What's the difference between "perfumed deodrant", "eau de toilette" and "cologne".

[VirusDumb]

I'm just trying to buy some Versace fragrance online but it makes 

[Ryuikko]

From my understanding it really just denotes the concentration of the volatile oils (the scent) of the perfume or whatever you're using. edt sits around 5 - 15% or so depending on where you get your perfumes from. On Amazon the sometimes list the "type" of perfume

See?

[TetraSky]

It's just to determine the concentration of oil in the product. The more there are, the longest lasting it will be. 

 

Eau fraiche is basically your aftershave. Last 30 minutes to an hour.

Cologne tends to last about 2 hrs or so. 5% or less.

Eau de toilette (EDT) usually last a bit longer but not by much, around 3-4 hrs. Typically around 5% to 10%, some go to 15%.

Eau de parfum (EDP) has a higher concentration and can last anywhere between 5 to 8 hours. Around 20% oil concentration.

Parfum, is by itself at the top if we exclude pure oil. Easily lasting a day. Can go to around 30% and even 40% in oil concentration.

 

Obviously the higher concentrations are more expensive. It also entirely depends on your use case and how long you want/need to smell.

I don't know if there are actual guidelines in the industry for these. This is just info I found online.

 

But please. Do everyone a favor... Don't empty the entire bottle on yourself. 2 sprays at the minimum. 5 MAX.

I swear some people are spraying this stuff all over themselves and you can still smell them 10 minutes after they passed through an area.

[LAwLz]

1 hour ago, TetraSky said:

But please. Do everyone a favor... Don't empty the entire bottle on yourself. 2 sprays at the minimum. 5 MAX.

I think 2-5 sprays, especially if we are talking about perfume or eau de parfum, sounds like way too much. I'd say 1-2 sprays is enough.

If you got a weaker concentration then it might be tolerable to go as far as 5 sprays.

 

I would argue that if you can be smelt from more than a meter away then you use too much and come off as unkept and shabby.

 

 

Of course it also depends on which smell you use. Lighter ones (think flowers, vanilla and such) are generally a bit more tolerable even in high concentrations compared to stuff like AXE and what teenage boys usually wear, or dark "musky" fragrances.

I prefer fragrances are a nice surprise when you are close to a person (having a 1:1 conversation or hugging). They shouldn't be something you notice from across the room.

 

 

All of this is of course just my opinion, but I don't think I am alone in thinking this way.

 

 

 

Also, OP, this is one of those things you could just have googled. You would have gotten your answer a lot quicker, and probably better explained as well.

But if you are still wondering then TetraSky is correct. It's a difference in concentration, which affects how long the smell lingers for.

 

Please note that the fragrances also tend to last longer on clothes than they do on skin. So if you spray it on your clothes even something like eau de toilette will probably last all day, even though the rule of thumb says around 4 hours on skin. 

[Agall]

On 4/23/2024 at 3:48 AM, VirusDumb said:

I'm just trying to buy some Versace fragrance online but it makes 

People still use perfumes/cologne?

 

I thought showering daily and regularly doing laundry replaced that.

[Godlygamer23]

1 hour ago, Agall said:

People still use perfumes/cologne?

 

I thought showering daily and regularly doing laundry replaced that.

Not everyone showers daily.

Personally, I don't even use cologne. I just wash myself properly, wash my clothes, and put on deodorant. 

[LAwLz]

17 hours ago, Agall said:

People still use perfumes/cologne?

 

I thought showering daily and regularly doing laundry replaced that.

If you use perfume or cologne instead of showering you are doing it wrong.

Perfume should be used in addition to showering, not instead of showering. The purpose isn't to cover up bad smells but rather add a nice smell to an otherwise neutral/lack of smell. 

 

 

I use it sparingly, but if you go to a party or some event it adds a nice flair.

For everyday occurances I shower and put on deodorant. Please, if you are a teenager or older then shower at least every other day and put on deodorant. That should be the bare minimum.

