Perfume buying guide in India, 2024
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Perfume buying guide in India, 2024

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There are perfumes for men and women

You might quite surprise, but there are perfumes for men and women are separate. Usually, feminine fragrances and smells are associated with women perfumes and masculine fragrances are matched with male perfumes. Men perfume fragrances are Aromatic, Citrus, Oriental, Woody whereas the fragrances for women are Floral, Citrus, Chypre, Oriental. The only way to know which one is for women and which one is for men is by looking into the product description of the perfume. Read more at the article difference between male and female perfumes.


Variations in perfume concentrations

Fragrances are categorised into three types based on their concentration as Perfume, Eau de parfum, Eau de toilette, and Eau de cologne. Perfumes have the highest concentration and Eau de cologne have the lowest concentration. Perfumes and Eau de parfum are ideal for party whereas Eau de toilette and Eau de cologne best suited for daily use and workplace. Read more about Eau de parfum vs Eau de toilette vs Eau de cologne.


Fragrance families

Depending on the smells or ingredients, fragrances are classified into four categories - Floral, fresh, oriental, woody. Each one has unique aroma and appeal. Below table explains the difference in a structural format.

Fragrance family Scent Gender
Floral Rose, gardenia, jasmine, lily Women
Fresh Think of sea, smell of citrus, grass. Both men and women
Oriental sandalwood and patchouli, resin, spices Both men and women
Woody Amber, moss, pine, cedar, vetiver - smell of fresh gardens. Women
By www.zelect.in

Difference between Top note, Middle note and Base note

The perfume scent is categorised in three forms top note, middle note, base note. The specifications are listed on the product page, for example, Avon Little Black Dress EDP"page has all the information about the top note, middle note and base note. The screenshot is for your reference.

fragrance families

Top note

It is the fragrance you smell as soon as you apply. Top note smell lasts only for first 10 to 15 minutes. It is the first impression fragrance. As soon as you apply you feel the top note fragrance.

Middle note

The middle note is also called as the heart note. Middle note smell starts after top note smell dissipates. Middle note and base note forms the signature of the perfume. Middle note smell lasts only up to 30 minutes.

Base note

Base note fragrance starts after middle note fragrance dissipates. The smell lasts for 12 hours to 24 hours. Base note forms the signature of the perfume. If you are applying the perfume to workplace make sure the base note is mild.


Perfumes depending on the season

Yes, perfumes priority changes based on the season just like our clothes, as we have winter wear and summer wear. In summer we would like to have clothes which are cool, free and relaxing and in the winter which makes us much warmer. In every season there are particular we can use few perfume fragrances, the list is summarised below.

Season Fragrance family
Summer fresh fragrances. Look for ocean breeze, aqua, water, mint
Winter Woody scents
Rainy Oriental scents, cinnamon and litter spice, sandalwood
By www.zelect.in


Perfumes depending on skin type

Perfume blends with our body odours. So the resulting fragrance of the perfume depends on our skin PH value, skin type, hormones as well. So it is suggested use few particular perfumes depending on your skin type.

Skin type Fragrance family
Oily skin All most all perfumes suits you. Best fit are citrus, lemon, zesty orange
Dry skin Winter perfumes with woody scents
Sensitive skin Look for natural things and avoid artificial fragrances
By www.zelect.in


Buying perfume offline

You can visit shopping malls or perfume stores to buy. The advantage over here compared to buying online is you can try the perfume. If you like the fragrance then only you can purchase that particular perfume. The downside is at a time you can try the maximum of 3 to 4 fragrances. After trying 4 fragrances your nose loose the ability to correctly identify the new fragrance. So you have the limitation on a number of fragrance you can try. Say you are keen on base note fragrance which you can smell only after 30 minutes, making it difficult to test. Finally, you may not get best deals on the offline store as they are marketed as luxury products.


Buying perfume online

Finding the right perfume is quite difficult offline and online as well. If you have already used few perfumes and you like the woody fragrance of Rasasi Royale brand, then you can go ahead and buy the similar one. If you like a fragrance of your friends then also you can buy the same. The problem comes when you are buying the first time. Yes, it will be trial and error. If you like the citrus smell or sandalwood fragrance you can narrow down the search to large extent. The online retailers offer great discount too. Amazon offer great range of perfumes and help you to narrow down your selection as well. Only one precaution is advised, look for good customer reviews and buy from well-known merchant only to avoid the risk of getting the fake perfume.


Be cautious if you are allergic to few smells

Are you allergic to few smells? If you smell a rose you get a headache? If you are allergic to few smells or fragrances do check in the product description about the fragrance family and smells. For example sandalwood smell can trigger a headache avoid oriental fragrance family. If you are allergic perfumes can trigger a headache, chest tightness, sneezing, running nose, skin rashes. Asthma patients should be very careful with perfumes as certain types of perfumes with strong smells can easily trigger an asthma attack.


