Perfumes – Some Facts And Tips

About the fragrance that has become a part and parcel of our daily lives, here are some facts and tips, to help you know it better.

Historically, perfumes had been for luxury and special occasion use. Since the 1970s they have become a part of our daily life. The use of perfumes has increased ten-fold since the 1950s. The fragrance industry doubled it size during the 1980s.

The fragrance industry has traditionally been a very secretive industry. For decades secrecy was required to protect perfume formulas from being copied by others. These formulas were considered "trade secrets" and were never revealed to anyone, including regulatory agencies. On the label, only the word fragrance must appear in the list of ingredients.

Here are some facts and tips about perfumes that we use:

•Perfumes are made up of essential oils. These oils are called ‘juice’.

•The concentration of the ‘juice’ decides whether a fragrance is a perfume, Eau de Parfum (EDP), Eau de Toilette (EDT), and Eau de Cologne (EDC).

•The highest concentration of ‘juice’ is in perfume. Next would be Eau de Parfum, then Eau de Toilette, and finally Eau de Cologne. The higher the concentration of ‘juice’ the longer your fragrance will last, and the less you need to apply.

•Perfumes last longer on oily skins as compared to dry skin, because oily skin has more natural moisture to hold in the fragrance.

•To allow your fragrance to last longer, layer your skin with products like a bath gel, then a moisturizer or powder and finally the perfume.

•Wear the perfume low on the body, as well as behind your ears and on your neck, so that the scent rises and you won't lose it as quickly. A light spray on the hair can last all day.

•Did you know that your perfumes contain some amount of alcohol in them? Alcohols are added to allow the perfumes to emanate the fragrance from your skin. Without alcohol, you would be the only person who knew you were wearing any fragrance at all.

•Perfumes comprise of many different scents, these scents are called ‘notes’. Top notes are very light and last just a few minutes (5-10 minutes). Middle notes become apparent in about 15 minutes after application. These can last up to an hour or more. Bottom notes are the heavier ingredients. These last the longest, usually for several hours.

•Sunlight unbalances the various notes in a perfume, resulting in the perfume going bad.

•Keep all fragrance in a cool, dry area, and away from windows and sunlight.

•Each perfume smells differently on each person. The reason is the difference in age, body chemistry and diet of different people. PH levels (amount of acidity in our skin) also vary slightly from person to person. Our individual levels of PH will determine how each ingredient in a perfume will react.

•In addition, fragrance consists of many essential oils. Certain essential oils have affinity to our skin, and they may be absorbed while others may not. This creates an imbalance on the skin and accounts for the difference.

•Fragrance should be applied to pulse points. This is where the blood vessels are closest to the skin giving off more heat and acting like mini fragrance pumps. Pulse points are the wrist, behind the ear, base of the throat, crook of the arm and knee. For long lasting fragrance spray at the ankles, it allows the fragrance to blossom up.

•Perfumes usually should be reapplied every four to five hours.

•Perfumes usually last 3 years from the date they were manufactured.

•Other than using perfumes on the body, you can put a few drops in your bathing water or in the water you wash your hankies or lingerie with. You may also put an empty bottle of perfume in your hankie box to allow the fragrance to linger in them.

However, it is also important for people to know that, despite perfumes being the sweet smelling parts of our lives that they are, they have been placed in the same category as second hand smoke, in triggering asthma in adults and school age children, by the Institute of Medicine. The secrecy of the industry has led to tremendous problems in terms of regulation, monitoring and impact on those that have problems from fragrance.

•It has been found that an estimated 5.72 million people in the US have skin allergy to fragrance.

•Fragrance is the number one cause of allergies to cosmetics and laundry products.

•Many other common health conditions such as allergies, sinusdefine problems and migraine headaches may be negatively impacted by exposure to scented products as well.

•Fragrance is a common indoor air pollutant. A recent study found that 15% of the general population found fragrance to be a lower airway irritant.

•Common chemicals in fragrance are also suspected of being hormone disruptors.

•Some of these materials are suspected carcinogens or co-carcinogens.

Nevertheless, these fragrances and perfumes are loved by one and all not just for how they smell, but also because, perfumes often become bookmarks in our journey of life, tugging at our memory strings with each whiff. Here is a recipe for a homemade love tonic, try it, you never know you might create a new fragrant memory to last you a lifetime.

Ingredients:
• 3 drops sandalwood essential/fragrance oil
• 2 drops vanilla essential/fragrance oil
• 3 drops cedar wood essential/fragrance oil
• 15 drops bergamot essential/fragrance oil
• 1/2 pt (300ml) 70 percent alcohol or vodka

Directions: Pour the alcohol into a bottle or jar. Add the oils and shake well. Leave for 1 week. Your own homemade perfume is ready to use!