[Agall]

14 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

If you use perfume or cologne instead of showering you are doing it wrong.

Perfume should be used in addition to showering, not instead of showering. The purpose isn't to cover up bad smells but rather add a nice smell to an otherwise neutral/lack of smell. 

 

 

I use it sparingly, but if you go to a party or some event it adds a nice flair.

For everyday occurances I shower and put on deodorant. Please, if you are a teenager or older then shower at least every other day and put on deodorant. That should be the bare minimum.

Historically, it was used to mask body odor. The industry is still alive somehow and I think mostly redundant to proper hygiene in the west where almost every has access to modern plumbing. 

 

My clothes have enough 'perfume' in them from the washing process and my body has enough fragrance from showering every morning with soap, at the minimum. Perfume in the modern world just turns you into a coughing hazard. I obviously put on deodorant everyday too because I'm a male with enough muscle mass where that's necessary to not smell after a few hours of existing.

[Lurking]

Please don't use fragrance to cover smell... Some people really object to that. My work place even has meeting rooms labelled as fragrance free. Personally I think some people are over-sensitive... But they will judge you regardless if you smell (either body smell, or the smell to cover body odor).

 

A neutral deodorant and shower and clean clothes is best. 

 

If it smells like horse s$$t, it is best to remove the horse s$$t and not cover it with Bulls$$t.

[LAwLz]

2 hours ago, Lurking said:

Please don't use fragrance to cover smell...

On 4/26/2024 at 4:35 PM, Agall said:

Historically, it was used to mask body odor. The industry is still alive somehow and I think mostly redundant to proper hygiene in the west where almost every has access to modern plumbing. 

See:

On 4/26/2024 at 4:21 PM, LAwLz said:

If you use perfume or cologne instead of showering you are doing it wrong.

Perfume should be used in addition to showering, not instead of showering.

 

The purpose of perfume is not to cover up smells. It is to add smell to a lack of smell.

I feel like I am going crazy here. Do people really think that perfume is to cover up body odors? Not only is that really wasteful, it doesn't even work unless you use A LOT of fragrance, and at that point, it will probably smell way too strong to be pleasant.

 

Perfumes are not meant to cover bad smells. That may have been their purpose from a historical pov, but in post-industrial countries, I would argue that we do not have a need to cover bad body odors. We have showers and baths to remove bad odors. Perfumes still serve a purpose though, because after a shower you will not smell much of anything. You're a blank canvas after showering. The scent you got from the shower gel/soap will mostly get washed away during the shower, and the small part that remains after drying will quickly fade. 

 

The smell of perfumes, these days, are meant to add some excitement to an otherwise odorless thing. When used correctly (in my opinion) it should be fairly subtle.

To me, perfume is like wearing jewelry, or lipstick. It's not something you should use every day (except deodorant, do use that every day, please). It's for special occasions. 

[Lurking]

1 hour ago, LAwLz said:

See:

 

The purpose of perfume is not to cover up smells. It is to add smell to a lack of smell.

I feel like I am going crazy here. Do people really think that perfume is to cover up body odors? Not only is that really wasteful, it doesn't even work unless you use A LOT of fragrance, and at that point, it will probably smell way too strong to be pleasant.

 

Perfumes are not meant to cover bad smells. That may have been their purpose from a historical pov, but in post-industrial countries, I would argue that we do not have a need to cover bad body odors. We have showers and baths to remove bad odors. Perfumes still serve a purpose though, because after a shower you will not smell much of anything. You're a blank canvas after showering. The scent you got from the shower gel/soap will mostly get washed away during the shower, and the small part that remains after drying will quickly fade. 

 

The smell of perfumes, these days, are meant to add some excitement to an otherwise odorless thing. When used correctly (in my opinion) it should be fairly subtle.

To me, perfume is like wearing jewelry, or lipstick. It's not something you should use every day (except deodorant, do use that every day, please). It's for special occasions. 

