Virtual: The Perfumers will chat with you over the internet. Here the consultation timing has greater flexibility and can be fixed at short notice. Since there is optimum utilisation of perfumer time the virtual consultation is much cheaper.

Fresh
Floral
Aldehyde
Oriental
Cyphere
Fougére
Woody

These families are formed by an analysis of the constituents and the way they combine with each other to release the fragrances. Some are more male while some are definitively female. A couple of them encompass both male, female and unisex perfumes.

The individual elements in a perfume are called notes, e.g. jasmine, rose, sandalwood, and the many other flowers, herbs, spices and woods that are used to create perfumes.

Together, combining these individual notes, perfumers around the world have created some of the iconic fragrances that we have grown to love. The language of perfumery synonymous  to that of music.

In classical perfumery the perfumer will arrange his ingredients/notes in a pyramid shape.

Top/Head Notes are what you experience as the perfume touches your skin;  these are usually lighter – citrus, herbs, fruits etc. and can last up to 30 mins

The Middle/Heart Notes are what follow the top notes and tend to be floral – lavender, jasmine etc.  These notes can be sensed after 20-30 mins of application however sometimes they may appear at the start of the fragrance. They can last up to 2-3 hours.

Finally, the Base/Fond Notes, these are generally the heavier smelling notes, e.g. sandalwood. musk, oak moss.  They have a direct relation to the staying power of the perfume. These notes can be sensed up to 8-10 hours (depending up on the concentration). The smell of some of the expensive perfumes (using Oud) can be experienced up to 24 hrs.

These include natural materials, distilled or extracted directly from flowers, barks, seeds, roots, fruits, herbs woods etc. Perfumers also use synthetics – man-made molecules, including the famous aldehydes. Chanel No5 is the first perfume to have been made such and the one that changed the perception of synthetic material. Violet cannot be extracted from the plant so is bound to be synthetic. Musks are also bound to be synthetic else the animal has to be killed for this to happen.

A perfume may contain 12, 20, 30 or more different materials. However you need to remember that more does not mean better. The key is how the different ingredients harmonise together.

Extract/solid perfume – 20-30%
Perfume – 15-25 %
Eau de Parfum (EDP) – 8-15%
Eau de Toilette (EDT) – 4-8%
Cologne (EDC) – 2-4%
After Shave – 2-4%
Soap – 2-4%
Body cream/lotion – 3-4%

Mostly marketing, to categorise it, bit like body cream for women and men. However, what is clear is that certain heavy smelling perfumes are a hit with men who want to cast off a more masculine impression. Similarly, floral perfumes are very popular amongst women due to its light and gentle smell. Unisex fragrances fall in-between.

Now a days the niche perfume makers are challenging the status-quo by creating wonderful fragrances that can we wore by everyone.
Our recommendation, try it out, experiment and wear something that resonates with you and represents the unique you.