Where to apply the perfume?

Perfume smells should blend with your body odour. The perfume scent mixes with your body odour and originates its unique blend of smells. The only thing which we should be certain is to apply the perfume in warm places of the body so that it should be easily blended. We are mentioning few places which are very effective and last longer. The below body points are often referred as ‘pulse points’.

  • Behind the neck
  • Behind the ear
  • Behind the knees
  • At elbow crook
  • Inside of wrist


How to apply the perfume?

There are no specific guidelines on how to apply the perfume. Knowing few things make it safe to apply and the perfume also lasts longer in good condition.

  • It is always to spray the perfumes at least from seven to eight inches of the body.
  • It is always good to avoid the perfume nozzle contact to the body.
  • Keep the perfume away from sunlight or hot places to avoid possible chemical reactions.
  • Do not mix the perfume with other scented cosmetics. For example, do not apply heavily scented moisturiser if you are applying the perfume. If you do so you cannot really get the smell you want. Apart from that, there is always a risk of reacting unknown chemical components.
  • Applying a fragrance-free moisturiser is before you start applying the fragrance is very good thing.
  • Please see ‘Eau de parfum’ should be applied with very little quantity and you can apply ‘Eau de toilette’ or ‘Eau de cologne’ in large quantity as well.
  • If you are going out in a day, apply daytime fragrance. If you are going at night then night time fragrance is a good thing.
  • It is better to take shower bath and dry yourself well to make your body ready to absorb the perfume in right way.
  • As we mentioned above apply the perfume in the pulse point which is warm and effective to absorb the perfume.


Best floral perfumes

  • Fogg Scent Make My Day Eau de Parfum
  • Fogg Scent I Am Queen Eau de Parfum
  • Axe Signature Suave Body Perfume
  • Rasasi Royale Blue EDP
  • Rasasi Chastity EDP
  • Sapil Solid Perfume Eau de Toilette
  • Hugo Boss XX EDT
  • Sapil Disclosure Perfume Eau de Toilette
  • Arabian Nights Precious Pink Eau De Eau de Parfum
  • Nike Up or Down EDT
  • Calvin Klein One Shock Women EDT
  • Burberry Touch EDP
  • Jovan White Musk EDC

Best fresh perfumes

  • Nike Magic Passion EDT Eau de Toilette
  • Davidoff Coolwater Men Eau de Toilette
  • Fogg Scent Make My Day Eau de Parfum
  • Rasasi Chastity EDP
  • Ferrari Scuderia Black EDT
  • The Body Shop Vanilla Eau de Toilette
  • Calvin Klein One EDT
  • Nautica Blue EDT
  • Bvlgari Aqva EDT
  • Calvin Klein Eternity Aqua Men Eau de Toilette
  • Burberry London for Women Toilette Eau de Parfum
  • Sapil Solid Perfume Eau de Toilette
  • Jaguar Classic Black EDT
  • Burberry Weekend Eau de Parfum for Women Eau de Parfum
  • Sapil Disclosure Perfume Eau de Toilette

Best Oriental perfumes

  • Axe Signature Rogue Body Perfume
  • Nike Up or Down EDT
  • Jaguar Classic Black EDT
  • Avon Little Black Dress EDP
  • Diesel Plus Plus EDT
  • Al Haramain Musk EDP
  • Nike 5th Element EDT
  • Burberry Brit Rhythm EDT
  • Hugo Boss Just Different Eau de Toilette
  • Christian Dior Fahrenheit 32 EDT
  • Elizabeth Arden Splendor EDP
  • Paco Rabanne One Million EDT
  • Oriflame Sweden Giordani Man Notte Eau de Toilette

Best woody perfumes

  • Rasasi Royale Blue EDP
  • Avon Little Black Dress EDP
  • Bvlgari Aqva EDT
  • Calvin Klein Eternity Aqua Men Eau de Toilette
  • Diesel Plus Plus EDT
  • Burberry The Beat EDT
  • Jaguar Classic Black EDT
  • Issey Miyake L'eau D'issey EDT
  • Ferrari Scuderia Red EDT
  • Azzaro Chrome Legend EDT
  • Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio EDT
  • Burberry Touch EDT
  • Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De L'Homme EDT

Best perfumes for men

  • Titan Skinn Extreme EDP
  • Fogg Scent Intensio Eau de Parfum
  • Davidoff Coolwater Men Eau de Toilette
  • Rasasi Royale Blue EDP
  • Axe Signature Intense Body Perfume
  • Nike Up or Down EDT

Best perfumes for women

  • Jovan White Musk EDC
  • Titan Skinn Nude EDP
  • Royal Mirage Gold EDC
  • Hugo Boss XX EDT
  • Rasasi Chastity EDP
  • Avon Little Black Dress EDP

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