Sadly, not everyone seems to know about the invention if the shower.

 

Being as odorless or neutral as possible should be the goal. Everything else is polarizing and possibly off-putting. 

 

I always assumed people use fragrance to cover up smell. Maybe many other people think the same way. Maybe we are wrong. But now you know how (ignorant people) we think of someone with a fragrance.

[LAwLz]

8 hours ago, Lurking said:

Being as odorless or neutral as possible should be the goal. Everything else is polarizing and possibly off-putting.

I disagree. To me that's like saying the goal of clothes is to not notice them, because for example a blue shirt might look bad to someone who doesn't like the color blue. So everyone should wear gray t-shirts and blue jeans. 

 

Of course, everyone is free to use perfumes however they want, but I think a lot of the bad rep and the "it's best to avoid it completely" comes from people misusing them. 

 

Outside of some extreme cases (people very sensitive to perfumes), I think most people will appreciate some subtle fragrances. The problem comes when perfumes are used in excess. 

 

 

 

Here are my rule for using fragrances, and I think people would appreciate them more if they were followed. 

 

1) Don't use too much. It should be subtile. If you can be smelled from several meters away then you are doing it wrong. If you work an office job then the person sitting at the desk next to you should just barely be able to smell you, if at all. 

They should be able to smell you if you sit should to shoulder or hug you. Not as soon as you walk into the same room. 

Some fragrances are so strong that, IMO, even 1 spray is too much. In those cases it might be a good idea spray in the air and then walk through the mist. 

 

2) Don't use them to cover up other smells. You will automatically use too much if you try to cover other smells. 

 

3) Use it when appropriate. Don't put on a nice fragrance when wearing a hoodie and jeans. Use it when wearing some more formal attire. 

 

4) Use deodorant. Always. If you have hit puberty then you need to use deodorant in your armpits. They serve a different purpose than perfumes.

Personally I don't like the spray deodorant because people seem to use them too much, but the roll-on kind is a must. The goal of deodorant is to remove (not necessarily cover up) bad smells and prevent the development of new bad smells. This is especially true if you have shaved armpits (unshaved tend to not develop odors as easily). 

 

5) Be classy with the fragrances. If you're 30 then don't buy some Axe body spray bottle that makes you smell like a teenager going to prom. It's better to buy a decent bottle of perfume and use it sparingly, than buying the same cheap and strong smelling stuff that everyone else use in excess. Please note that more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better either. Smells in general have a powerful way of creating associations and memories so if you pick the most basic smell changes are the people who smell you will be reminded of something else. It's better to be slight unique so the smell don't accidentally trigger and unpleasant association (like high school prom). 

[Lurking]

5 hours ago, LAwLz said:

I disagree. To me that's like saying the goal of clothes is to not notice them, because for example a blue shirt might look bad to someone who doesn't like the color blue. So everyone should wear gray t-shirts and blue jeans. 

 

Of course, everyone is free to use perfumes however they want, but I think a lot of the bad rep and the "it's best to avoid it completely" comes from people misusing them. 

 

Outside of some extreme cases (people very sensitive to perfumes), I think most people will appreciate some subtle fragrances. The problem comes when perfumes are used in excess. 

 

 

 

Here are my rule for using fragrances, and I think people would appreciate them more if they were followed. 

 

1) Don't use too much. It should be subtile. If you can be smelled from several meters away then you are doing it wrong. If you work an office job then the person sitting at the desk next to you should just barely be able to smell you, if at all. 

They should be able to smell you if you sit should to shoulder or hug you. Not as soon as you walk into the same room. 

Some fragrances are so strong that, IMO, even 1 spray is too much. In those cases it might be a good idea spray in the air and then walk through the mist. 

 

2) Don't use them to cover up other smells. You will automatically use too much if you try to cover other smells. 

