Perfume, a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents, typically in liquid form, is designed to impart an agreeable scent to the human body, animals, food, objects, and living spaces. These substances emit and diffuse pleasant and fragrant odors, consisting of artificial mixtures of aromatic chemicals and essential oils. The 1939 Nobel Laureate for Chemistry, Leopold Ružička, noted in 1945 that perfumes have significantly
contributed to the development of organic chemistry through their methods, systematic classification, and theoretical understanding. Ancient texts and archaeological excavations confirm the use of perfumes in some of the earliest human civilizations. Modern perfumery, however, truly began in the late 19th century with the commercial synthesis of aroma compounds like vanillin and coumarin, which enabled the creation of scents previously unattainable solely from natural aromatics.
Dilution Classes and Terminology in Perfumery
Perfume types are primarily defined by the concentration of aromatic compounds in a solvent, which for fine fragrances is typically ethanol or a blend of water and ethanol. The intensity and longevity of a fragrance are directly related to the concentration, intensity, and longevity of the aromatic compounds, or perfume oils, used. As the percentage of aromatic compounds increases, so does the intensity and duration of the scent. Specific terms, all French expressions, are used to describe a fragrance's approximate concentration by the percentage of perfume oil in the final product's volume. The most widely recognized terms include Parfum or Extrait (P), which contains 15–30% aromatic compounds (typically around 20% according to IFRA standards). Esprit de parfum (ESdP) is a less common strength, falling between EdP and parfum, also with 15–30% aromatic compounds.
Eau de parfum (EdP) or Parfum de toilette (PdT) typically contains 15–20% aromatic compounds, often around 15%. It is sometimes referred to as "eau de perfume" or "millésime." Parfum de toilette was more popular in the 1980s and is generally analogous to eau de parfum. Eau de toilette (EdT) contains 5–15% aromatic compounds, usually about 10%, and is a staple for many masculine perfumes. Eau de cologne (EdC) has 2–3% aromatic compounds and is often simply called cologne. Eau fraîche, with 3% or less aromatic compounds, is a general term for products like
