Top 5 Perfume Misconceptions
When it comes to fragrance, we’ve heard plenty of misconceptions... and maybe you’ve heard some, too! And we want to debunk those, because fragrance is truly for everyone.
1. Perfume is for women, and cologne is for men.
Perfume and cologne are actually both unisex, and neither one of them belong to either gender. Perfume and cologne have their names based on the percentage of fragrance in alcohol. For example, Eau de Cologne has around 3% of fragrance concentrate. Eau de Toilette has about 10%, and Eau de Parfum has anywhere from 15% to 20%.
So, if you’ve been wanting to buy that bottle of perfume or cologne for yourself but worried about what other people may think, we say: who cares? Just do it!
2. Fragrance doesn’t last on me!
Well, yes it does. Most people tend to notice their fragrance becoming less noticeable around winter. When our skin gets dry, it doesn’t hold onto perfume as well, which is what may lead you to think your fragrance isn’t lasting as long.
If you’re noticing that your favourite scent isn’t lasting on you anymore, the solution here isn’t to drown yourself in more of it, because you can become “nose blind” to your own scent, meaning you won’t notice how much fragrance you put on, but everyone else around you will.
Instead, make sure you keep your skin hydrated in the winter so your perfume clings better, and try adding something new to your collection to give your nose a break.
3. Floral scents are for women, and woody scents are for men.
Even though major perfume brands market to us in a way that may tell us this, it’s not true, and we should stop putting genders on fragrance. You’ve probably heard these before: Floral notes like jasmine, rose and tuberose are designed to appeal to women, while aromatic, woody, and spicy scents are targeted towards men.
The truth here is, these scents or any scents at all shouldn’t be catered towards one specific gender. Fragrance is 100% unisex, and you can wear whatever scent you want. If you’re a man and you want to smell like a bouquet of roses, who says you can’t? If you’re a woman and you want to put on something woody, live your best life!
Next time you go fragrance shopping, step out of your comfort zone and smell a few things you normally wouldn’t! You might find a new favourite.
4. Synthetic ingredients in fragrance are bad.
Most of a perfumer’s organ (often a semi-circular desk with stepped, curved shelves above, which hold all bottles of raw fragrance ingredients) is actually made up of primarily synthetics – in fact, natural ingredients are numbered in the hundreds, while perfumers have access to thousands of synthetics.
This isn’t a bad thing, and don’t let it steer you away!
Most synthetics in fragrance are actually derived from nature and are more environmentally friendly – there isn’t enough land to grow every single ingredient, and some raw materials grow in regions that are ecologically sensitive.
And while natural fragrances may smell nice, they are more commonly known to be allergens or irritants. For example, Chanel No. 5 went under revision recently– can you guess for what? Not to remove synthetics, but to replace some of its woody notes, because they were derived from natural mosses, a known allergen.
If you still prefer the all-natural route, that’s okay. But synthetics are not as bad as one may think!
5. You have to have your one signature scent.
Having one signature scent is limiting yourself from experiencing all of the amazing fragrances out there, and in our opinion, is boring! Instead of thinking you need to smell the same way you did in high school, start looking to expand your collection instead!
We LOVE to encourage people to experiment with new scents – you can have a fragrance you rotate depending on the time of day, your mood, the season, etc. there are so many options for fragrance, and by limiting yourself to only one, you’re missing out on so many possibilities. When you try something new, you might find a new accord you really enjoy!
When you come into Denatured, try going for something you normally wouldn’t. After all, we’ll have over 400 ingredients at your disposal!
We hope we debunked some of these misconceptions for you, and that you’re more likely to try something new when it comes to fragrance. Our perfumer can’t wait to help you!
Are there any misconceptions about fragrance we may have missed? Comment them down below!