the same perfume can react differently to different skin types.

For Women

Our pheromones, hormones, and skin type can alter how a fragrance smells. Therefore, a perfume might smell nice based on the top scent, but it might not combine well with your skin type. Here’s how to select a perfume based on three common skin types.

Dry Skin

Dry skin interferes less with perfume notes, but it lacks the oil and moisture required to retain the perfume’s scent. A strong perfume is perfect for dry skin since it is less volatile and lingers for a prolonged time. Musky scents are a good choice for women with dry skin.

Oily Skin

Oily skin can be gauged by the presence of sebum on your skin. It’s a slimy substance secreted by your sweat glands that helps the skin retain a perfume and mixes with the scent. The resulting smell is unique and depends on the body’s distinct odor. However, you won’t need a strong perfume if you have oily skin. Get an eau de toilette with citrusy and floral notes, such as the Issey Miyake Fusion D'issey Extreme Eau De Toilette (EDT), which results in a pleasant smell that is neither too strong nor overwhelming.

Sweaty Skin

Moisture is vital when it comes to retaining and enhancing perfume scents. However, there’s a difference between hydrated skin and sweaty skin. Sweat can fade or diminish the notes of a perfume. It’s especially bothersome when the sweat evaporates, exposing the volatile fragrance. Therefore, avoid getting an eau de toilette or cologne if you have sweaty skin.

Consider ROMA EAU DE TOILETTE de parfum, a chypre floral fragrance. It complements sweaty skin types and has floral fragrances accompanied by intense citruses for bright and cheerful women with energetic and vibrant personalities. An eau de parfum is more concentrated than an eau de toilette and will extend the retention time on the skin.

For Men

Even though more companies are moving toward unisex perfumes, men and women usually go for different scents. While women go for stronger, longer-lasting scents, men go for a good eau de cologne. Again, skin type has a lot to do with what type of perfume you choose.

Dry Skin

Even though men typically buy colognes, if you have dry skin, an eau de cologne is not the recommended choice since the scent will diminish quickly. In this case, consider buying eau de parfum, fragrances which are more concentrated and don’t need re-application.

Oily Skin

Men have a strong body odor that can distort the perfume’s scent. If they have oily skin as well, the scent will be enhanced. It might smell nice, but strong fragrances can be overbearing to the person next to you. Oily skin is perfect for moderately applying an eau de cologne with summer fragrances.

Sweaty Skin

Men who sweat a lot will find that an eau de cologne or eau de fraiche quickly loses its scent and has to be reapplied. However, an intense eau de parfum develops a strong smell when it mixes with sweat. Therefore, consider buying a modern eau de toilette such as the Gucci Guilty Intense EDP For Her de parfum. It is a Woody Floral Musk that will complement the masculine nature of men and their dazzling personalities. Its top notes consisting of juniper berries and rosemary will give way to solid citruses and woody accords from the base notes of cedar. It’s the perfect match for sweaty skins and smells refreshing to the other person as well.

We suggest visiting us at Perfume Scents. We’re one of the leading beauty retailers in the U.K, dealing in some of the biggest name brands, designer labels, and high street favorites. Our products will satisfy your perfume selection requirements, from your unique personality to your skin’s biology!