HOW TO BUY A FRAGRANCE ONLINE
Fragrance shopping is tricky at the best of times. Do you stick with what you know or step outside of your scent comfort zone? Do you choose eau de parfum or toilette? There’s an art to fragrance shopping and translating that online is no easy feat. Luckily for you, we asked our RI perfume experts to demystify the process and give us their best tips and tricks.
What is a ‘fragrance family’?
It's a way of classifying scents by their overriding smell.
What makes something ‘woody’, ‘floral’, 'amber' and ‘fresh’?
The ingredients and accords that make up the scent determine its odour area. For example, a woody scent would use materials such as sandalwood, patchouli, and vetiver. Amber would use balsamic resins, vanilla, tonka and spices. Floral would use a bouquet of florals which are abundant in nature such as roses, lilies, magnolia, jasmine, orange blossom. Fresh, can be used to describe oceanic, watery or fruity, for example or even fresh citrus. The term is poetic.
Match each family to an object and place.
Woody – A log fire cabin.
Amber – A forest, rich with precious woods.
Fresh – A stroll on the beach with the salty sea air.
Floral – A walk through a wildflower meadow.
How can fragrance affect our mood?
Fragrances are powerful, they can enhance moods and change behaviour. The reason why fragrance can alter mood is that it encourages the release of endorphins which make us feel good. Fragrances are good for everyone's mental health and are totally subjective to the individual.
Match an RI fragrance to each family.
Turin = Amber/Floral/Woody
Dark Oud = Woody/Amber/Floral
Wander = Fougere/Woody/Amber
Amber & Vanilla = Dry amber/Woody/Musk
There’s a lot of jargon in the scent sphere. What do ‘top’, ‘heart’ and ‘base’ notes mean?
Top notes are lighter, more volatile ingredients that evaporate after approximately 20 mins. Heart notes are the character of the scent and are detectable for three to four hours. Base notes are the heavy molecules that last for days, sometimes months.
What is the difference between a body spray, an Eau de Parfum and an Eau de Toilette?
The formulation can be different, but the general reason is the dosage of the fragrance. Body sprays are lighter and usually around 1-2% inclusion, Eau de Toilette are normally between 5-10% and Eau de Parfum from 15-30% (although there are no rules as to the dosage scale).
If we want our perfume to last, what should we look out for?
Woody, ambery, musky aromas.
Why can the same scent smell different on different people?
There are very scientific reasons for this strange phenomena: biology. Your skin’s pH balance determines how sensitive it is and how dry or oily it is, thus it reacts differently to certain molecules and formulas.
You should certainly bear this in mind when choosing a scent. Wear it on your skin throughout the day and see how it develops through its top/middle and base notes on your skin.
And finally, as the RI nose, what is your favourite RI fragrance?
I love Amber & Vanilla. It is so easy to wear and intoxicating but delicate at the same time. It's abundant with beautiful ambers and musks which also makes it a little mysterious as all musks settle differently on people’s skin.
