The difference between perfume, cologne and other fragrances

When buying a fragrance, there can be a lot to decipher — brand, price, type — and you’re given few clues as to what the bottle actually holds. You will probably recognise categories of fragrances, but you may not know what those terms mean.

Finding the right concentration is just as important as choosing the perfect scent.

Pure perfume, parfum or extrait de parfum

These names may be a little deceptive because they are not referring to pure perfume oil, which would both smell unpleasant and irritate your skin. Still, pure perfume is the highest concentration of fragrance available — usually between 15 and 30 percent of perfume oil — and is enough to make the scent potent, noticeable and last all day.

They tend to seem dense and thick in the air, with clouds of scent you can walk in and out of, cut with a knife, almost taste.

Eau de Parfum (EDP)

Eau de parfums have the next highest concentration of perfume oils, between 15 and 20 percent. They are made to last on the skin all day without giving the person in the cubicle next to you a headache, or transferring onto someone else’s neck after a hug. Many perfumes on the department store counter are eau de parfums.

Eau de Toilette (EDT)

Eau de toilettes have a lower concentration of perfume oils, usually 5 to 15 percent, and are made to have a lighter wear on the skin, not necessarily lasting until the end of the evening. Some posit that eau de toilettes are made for daytime wear while eau de parfums are made for nighttime.

Eau de Cologne

Cologne is usually an umbrella word for masculine scents in North America, but eau de cologne is actually the term for a very light concentration of perfume oils, usually 2 to 4 percent, that is cut with more alcohol and lasts only for a few hours. These are great to spritz on and freshen up, but not for all-day, lasting wear.

Eau Fraiche

Like eau de cologne, eau fraiche also has a very low concentration of alcohol, sometimes 1 to 3 percent. The difference is that colognes are mixed with alcohol like traditional fragrances. Eau fraiches are mixed with mostly water and serve as a quick refresher without a long-lasting scent.

How to stand up for yourself

Standing up for yourself can be difficult. Whether in the context of business, or social interactions, a person needs to be sure that they are speaking up on their own behalf.

Before you embark on a journey to enhance your ability to say “no” (or perhaps “yes,” in some cases), it’s important to understand what self-assertion does and doesn’t mean to you.

As with any skill in life, practice will build strength in your ability to stand up for yourself. Try flexing your assertive nature in small ways, and then build up to encounters that may take more effort.

It’s important to set yourself up for success by picking the right time and place for an encounter.

Our voices and our words are our most powerful tools for standing up against other people.

We often look inward, to ourselves, when attempting to stand up against someone else. One powerful way to show your self-confidence is to be aware of the other person as well.

Compiled by Usama Rasheed