How to Choose Fragrances for Women: A Guide

sites • June 15, 2022

Are you wondering how you should go about choosing fragrances for women? Keep reading and learn more about how to choose here.

Although perfumery is an ancient art, the first modern perfume was created in 1370. Queen Elizabeth of Hungary was the lucky recipient of this sweet scent made from lemon, orange blossoms, and rosemary. Over the last 652 years, our passion for perfume has only grown!

But choosing a signature scent takes more work than sniffing it once or twice. It requires some knowledge about how scents work and the lifespan of perfumes. Learn how to choose the best fragrances for women with this guide!

The Fragrance Life Cycle

People often wonder why their perfume scent seems to change throughout the day. This phenomenon occurs because of the three-part life cycle of fragrances. Each part, called a note, lasts for a set amount of time and then fades.

Top Notes

If you spray perfume on your skin as a tester, the scent you'll immediately smell is the top note. It can last between 15 minutes and up to a few hours. Perfume makers often opt for a lighter scent for the top notes to appeal to more people.

The most common top notes are soft florals, light citrus, sweet fruits, and powders. As ingredients, they can appear as:

  • Lemon
  • Orange
  • Lemongrass
  • Mandarin
  • Lavender
  • Bergamont

More complex fragrances might have a hint of spice or wood in their top notes. Once the top note dissipates, the medium notes emerge.

Medium Notes

Medium notes are also known as heart notes because they make up the majority of the perfume. This note usually lasts between three and five hours after the top note fades. Medium notes tend to be heavier florals, fruits, and crisp green scents.

The most common ingredients for heart notes include:

  • Rose
  • Ylang-ylang
  • Jasmine
  • Green tea
  • Raspberry
  • Peach
  • Cinnamon
  • Clove

The heart note is what you'll be smelling most of the time once you spray your perfume. Imagine if you hate cinnamon but buy a fragrance that fades into a deep cinnamon heart note. Understanding how heart notes work can help you avoid these frustrations and wasting money.

Base Notes

As the perfume wears off, the base notes emerge. These are usually the most dynamic and bold notes of a scent. The base notes can last up to ten hours, so choosing a scent that you're in love with is crucial.

Some of the typical base notes that you'll find consist of:

  • Cedar
  • Sandalwood
  • Smoke
  • Moss
  • Vanilla
  • Patchouli
  • Vetiver

Creating a perfume is basically like stacking blocks together to make a beautiful structure. Some notes don't work well with others, and the scent transforms into a mess. But understanding fragrance families can help you avoid that mistake.

The Fragrance Families

Like the primary colors that produce every color in the world, the four fragrance families create every scent. The four families can be further broken down into individual subtypes. These are then combined to blend intoxicating perfumes!

You can imagine the four families, and their respective subtypes, on a wheel (like a color wheel!) Sub-types that are side-by-side or near each other tend to blend better together. But mixing opposites, say floral and wood, results in a more complex combination.

Florals

The Floral family is common in women's perfume because they feel very feminine. Florals can smell like fresh flowers or soft powdery scents. If you like the sound of this, then look for notes of rose, jasmine, or ylang-ylang.

Amber

The Amber family tends to be exotic and bold. These fragrances are often the base for sexy perfumes and colognes. They might smell spicy, herbal, or woody.

If you like that exotic, sexy feeling, then stick to fragrances with vanilla, anise, and patchouli. But make sure they're balanced with softer notes to tone down the "smells like herbal tea" sensation.

Woody

Woody perfumes are deeply warm, decadent, and elegant. They're often balanced with citrus tones to evoke a crisper feeling. Look for fragrances with cedar, sandalwood, or vetiver if you like this rich scent.

Fresh

Fresh perfumes tend to be popular crowd-pleasers. They smell clean, bright, and herby. Citrus, greens, aromatic, and water make up the subtypes of this family.

If you love smelling cleaning as a whistle, make sure your fragrance has citrus, bergamot, or musk. These notes tend to carry their vibrancy and zest throughout the day!

Raw Materials and Oil Concentrations

Have you ever wondered why your Victoria's Secret body spray disappears after two hours while a tiny spritz of Chanel lasts for days? There's actually a science behind scent formulation that can help you pick a long-lasting perfume! It's all about raw materials and oil concentrations.