 

3) Use it when appropriate. Don't put on a nice fragrance when wearing a hoodie and jeans. Use it when wearing some more formal attire. 

 

4) Use deodorant. Always. If you have hit puberty then you need to use deodorant in your armpits. They serve a different purpose than perfumes.

Personally I don't like the spray deodorant because people seem to use them too much, but the roll-on kind is a must. The goal of deodorant is to remove (not necessarily cover up) bad smells and prevent the development of new bad smells. This is especially true if you have shaved armpits (unshaved tend to not develop odors as easily). 

 

5) Be classy with the fragrances. If you're 30 then don't buy some Axe body spray bottle that makes you smell like a teenager going to prom. It's better to buy a decent bottle of perfume and use it sparingly, than buying the same cheap and strong smelling stuff that everyone else use in excess. Please note that more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better either. Smells in general have a powerful way of creating associations and memories so if you pick the most basic smell changes are the people who smell you will be reminded of something else. It's better to be slight unique so the smell don't accidentally trigger and unpleasant association (like high school prom). 

I don't disagree with these rules or guidelines. But it is a slippery slope to overdoing it. 

 

You also have to see the difference between private setting where people volunteer to be near you, and a work or school place where people forced to be near you. The latter should have some rules or guidelines.

 

I'm not allergic, but some people are. Allergies are an objective complaint about fragrance  So you can't compare that to clothing colors. 

 

Ultimately people around us will form an opinion about us and have their biases. How we talk, look, smell etc. plays a role. Even if it is subconscious, a fragrance may make this opinion more negative with no possible upside compared to no-odor.  People may not complain about your fragrance, but they will have an opinion. And in today's workplace where no one is allowed to say anything anymore, that silent unspoken opinion about you may matter even more. 

 

We had a new employee recently. And like most newbies the first few days he showed up over dressed and also had the fragrance thing. I didn't say anything, but was glad he dropped that after a while. I'm sure he thought that was a positive, but I didn't see it that way. Maybe that is just me and I don't know what other people thought. But a no-odor has the best chance to be not negative. Any added odor had the chance to be negative.

[VirusDumb]

On 4/26/2024 at 2:40 AM, Agall said:

People still use perfumes/cologne?

 

I thought showering daily and regularly doing laundry replaced that.

Well you need em for parties and other events, they make you feel more confident and helps leave an impression on people, also I don't mind getting complimented for it.

 

They're not supposed to be alternatives to showering, they're like a fashion item like a bow tie or something like that instead making you look good, it makes you smell good, now you won't use a bow tie while being dressed in shorts as an alternative to wearing a suit

[VirusDumb]

On 4/25/2024 at 2:31 AM, LAwLz said:

Also, OP, this is one of those things you could just have googled. You would have gotten your answer a lot quicker, and probably better explained as well.

I was hoping someone who actually used em all to explain which one would be more suitable for what, also I can't find any information about "perfumed deodrants"

[Lurking]

3 hours ago, VirusDumb said:

Well you need em for parties and other events, they make you feel more confident and helps leave an impression on people, also I don't mind getting complimented for it.

They will leave an impression alright. But not always the one you want.

 

Sometimes a compliment is a hidden critique. 

[VirusDumb]

5 hours ago, Lurking said:

They will leave an impression alright. But not always the one you want.

 

Sometimes a compliment is a hidden critique. 

I get your point, I don't think workplace is an appropriate place to wear fragrances anyways like you guys were talking about, but for some special event or even going to a date, it's useful.

 

Also it matters from culture to culture, work culture and other things differ from places to places, if you work in a place where your other colleagues wear hoodie and t-shirts to work it makes no sense to dress up in suits but if you work somewhere where people work on suits and wearing fragrances then you feel out of place

 

And one more thing is the way some people apply it too, which they over do it.

On 4/25/2024 at 12:45 AM, TetraSky said:

But please. Do everyone a favor... Don't empty the entire bottle on yourself. 2 sprays at the minimum. 5 MAX.

