Perfume and Cologne Guides

Elizabeth Arden 5th Avenue Style

Elizabeth Arden 5th Avenue Style

Elizabeth Aden will be launching a new fragrance under its 5th Avenue feminine Fragrances this fall.  The 5th Avenue Style, a fruity-floral-oriental fragrance, was created by famous perfumery Givaudan’s Yann Vasnier.

Yann Vasnier was quoted as saying

“When creating the 5th Avenue Style, I was inspired to capture a new energy… to entice the wearer with the experience of being on the 5th Avenue today… … This fragrance is for a women … able to capture her own style, shopping for distinct pieces that make her feel special, chic and apart from the crowd.”  (via moodiereport)

Raspberry, marigold and Italian bergamot lie in a top together with sexy, pink pepper. A heart adds petals of peony, plum, peach, New York apple blossom and white chocolate truffle. A base incorporates vanilla, moss and white musk.

Elizabeth Arden 5th Avenue Style Top Notes

Elizabeth Arden 5th Avenue Style with Bergamot oil in its top note, will provide the fragrance with a  fruity sweet with mild spicy note.

Elizabeth Arden 5th Avenue Style Middle Notes

Elizabeth Arden 5th Avenue Style Base Notes

Oak moss is a commercial name for several kinds of mosses and lichen.  For perfume, the most used is concrete, resin, and resinoid of oak moss, that possesses a heavy earthly odor.  They give a natural tone to a perfume composition.

This new fruity-floral-oriental fragrance for women is a flanker to the original’s Elizabeth Arden 1996 5th Avenue that comes after the 2005’s 5th Avenue After Five Fragrance.  The fragrance bottle is a reinterpretation of the original 5th Avenue bottle, inscribed with bold bronze graphics.  The outer box portray a matching bronze/copper color scheme.

The fragrance that will be available from September 2009 onwards, comes in a 75 and 125 ml Eau de Parfum spray. They are priced domestically at US$46 and US$56 respectively.

Yann Vasnier

Yann Vasnier is a Perfumer with Givaudan who has the following fragrances under his belt,

Apothia (The L Word) L Eau de Parfum (2006)
Avon Floral Prints Magnolia
Baby Phat Fabulosity (2008)
Cerrutti 1881 Collection (2005, with Rodrigo Flores-Roux)
Comme des Garcons series 2, Red: Palisander (2001, with Francoise Caron)
Comme des Garcons series 2, Red: Rose (2001, with Francoise Caron)
Divine L’Ame Soeur
Divine L’Être Aimé (2008)
Divine L’Homme de Coeur
Divine L’Homme Sage
Donna Karan Gold (2006, with Rodrigo Flores-Roux)
Elizabeth Arden 5th Avenue Style (2009)
Jack Black Signature Black
Kangol Kangol 38-83
Keiko Mecheri Gourmandises
Le Labo Aldehyde 44 (2006)
Marc Jacobs Fig Splash (2008)
Marc Jacobs Lola (2009, with Calice Becker)
Sarah Jessica Parker The Lovely Collection: Endless (2008)

Perfumery, or the art of making perfumes, began in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt and was further refined by the Romans and Persians.  Perfume and cologne as we know it today first became popular in the early 16th Century Paris, when the secrets of its creation was brought to Europe partially due to the spread of Islam.  Even today, France remains the center of the European perfume design and trade.

Most of the perfume and cologne that you see in any shop today will only be comprises of about 4 to 10% of actual scented essential oils / extracts and the rest of the 86 to 90% of the bottle will be just alcohol and water. It is the amount of these scented oil/extracts in a bottle that determines the various types of perfume and cologne we have on the market today.

Types of Perfume and Cologne

Splash and After Shaves – These types of fragrances usually does not last long and contains about 1 – 3% concentration of scented compounds. Take a look at my other post on how to wear a perfume if you want to know ways of applying splash cologne.

Eau de Cologne – The Eau de Cologne does not last long and is typically made up of about 3 to 8% concentration of scented compounds and due to its weak nature, it is no longer commonly found in modern fragrances.

Eau de Toilette – It is a very commonly found concentration in many of the fragrances today. The Eau de Toilette is made up of about 5 to 15% concentration of scented compounds, though not as long lasting as the Eau de Parfum, it is a favorite that people used in the evening where scents is not needed to last.

Eau de Parfum – Eau de Parfum or millésime is typically made up of 15 to 20% concentration of scented compounds. It is the most common type of concentration found in most brands you see today. The scent will usually fade after about four hours, however the base notes are known to last as long as 24 hours. Fragrance with the Eau de Parfum concentration are perfect if you need an all day coverage.

Perfume Extract or Parfum – It has the most concentrated and smoothest formulas among all the five types. Typically made up of 15 to 40% concentration of scented compounds, the Parfum is definitely the most expensive fragrance in the market.

Woman’s products are usually categorized as perfume, eau de parfum, toilette water and cologne, whereas the Man’s products are sold as perfume, cologne, splash and after shave. Fragrances are very complex products that go through many stages of development before it is presented to the customer. There are tens of thousands of different perfumes and colognes available on the market today, each with its own unique scent signature, that are suitable for different individuals during different occasions.

After reading this short introduction to cologne and perfume, you should be able to understand more about the different types of fragrance and their unique selling points. Even though this post may not be an attractive intro for perfuming, however I believe it had provided you with some insight to perfuming and most important of all the difference between perfume and cologne.