What is the difference between fragrance and perfume

A single application of a perfume can last up to 24 hours. Maybe go a little easy on the application of these bad boys. Southern Living Style Finally! By Meghan Overdeep. Save FB Tweet More. Different Perfume Bottles. All rights reserved. Close Sign in. It is very difficult to differentiate between a perfume and a scent as mostly they both refer to a pleasant smell. The difference can however be made on the basis of the fact that scent is also used to refer a distinctive odour that may or may not be pleasant.

Thus, we can define fragrance as always a pleasant scent. When the scent is used to describe a pleasant smell then, it can also be replaced by perfume. Thus, it is used to describe a pleasant smell. In the Stone Age, the people get acquainted with the smell of burning wood. Later the smells were sensed from various sources and thus perfumes became popularized with the later civilizations.

Earlier the production of perfume was reserved for the priests as these scents were considered only to conciliate the gods. The priests use to burn incenses and aromatic herbs during religious services. Later kings and queens were allowed to use the perfumes.

Composed of anywhere between five and 15 percent fragrance essence, a toilette will remain present for up to three hours. With that in mind, these fragrances are the perfect complement to less formal affairs and can add a touch of sophistication to any event without becoming overbearing.

A toilette is a variation on a perfume, not an entirely separate entity. Composed of only two to four percent fragrance oils, cologne is often distinguished by its fruity overtones and fresh feel. Colognes will often last up to two hours. By and large, cologne is primarily intended as a masculine scent, making it an excellent complement for men seeking to impress on a first date.

It is, however, quite interesting to note that cologne was originally intended as a genderless fragrance much like the other perfumes mentioned here. Only after cologne reached North America did it become to develop a close association with the male gender. Now that you know more about the creation of fragrances and their distinctive characteristics, you should begin to explore the wide variety of offerings within each of these categories to determine your own signature matches.