Perfume and Cologne
September 12th, 2010
I have come across a couple of times people asking me the same question of “what is the difference between cologne and perfume?” and that prompted me to write this article to share with you some of my personal take to the question. If you want to learn about the difference between perfume and cologne, then you will want to read this article. Specifically, we will be discussing why cologne is more diluted than perfume, perfume is more expensive than cologne, a brief introduction to colognes and why perfumes are for women and colognes are for men. After reading this article, you should be able to differentiate between a perfume and cologne and select the correct fragrance of your choice.
Many of you may have been wondering what is the main difference between cologne and perfume and why do we have to name them differently when they are all fragrance or scents. One of the main differences in perfumes and colognes is that cologne is more diluted than perfume. It is known that cologne contains more alcohol and water in its mixture than the perfume. Cologne has only about 4% of essential oil in the mixture whereas the perfume can have as high as 40% of essential oil in the mixture. It is due to this reason that the cologne does not have a very long lasting power as compared to perfume. Cologne normally last about two to three hours whereas some perfume can last up to 15 hours. You will be able to apply more doses of cologne per use as it will not be too overpowering and this is due to the low amount of essential oil in the mixture. When applying perfume, you have to apply it sparingly as too much a quantity will be too overpowering and resulting in turning people off from a mile away.
The most expensive component in the mixture of perfume and cologne is the essential oil and this sole component alone will determine the price of the perfumes and cologne. Cologne is definitely cheaper than perfume as the amount of essential oil in its content is much lesser than the perfume. Cologne having about 4% of essential oil versus perfume having 40% essential oil in its content, cologne is at least 50% cheaper than perfume and in some cases; the price of cologne can be as low as 5 – 10% the price of a perfume. In order to market such a high price perfume, designer of perfume and cologne have to design bottle that are more attractive and of better quality to attract consumer to their products. Perfumes are normally house in better quality bottle such as colored glass or crystal, this is to protect the precious essence within from the sunlight and heat source that may deteriorate through exposure. And at the same time with a more attractive and expensive looking bottle, the perfume will appeal more to people who are looking for style and elegance in their search for the perfect fragrance. Cologne on the other hand are normally found housed in the cheaper glass bottle that are more prone to sunlight exposure and also due to their high concentration of alcohol, the cheaper cologne are found to evaporate and turned color faster in their bottle.
When designing a perfume or cologne, perfumery is not able to design a fragrance that can appeal to all. Therefore, there is still a thin line drawn across fragrances designed for women and for men. In order to appeal to the feminine crowds, feminine fragrances are normally stronger and lady like that are often floral or fruity in nature. Cologne is often the lighter version of perfume and in order to be appealing to the men, they are made more musky and masculine. Fragrances for women normally come as perfume, eau de parfum, eau de toilette and rarely the eau de cologne. For the men, fragrance product normally comes as perfume pour homme, cologne, after-shave and splash. Similar to reasons why perfumery came out with different products for men and women, perfume and cologne are also sold in totally different environments. Designer perfume and cologne are normally more classy and elegant and therefore are often sold in a specialty store or on-line where women can touch feel and experience each and individual perfume and cologne samples. Whereas cheap perfume and cologne is normally available in drug stores and discount stores where men and women who are looking for economical bargain of discount perfume and cologne often frequent.
Since its introduction cologne and perfume is definitely different products that are made to appeal to different people. Through this article we have shown you the three main differences between perfume and colognes mainly, why cologne is more diluted than perfume, why perfume is more expensive than cologne and why perfume are for women and cologne for men. After reading this article, you should be able to differentiate between an essence mist cologne spray difference from that of a perfume and apply this knowledge the next time you decided to buy a fragrance for yourself or that someone special.