Factors to Consider Before Buying a Perfume

Factors to Consider Before Buying a Perfume
 
More often than not, it is better to be prepared with a mental list of what to consider before your search for the perfect perfume.
 
Other than the pricing budget you set for yourself, below are some guidelines you can follow to equip yourself better and make this preparation slightly easier to complete.
 
1. Uniquely Me

Your skin odor - Despite how odorless we think we are, each individual has their very own unique body odor. Most of the time, our noses are just accustomed to our own scent, therefore, we could not detect it.
 
Diet, gender, health, medication, and bacterial activity on skin affects our body odor, giving each individual their own unique scent.
 
Experiments conducted and showed that how well our body odors mix with the perfume affects our perception and preference for it. More information can be found in the research paper, “Psychology of Fragrance Use” by P Lenochová (Lenochová et al., 2012).
 
The greater extent the fragrance is perceived to smell good on your skin, the greater indication that the perfume complements with your body odor, and the higher preference to the perfume you will be. 
 
Hence, it is highly recommended to try it out on your skin first, before buying it off from the shelf.
 
2. Time

Fragrances are volatile substances. Smelling a fragrance for the first 5 to 10mins and after 30mins does make a difference. Therefore, it is wise to wait for at least 20 to 30 minutes before making a decisive purchase.
 
Typically, this phenomenon can be explained by the differing volatility of the diverse fragrances in a perfume - Where each fragrance can be generally classified into Top, Middle and Base notes (Scampini, 2019; S Vankar, 2004).
 
Top notes, usually the Citrus or Fresh scents, have the highest volatility and give the perfume its initial dispersive boost. Such notes are the scents we smell first and they generally last for about 5 to 10 mins.
 
Followed by the Middle notes such as floral scents, which can be detected after the top notes are dispersed and can last for about 30 mins.
 
Lastly, we have the base notes - Woody or Oriental notes. They have the least volatility ability, and are the most long-lasting ones of the group. Its fragrance can last up to 2 hours depending on the temperature and humidity of the environment.
 
Hence, you can take your time to pick a perfume you like. What’s best always requires patience and perseverance to obtain it.
 
3. Benefit

Scents in fragrances can do wonders to your well-being. Each fragrance ingredient in your perfume can produce different kinds of benefits to its user and it is up to the user to select what ingredient meets their needs.
 
For example, if I am working in a constant stressful environment, I could need a fragrance that could aid to soothe my nerves. A natural worrywart or a person suffering from insomnia may consider a scent with sedative effects that supports anxiety reduction.
 
To aid in your hunt for the right fragrance, here’s a list of ingredients and their respective benefits provided by the World Health Forum (Aromatherapy: Brief List of Scents to Manipulate Basic Emotions - | WorldHealth.net Anti-Aging Forum, 2020).
 
 
Manage Stress, Anxiety and Insomnia: Bergamot, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Cloves, Frankincense, Lavender, Lemon, Marjoram, Myrrh, Neroli, Nutmeg, Orange, Peach, Petitgrain, Rose, Sandalwood, Sweet Melissa, Vanilla, Violet, and Ylang-ylang.
 
Scents to Ease Depression: Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cypress, Fir, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Neroli, Orange, Petitgrain, Rosemary, Sage, Sandalwood, Tangerine and Ylang-ylang.
 
Energize & Improve Focus: Angelica, Benzoin, Camphor, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove Basil, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Lemon, Peppermint, Pine, Sage and Spiced Apple.
 
Stimulate cognitive memory: Bay Laurel, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon and Rosemary.
 
Soothe Irritability & Anger: Chamomile, Jasmine, Patchouli, Rose and Ylang-ylang, Neroli, Rose, and Geranium.
 
Boost Confidence: Frankincense, Jasmine, Patchouli and Sandalwood.
 
Enhance attractiveness (Aphrodisiacs effects): Jasmine, Rose, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Ylang-ylang.
Conclusion
All in all, to seek out the perfect perfume, you have to test it out on your skin, wait it out and smell how the fragrance differs over time, and identify what benefit you want to reap from the perfume.
 
However, if you still have no idea how to go about finding your perfect perfume, you can consider personalizing one, take a look at this website and register for a class now! https://www.perfumeworkshop.com/
 
 
References:
 
Lenochová, P., Vohnoutová,, P., Craig Roberts,, S., Oberzaucher, E., Grammer, K. and Havlíček, J., 2012. Psychology Of Fragrance Use: Perception Of Individual Odor And Perfume Blends Reveals A Mechanism For Idiosyncratic Effects On Fragrance Choice. [online] US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3314678/> [Accessed 28 May 2020].
 
 
Scampini, K., 2019. Top, Middle, Base Notes & How They Go Together - Naturally Blended. [online] Plant Therapy. Available at: <https://blog.planttherapy.com/blog/2019/03/26/top-middle-base-notes-how-they-go-together/> [Accessed 28 May 2020].
 
 
S Vankar, P., 2004. Essential Oils And Fragrances From Natural Sources. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225721278_Essential_oils_and_fragrances_from_natural_sources> [Accessed 28 May 2020].
 
 
Worldhealth.net. 2020. Aromatherapy: Brief List Of Scents To Manipulate Basic Emotions - | Worldhealth.Net Anti-Aging Forum. [online] Available at: <https://www.worldhealth.net/forum/topic/1038/> [Accessed 28 May 2020].