Perfume and Cologne Guides

Aramis Gentlemen's Collection

Aramis, a brand owned by the Estee Lauder Cos. Inc, is launching The Gentleman’s Collection this coming September 2009 and the collections feature eight of the most popular editions in a new package. With the purpose of reviving the Aramis line, contributes to refreshing name and style of the house as well as introducing the fragrances to young customers. The idea behind the line is to offer a wardrobe of scents “each for a different day, for a different mood”.

The scents included in the Aramis Gentleman’s Collection are:

Aramis 900

Aramis 900

Aramis 900 (1973) initial launched in 1973 by Elizabeth Arden, and the fragrance was created by Bernard Chant, a renown perfumer, as a masculine interpretation of (Aramis’ sister-brand) Clinique’s Aromatic Elixir

Aramis Devin

Aramis Devin

Devin (1978) also by Bernard Chant is a fresh green fragrance and was the recipient of a FiFi award that year.

Aramis JHL

Aramis JHL

JHL (1982) Created by Estee Lauder for her husband, whose initials were JHL. (Joseph Harold Lauder).

Aramis Tuscany Per Uomo

Aramis Tuscany Per Uomo

Tuscany (1984) An Italian themed fragrance with notes of patchouli, bergamot and geranium.

Aramis New West for Him

Aramis New West for Him

New West (1988) An oceanic calone based fragrance.

Aramis Havana

Aramis Havana

Havana (1994) a distinctive scent with notes of juniper, grapefruit, cumin, pepper, tobacco, patchouli and vanilla.

Aramis Life

Aramis Life

Aramis Life (2003) was launched with the face of tennis star Andre Agassi with notes of bergamot, cucumber, cedarwood and leather.

Aramis Always

Aramis Always

Aramis Always (2006) was created by Jean-Claude Delville and contains notes of lime, ginger, lemon, mandarin, cedar and vetiver.

Six of the scents — Aramis 900 (1974), Devin (1977), JHL (1981), Tuscany Per Uomo (1984), New West for Him (1988) and Havana (1994) — will be relaunched in the U.S. All eight, including Aramis Life (2003) and Aramis Always for Him (2006), will be relaunched internationally.

The original Aramis scent, named Aramis Classic, which was launched in 1964, will remain unchanged as an independent product of the wardrobe. Aramis Classic continues to rank in the top 20 in the U.S., said Diana Espino, vice president and general manager for the Aramis brand, and number 17 globally.

Bergdorf Goodman will be the first to unveil the collection beginning in September, before selected stores worldwide are slated to get the line in October. Each fragrance in the Aramis Gentleman’s Collection is an eau de toilette that is packed in a 100ml bottle and is expected to retail at $48.  If you are thinking of getting set of it, it is definitely a good buy and especially if you are in for a style fulfilling treats.  Like myself, all gentlemen who are currently using the Issey Miyake aftershave definitely would not mind getting a set of it.

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.