A Perfume For Each Mood?
There's nothing more important to how a fragrance will
smell on you than your body's PH balance. Ideal PH is
alkaline - but stress and poor nutrition will turn your
balance to acid in no time, and that in turn will react
differently to anything you apply on your skin.
When you're in a good mood it seems that
any perfume will match your type - and in
most cases that's true. Your sense of smell is at its peak
and you are able to distinguish the subtle tones of various
fragrances. This is the right time to do a short inventory
of your fragrance collection, or - go shopping.
In contrast, a bad mood is an olfactory sensory killer.
You pick the wrong fragrance, for the wrong occasion and
time of day - you basically tell everyone "leave me alone -
I'm not in the mood".
Smells have been shown to evoke memories that have strong
emotional qualities. The sense of smell is critical for the
existence of almost all creatures. We humans, able to
distinguish over 10,000 different odor molecules, utilize
our sense of smell for a multitude of activities from
enjoying the aroma of freshly brewed coffee to deciding whom
not to sit next to on the bus.
And talking about being able to enjoy the aroma of
freshly brewed coffee - you may have noticed already that
each counter of every perfumery has a coffee been jar handy.
Take a sniff from the coffee been jar just before you try a
new perfume to refresh you palette - just like wine
tasting, when you notice that many wines will taste
differently if you go back to them after trying other wines
- you need to cleanse your palette with water or raspberry
sorbet.
What is fragrance oil?
Fragrance oils are not to be confused with essential oils.
Essential oil is the base for perfume and fragrance oils,
and it is basically the essence of the plant it is extracted
from. Pure essential oils are used in aromatherapy.
Fragrance oil on the other hand is the base
for perfume and cosmetics manufacturers. In France perfume
manufacture is an industry with an ancient tradition and
Grasse on the French Riviera has been its capital since the
18th century; today, that industry is undergoing change.
Indeed, even washing powder manufacturers have entered the
market, whose growth has withstood the impact of economic
crises.
Some one hundred new perfumes were launched last year,
involving just as many operations with huge implications.
Last autumn (the main launches always take place towards the
end of the year, with Christmas presents in mind), Lancôme
launched Poême; Dior, Dolce Vita; Cartier, So Pretty. Not to
mention Le Mâle by Jean-Paul Gaultier or Nilang by Lalique
and, of course, the half dozen or so perfumes signed by
Italian or American stylists, which are often manufactured
by the profession's big names.
Rarely has an industrial sector of such importance consisted
of so many contradictions: as the quintessence of luxury,
sensuality and refinement, the fragrance oil
industry is also the domain of powerful industrialists, of
experts in marketing and publicity launches at the global
level. In spite of the product's somewhat frivolous
connotation, the perfume industry has drifted through the
recession virtually unaffected, without ever dropping into
negative figures (in France, nine out of every ten women and
one out of two men use perfume).
And despite several centuries of tradition, French
fragrance oil manufacturers now use state of the
art technologies. Perfumes are perfected by inspired
inventors (the famous "noses" skilled in the art of blending
different essences) who know all about the latest findings
in chemistry as well as the market prices of expensive
natural raw materials. Perfumes are packaged with care,
given evocative names and labeled by all the greatest
fashion names.
Oriental fragrance oils.
This is a category dominated by Far East blends of spices,
musk, resins, and exotic flowers. The heavy, fragrant nature
makes them more suited temperate to cold climates – no
wonder that French perfumers couldn’t resist the temptation
of incorporating these blends into their lines. Brand names
such as Angel, Royal Secret, Realm, Hypnotic – are just a
few using such designer fragrance oil.
Oriental fragrances can be further broken down into
more specific scents.
Oriental Fruity. Sweet and light, with citrus and
various fruits. Found in Hugo, Jil, Sun Moon & Stars.
Oriental Amber. With high accents of vanilla.
Obsession, Ciara, Le Feu D’Issey dominate this category.
Oriental Spicy. Does Old Spice ring a bell? Yes,
all the kitchen spices go combined with floral and musk.
Most notable brands – Bal A Versailles, Opium Indecence .
The floral blend added vary from pure, specific flower scent
– to multi bouquets with various ingredients.
Oriental Woody. Mostly used for men fragrances -
Bijan, Alure, Escada, Very Valentino.
Other fragrance oil categories.
Citrus – like the name depicts, is mostly citrus
oils often combined with floral and green scents. It makes
the perfect blend for eau de perfume, eau de cologne, and
eau de toilette – for day wear. Eau de Guerlain, Eau de
Patou, Hermes are just a few of the many brand names using a
citrus blend.
Green – fresh cut grass scent, lavender, chamomile,
pine and juniper make the bulk of green blends. It’s one of
the ideal blend for men fragrances – see 212 Men. For women
– Pheromone and Sung Spa.
Marine – a relatively new category demanded by the
active new generation. Polo Sport Woman and L’Eau D’Issey –
just to name a couple. |
