eau de toilette or parfum?

[Renault78law]

I'm interested in acquiring a certain fragrance that comes in two formulae: eau de toilette and eau de parfum. I think I understand the differences. My question is, in practice, is there a clear preference to one over the other?

 

[heartworm]

The difference is in the concentration of the aromatic oils. An amount of perfume will smell stronger than the same amount of EDT. So it's a matter of personal taste. I prefer EDT.

 

[StevenRocks]

I like parfum or a concentrated EDT, but they're hard to get in men's fragrances.

 

[sleekman]

I prefer EDT. Parfums sometimes smells too strong.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by StevenRocks

I like parfum or a concentrated EDT, but they're hard to get in men's fragrances.
Some scent purists--usually French--maintain that there are no such things as men's and women's fragrances. They ask, are there men's and women's wines?

 

[StevenRocks]

In a way, I agree with the French, but there are certainly some scents that smell better on one gender than another.

 

[Renault78law]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Some scent purists--usually French--maintain that there are no such things as men's and women's fragrances. They ask, are there men's and women's wines?
Indeed, the scent I'm considering is gender-friendly.

What do you mean when you say they smell too strong? I'm pretty sensitive to smell: I think it's unlikely that I'll apply too much. In fact, one of my biggest pet peeves is too much fragrance on a person. I'm more interested in the scent lasting a little longer.

 

[Fabienne]

It's almost impossible to answer your question, as it depends on how the fragrance is produced. I am currently wearing CinÃ

ma by YSL, in the eau de parfum version. It is subtle, and you would need to stand fairly close to me to actually smell it. However, one day, I got tagged by a woman spraying Red Door at Macy's, and I couldn't get the darn thing off my coat for weeks.

My advice would be to have each of your wrists sprayed at the store with your two choices, and revisit the effect after two hours, go with what is most comfortable to you.

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by StevenRocks

there are certainly some scents that smell better on one gender than another.

The same scent can smell differently from one person to another.

 

[Fabienne]

BTW: there is a difference between eau de parfum and parfum. The excipient concentration can be as much as double between the two. It's something like 12% for eau de toilette, 18-20% for eau de parfum, 20 to 40% for parfum.

 

[Kent Wang]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eau_de_...nd_composition

• Perfume extract: 20%-40% aromatic compounds
• Eau de parfum: 10-30% aromatic compounds
• Eau de toilette: 5-20% aromatic compounds
• Eau de cologne: 2-3% aromatic compounds