I swear some people are spraying this stuff all over themselves and you can still smell them 10 minutes after they passed through an area.

 

[Stahlmann]

I used to use deodorant every day, but since I started showering every day, especially after exercising, and wearing fresh clothes every day, I don't have any problems with odor. So I see no reason to use perfume if your personal hygiene is good enough.

 

I think most people who use perfume overdo it and end up smelling bad anyway. There is such a thing as too much perfume. If you leave the room and it still smells like your perfume 30 minutes later, that's too much.

 

I find that it is most comfortable to be around people who don't smell of anything at all.

[Agall]

On 4/27/2024 at 5:46 PM, LAwLz said:

The purpose of perfume is not to cover up smells. It is to add smell to a lack of smell.

I feel like I am going crazy here.

That's what its original purpose was which has been adapted for the modern western world, likely by the industry that would've otherwise died with the proliferation of modern plumbing.

 

"Since bathing regularly was still an unpopular practice, these scents were used to cover up the scent of body odors."

 

The Fascinating History of Perfume and Cologne | FragranceX

 

"Strangely, it was the European leather industry which accelerated the development of perfumery. Leather production in the 17th and 18th centuries used rotten unpleasant-smelling processes while tanning, which meant that leather goods imparted unpleasant odours to all those who used them. European nobility and high society consumers demanded that their leather goods smell pleasant."

 

Another example for a different reason.

 

A Brief History of Perfumery | CRANBOURN® Scents

 

"Hygiene in those days was pretty spotty and fragrances were used to mask the unpleasant body odors."

 

The Story of Perfume | Office for Science and Society - McGill University

[LAwLz]

2 minutes ago, Agall said:

-snip-

Yes, but that was 400-500 years ago. 

Things have changed since then.

[Agall]

28 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Yes, but that was 400-500 years ago. 

Things have changed since then.

Modern indoor plumbing that allows each person to have neigh infinite water available 24/7 only came about in the last 100 years. That's basically our grandparents having that option, so showering daily being a thing only within the last 2-3 generations.

 

"Just a hundred years ago, you couldn't call a professional plumber to your house because you would be lucky to have a water closet, much less a working toilet, and pipes. Forms of plumbing have been around for thousands of years, but plumbing as we know it wasn't common in American households until the 20th century"

 

When Was Indoor Plumbing Invented? | M5 Plumbing Services Inc

[VirusDumb]

On 4/29/2024 at 7:25 PM, Stahlmann said:

I used to use deodorant every day, but since I started showering every day, especially after exercising, and wearing fresh clothes every day, I don't have any problems with odor. So I see no reason to use perfume if your personal hygiene is good enough.

 

I think most people who use perfume overdo it and end up smelling bad anyway. There is such a thing as too much perfume. If you leave the room and it still smells like your perfume 30 minutes later, that's too much.

 

I find that it is most comfortable to be around people who don't smell of anything at all.

Ya but for parties and special events they're not a bad option to have, it's like a bow tie, they go along great with a good suit, also where I'm from people shower daily anyways 

[Motifator]

Good shampoo and shaving cream already smell much better than those overly artificial odors. I hate car perfumes you stick to the rear view mirror as well. Agreed with the others, in closed door environments like elevators, you get to notice how crap that stuff really is. It's not too good for your health either.

[Lurking]

7 minutes ago, Motifator said:

Good shampoo and shaving cream already smell much better than those overly artificial odors. I hate car perfumes you stick to the rear view mirror as well. Agreed with the others, in closed door environments like elevators, you get to notice how crap that stuff really is. It's not too good for your health either.

I think those car trees are for smokers. So they think it masks the smoke. But with all masking doors, everyone can smell right through it. A non smoker would never need one. 

 

Same with those gums etc.for smokers and other people with bad breath. They just make it worse and enable a bad habit. 

 

Better to remove the source of the smell.