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ARE EAU DE TOILETTE & EAU DE PARFUM DIFFERENT?

Uncover the differences between eau de toilette and eau de parfum and find a favourite scent. Learn the different types of perfumes and how long they last.

Eau De Parfum And Eau De Toilette Differences

Finding your signature scent is an exciting and gratifying moment, but the process of trialling different perfume types can be a lengthy one. While there are many variations of perfumes, there are two fundamentals that all perfumes belong to: either eau de toilette or an eau de parfum formulation.

Whether your preferred perfume types sit towards floral and feminine or fresh and aquatic, EDT and EDP’s are important and guiding factors. The difference between eau de toilette and eau de parfum reflects how you like to wear scents and the intensity of strong perfume that you prefer.

To narrow down your decision, it helps to understand the compositional details between perfume types. So, what is eau de toilette and eau de parfum? If you’ve long wondered ‘how long does perfume last’, we’ve compiled a simplified perfume vs toilette 101 ahead.



Eau de Parfum vs Eau de Toilette


While many aspects of perfumery are complex, when it comes to these two signifiers things are actually quite simple: it all comes down to perfume oil content.

In general, eau de parfum contains a higher concentration of oil, second only to pure perfumes. The concentration of perfume oil in eau de parfum is around 15 to 20 per cent, making them long lasting without being cloying. Eau de parfum may be described as richer and denser, lasting up to ten hours on the skin. They can generally be considered a ‘strong perfume’ option.

When it comes to eau de toilette, the perfume oil content is a little lower – usually between 10 and 15 per cent. Because of this, some believe that eau de toilette is better suited for daytime wear, as they tend to be lighter and fresher than their eau de parfum counterparts. Unlike eau de parfums, they tend to last only a few hours before the scent fades.



What is Eau de Parfum?


These different perfume types do have their own benefits. Eau de parfum offers improved sillage – being the proximity in which the perfume can be sensed on skin.

While you can wear eau de parfum any time of the day, their evocative scents are a winning choice for evening. The base and heart notes in eau de parfum tend to take centre stage once the perfume settles on the skin. In terms of notes, EDP’s tend to skew towards heavier fragrance types, like the wood, musk and vanilla scents in Trésor In Love.


What is Eau De Parfum

What is Eau de Toilette?


The lighter concentration of oil in eau de toilette make them a great choice for everyday wear. For those who prefer light scents or work in close quarters with other people, eau de toilette tends to be less cloying, and even if you go overboard on the spritzing, the scent will likely taper off sooner rather than later. If you’re searching for a strong perfume but find that you love the scent of a particular eau de toilette, don’t fret – they can also be re-applied throughout the day without affecting the fragrance quality.


What is Eau De Toilette

Ways to wear different perfume types


Once you have your chosen fragrance, considering how to wear it is the next important step. Outside of spraying perfume on your skin, there are many ways to wear fragrance that increase longevity and enhance your interaction with the scent. For starters, eau de parfum and eau de toilette can be layered on top of one another. To layer your different perfume types, look to combine complimentary scents. Vanilla blends with resins and bergamot, rose goes with patchouli, and herbs enhance citrus. Seasonal considerations are also important, as weather changes how a scent interacts with skin.


How To Wear Different Types Of Perfume

Summer perfume scents


You may have noticed that some perfumes just work in warmer weather. This is because hot conditions intensify fragrance notes, making them more noticeable on skin. Fresh perfume types like Miracle Eau de Parfum truly shine in summer, thanks to notes like lychee and freesia which evaporate quickly in the heat to allow your perfume to come to life. La Vie Est Belle L’Eua De Parfum another fruit floral for warm weather, combines delicate iris with elegant pear and blackcurrant. To ensure summer scents maintain the same longevity as strong perfume, spray directly to your pulse points, neck and wrists.


Winter perfume scents


With their bolder, more definitive fragrance notes, there’s risk of overapplication when it comes to autumn and winter scents – but not if you know how to wear these perfume types. Radiant florals in eau de parfum fragrances like Idôle Eau De Parfum will linger in cooler months, and even more so if you spritz your hair or clothing with the scent.

In winter, the difference between eau de toilette and eau de parfum is less noticeable, as their scent molecules take longer to evaporate. This means that they may not “spring to life” like perfume types intended for the warmer months, but they’ll remain on skin for a longer period of time. If you’re looking to extend the life of your scent, spraying winter fragrances directly onto clothes can be a viable option, as the scent molecules adhere to fabric.



A Final Note


Storing any perfume correctly is the true secret to its brilliance and staying power. Be sure to store your perfume in a dry, dark place (sunlight can break down the scent) – avoid storing perfume in the bathroom, as humidity and temperature fluctuations can damage your scents. It’s also a good idea to keep your perfume in its original bottle rather than decanting it into another vessel. Lastly, do not shake your perfume excessively, as doing so introduces unwanted oxidation via bubbles, which can break down scents.



Now that you understand what eau de toilette and eau de parfum is, find out how to choose perfume.

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