What is the difference between Fragrance, Perfume, Toilette and Cologne?

1. Parfum or simply Perfume – This is the the most concentrated form of fragrance and contains 20-30% pure perfume essence. Perfume can last up to 24 hours and therefore, is the most expensive form of fragrance. 2. Eau de Parfum – This type contains 15-20% pure perfume essence and may last up to 5-8 hours. This is the most common dilution available in the market. It is less expensive than Perfume. 3. Eau de Toilette or simply Toilette – This is a light spray with the perfume extract dissolved in alcohol. It contains 5-15% pure perfume essence and lasts for a few hours. It is less expensive than Eau de Parfum. 4. Eau de Cologne or simply Cologne for men – It contains 2-4% perfume oils that are mixed in alcohol and water. It is generally used by men and smells light, fresh and fruity. It lasts for a couple of hours and are cheaper than Parfum, or Toilette. 5. Eau Fraîche or simply Fraîche – It contains 1-3% pure perfume oil that are mixed with alcohol and water. This is the most diluted version that is a little more than scented water. You will hardly come across a Fraîche in the market.

The Ultimate Perfume Guide 2022 with 20 Best Perfumes for Men under 1000 INR

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Read this article to smell fresh and fascinating this summer without burning a hole in your pocket.

Its summer in India. And summer means sweat that in most cases, doesn’t smell sweet and sexy to your sweetheart’s olfactory nerves. Therefore, you must shake a leg if you haven’t walked through the valley of perfumes before. Here is the ultimate guide for men’s perfume under 1000 INR that will help you smell fresh and fascinating this summer of 2019 without burning a hole in your pocket.

It is really important for men to have some clear idea about best perfumes India. You must know what perfume really is and how it works because:

How you smell suggests who you are and how you feel.
Unlike men who use their eyes, women, instinctively, use their nose to pick out a perfect mate.
Sense of smell triggers memories far better than any other senses.

So, let’s dive in.

A fragrance is a complex mixture of natural and synthetic molecules or notes that are cleverly put together to pamper our sense of smell in a certain way. Every fragrance smells different on every person because the concoction works only by blending with our unique body odour. This complexity puts off many men from trying perfumes. But if you are bold and brave enough to discover this uncharted territory, you will surely sweep a few hotties off their feet.

Fragrance, Perfume, Toilette, or Cologne – What’s the difference?

Clever marketing experts have brainwashed most of us to think that cologne is for men and perfume is for women. But this is an utter nonsense. Parfum, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette(EDT), Eau de Cologne(EDC) and Eau Fraiche are unisex products and nothing but various forms of fragrance. They differ only in the percentage of pure perfume essence they contain.

Parfum or simply Perfume – This is the the most concentrated form of fragrance and contains 20-30% pure perfume essence. Perfume can last up to 24 hours and therefore, is the most expensive form of fragrance.
Eau de Parfum – This type contains 15-20% pure perfume essence and may last up to 5-8 hours. This is the most common dilution available in the market. It is less expensive than Perfume.
Eau de Toilette or simply Toilette – This is a light spray with the perfume extract dissolved in alcohol. It contains 5-15% pure perfume essence and lasts for a few hours. It is less expensive than Eau de Parfum.
Eau de Cologne or simply Cologne for men – It contains 2-4% perfume oils that are mixed in alcohol and water. It is generally used by men and smells light, fresh and fruity. It lasts for a couple of hours and are cheaper than Parfum, or Toilette.
Eau Fraîche or simply Fraîche – It contains 1-3% pure perfume oil that are mixed with alcohol and water. This is the most diluted version that is a little more than scented water. You will hardly come across a Fraîche in the market.

Popular Perfume Notes – Keep reading to understand what are they and how they work.

Fragrances are marketed as Citrusy, Aromatic, Floral, Green, Fruity, Spicey, Woodsy or Woody, Balsamic according to the kind of notes they mainly contain. Wikipedia says, “Notes in perfumery are descriptors of scents that can be sensed upon the application of a perfume.” Your nose can detect these notes in sequence, one after another. These notes or unique smells are blended carefully using thorough knowledge on the evaporation process to create the desired effect. The Top Notes hit your nose first. Then after a sometime or a few hours the Heart Notes start enthralling your senses, and by the end of the day, the Base Notes relax your worn-out soul.

Top Notes: When you spritz a perfume, the smell that you sense immediately is called the Top/Head Note. The head note evaporates quickly and generally smells Citrusy(Lemon, Mandarin, Bergamot), and/or Aromatic(Anis, Lavender, Lemon Grass). These notes have the strongest smell.
Heart Notes: Also called Middle Notes can be sensed only after the Top Notes have evaporated. These notes can be categorized as Floral(Jasmine, Lilac, Rose), Green(Stone, Grass, Leaf), Fruity(Pear, raspberry, Peach) and Spicy(Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Clove). These notes smell smooth and pleasant.
Base Notes: When the Heart Notes can no longer be felt, the Base Notes take over. In fact, the base notes, together with the heart notes, form the main theme of the perfume. Base Notes are often the fixative or the chemical compounds used to hold and enhance the strength of the lightest top and lighter middle notes. Base notes can be Woodsy(Patchouli, Cedar, Moss) and Balsamic(Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Musk).

Here is a list of Popular Compounds used to create the Top, Heart and Base note of a Perfume:

Hottest Top Notes	Hottest Heart Notes	Hottest Base Notes
Aldehydes	Carnation	Amber
Apricot	Gardenia	Bay Rum
Bergamot	Geranium	Benzoin
Black Currant	Heliotrope	Cedar wood
Black Violet Leaves	Honeysuckle	Civet
Cardamom	Hyacinth	Clove
Cassis	Iris	Honey
Coconut	Jasmine	Incense
Coriander	Lilac	Leather
Galbanum	Lily of the Valley	Moss
Ginger	Narcissus	Musk
Grapefruit	Neroli	Oak moss
Greens	Orange Blossom	Opoponax
Lemon	Orchid	Patchouli
Lime	Orris	Sandalwood
Mandarin Orange	Red Currant	Spices – Anise
Mango	Rose	Styrax
Marigold	Tuberose	Tonka Bean
Passion fruit	Violet	Vanilla
Peach	Wisteria	Vetiver
Pear	Ylang Ylang
Pepper
Petitgrain
Pineapple
Plum
Raspberry
Rosewood
Sage
Strawberries
Tangerine
Water Lily

Phew! That’s a lot of ‘ technical gyaan’! So let’s go straight to the idea of listing the top 20 men’s perfume under 1000 INR, shouldn’t we?

Top 20 Summer Perfumes for Men that you can try out:

Adidas Pure Game EDT – Pure Game by Adidas is a budget Eau de Toilette for men that was launched in 2010. It keeps your spirit high by pampering your sense of smell with its fresh spicy, citrus, woody, balsamic and aromatic notes. The Top Notes are Tart Black Pepper, Grapefruit, Mandarin Orange and Basil. The Heart Notes are Lavender, Guaiac Wood and Cypress. And the Base Notes are Patchouli, Incense, Sandalwood and Tonka Bean. This is one of the best budget perfumes and is just good enough for making any summer day memorable for you.

Price: INR 477/- Buy Adidas Pure Game EDT now!