Fashion & Beauty

The Basics of Fragrance

Perfume, cologne, eau de toilette...We've got the scoop on all the stuff that makes you smell great.

Sprinkle, spray, spritz, splash—the sweet life is just at the end of your fingertips...or is it? We went to two experts in the perfume industry to find out all the answers: Annette Green, president of the nonprofit Fragrance Foundation, and Cathleen Montrose, vice president of fine fragrance at Firmenich International, a major essential oil house, both in New York City.

I never can get it straight. What's the difference between perfume, cologne, toilet water and parfum spray—other than price?

C.M.: Cologne is reserved for the men's field. For women, there are three basic categories of fragrance: perfume, eau de parfum and eau de toilette. Each is made up of alcohol, water and fragrance oil. At the lower level, eau de toilette, there's less fragrance oil; at the higher level, perfume, the most.

I asked a woman at a department store to recommend a perfume for me, and she said I'd be great for an aldehydic. What does that mean?

C. M.: An aldehydic is a floral that makes a fresh, clean, crisp impression, like Chanel No. 5. Basically, there are three major categories of fragrance: the floral, the Oriental and the chypre, which is a French word for very sincere fragrances, like Knowing. But then there are all kinds of subcategories, like the floral can be fruity (Tommy Girl), marine (L'Eau d'Issey) or aromatic (cK one). Or you can have a woodsy Oriental (like Tuscany Per Donna) or a spicy Oriental (Opium).

Is there a way to keep your perfume from evaporating? After you've spent all that money, you hate to see it, literally, disappear in thin air.

C.M.: Put it in a cool dry place. The idea is to keep it out of the sunlight. Not only will the sun make it evaporate more quickly but it will turn the color and distort the fragrance.

Is it better to have a wardrobe of scents or should you have one signature scent?

A.G.: A wardrobe. You might want something lighter for work or a sporty or stressful situation where you're likely to sweat more, like Dune (by Dior) or Cristalle (Chanel). For evening, when you want to make a dramatic or romantic impression, you might want a multifloral, like Organza (Givenchy) or an Oriental, like Obsession (Calvin Klein).

I'm always afraid that my perfume will be overpowering. Is there a way to know if you've put on the right amount?

C.M.: We say to either put one spritz on yourself-on your neck or on your clothes-or two spritzes in the air...and walk through it.

Is there a proper way to try out perfumes? I always wind up with a hand that smells like something out of a fragrance factory.

A.G.: Never try more than three at a time. You get smell fatigue. [The official term is anosmic.] Try one on each wrist, and one at the bend of the elbow. Then get some samples, and try the rest at home.

I've never paid much attention to fragrance. How do I pick one that's right for me?

A.G.: Well, you have to realize everyone has their own "smell fingerprint" due to their genes. That's why fragrance smells differently on different people. Diet has something to do with it, too. Fragrance is stronger on people on high-fat diets. Also on people with oily skin as opposed to dry skin. Then, too, people's skin chemistry changes due to medications: Your body smells differently. If you're looking for a scent for yourself, you should go to a perfume bar at a better department store or drug chain and tell them what you want it for. Is it to help reduce stress? Is it to be more attractive? Where do you want to wear it? Fragrance communicates something about us-it's one of the five senses.

Is it all right to borrow someone else's signature fragrance?

C.M.: It depends on the relationship. If you're in competition, it's not a good idea. But if you spray on Chanel No. 5 because it makes you feel like your mother, fine. In fact, if you wore your mother's favorite fragrance on your wedding day, that might even be the "something borrowed."

And now for the biggest question of all. Is there a special scent that's just right for a wedding? Something that will really make him swoon?

C.M.: Wear what really makes you feel beautiful...feel wonderful. You want to look your best according to you. Now the honeymoon—that's something else....