You've probably seen fragrances label Eau de Toilette or Parfum. These labels make the world of a difference in scent strength and lifespan.

Eau de Cologne

  • Ratio: less than 5% oil mixed with alcohol and water
  • Lifespan: two hours

Eau de Toilette

  • Ratio: around 10% essence mixed with alcohol and water
  • Lifespan: up to four hours

Eau de Parfum

  • Ratio: around 15% to 18% essence mixed alcohol and water
  • Lifespan: up to eight hours

Parfum

  • Ratio: between 25% and 40% pure essence mixed with alcohol and water
  • Lifespan: up to 24 hours!

As you can see, a cheap body spray will max out after two hours. It's a great choice if you want to switch scents during the day. But if you want to keep it going all day and night, opt for a true parfum.

Perfumes for Different Occasionals

Rarely does a person wear the same fragrance each day and for every occasion. Most women choose a few of their best fragrances and rotate between them. And pairing your scent with a specific occasion is a true power move!

Weddings and Celebrations

Research shows that scents have a powerful connection with memories. Choosing a unique perfume for a wedding or a special celebration can transport you back with one small whiff years later. Look for a complex scent that mixes feminine (florals, fruits) with masculine (spices, wood).

Sexy and Flirtatious

There's no bigger confidence boost than going on a first date smelling like a goddess. A complex combination of fresh, amber, and floral is the best way to up the sex appeal. Look for top notes of lemongrass or lavender and spicy heart notes.

Rest and Relaxation

Fragrances can have a significant impact on our stress levels. Studies show that certain scents can make us calmer and more comfortable. Next time you're feeling stressed, pick up a scent with notes of:

  • Sandalwood
  • Chamomile
  • Lavender
  • Rosemary
  • Jasmine
  • Bergamot

Each of these scents is associated with relaxation or increased feelings of well-being. Some can even reduce the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms!

Seasonal Perfumes

A floral, sweet perfume might not work as well in the winter as in the summer. Many women prefer to change their fragrances every season. It's also an excellent way to experiment with scent families that you wouldn't usually try.

Summer

Summer conjures up images of the beach, flowers, and fruits! Use those themes to pick out a summery perfume. You might want to look for notes of field flowers, citrus, sea salt, or juniper.

Fall

Everyone knows that fall is cozy season, complete with sweaters and pumpkin spice lattes. Look for scents that evoke these feelings with vanilla, cedarwood, or bourbon notes. If you prefer florals, go for deeper florals like moss, jasmine, and orange blossom.

Winter

Beat the winter blues with warm, spicy, and woody fragrances. Look for notes of coffee, labdanum, amber, and sandalwood. Floral lovers should complement soft tones with spices like pepper, rosemary, and sage.

Spring

Florals are the most obvious choice for spring! And finding one is easy if you love a sweet, powdery floral perfume. But if you want something a little sexier, look for hints of vanilla, jasmine, and white amber.

The Basics of Perfume Shopping

Now that you're more comfortable with fragrance notes and choosing a scent family, it's time to shop. But perfume shopping can get overwhelming very quickly! Use these tips next time you go on the hunt for a new fragrance.

  • Don't wear any scents or body lotions
  • Limit testing to three to six perfumes
  • Spritz the test paper first to get a neutral smell
  • Spray a tiny amount on your wrist to check how it smells on you
  • Avoid overlapping scents by spraying different parts of your wrist

And don't buy right away! Remember that the initial scent is the top note. You'll want to wear the fragrances for a few hours to see how the heart notes develop.

Perfumes work with our unique body chemistry to create individual variations. One perfume might smell completely different on you and another person. Once you find a scent that you love on yourself, it's time to buy!

Fragrances for Women: Finding Your Signature Scent

The search for a signature scent can be an ever-evolving journey! Preferences can change with age, and we can even become more sensitive to some smells. That's why experimenting with fragrances for women is the key to finding your best perfume.

Whether you prefer floral, woodsy, or a complicated mix of intoxicating notes, you're bound to find your ideal scent. Browse our wide selection of perfumes for women to get started!


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