Perfume is considered to be one of the most must-haves for any status-conscious person in any society. Initially, it was being used by the upper-class society as a high-end accessory; but, later it became available even to the most common person in the society. In the modern age, the use of perfume has become virtually indispensable as it potentially adds to the personality of a person.

Choosing the right perfume and fragrance has become increasingly difficult for the customers as the cosmetic market is being invaded by numerous new perfumes and scent brands each and every day. Now a days, perfumes and fragrances can be found in different flavors and ingredients. They are being manufactured and offered in bottles of different shapes and sizes according to the needs of the targeted customers. While visiting a cosmetic store, a customer often gets confused about what could be the right one for him/her. However, there are some guidelines if followed can help those confused customers remove their doubts and select the right perfume for them.

Skin: Try different perfumes and fragrances to know what suits your skin the best. No two perfumes are alike in fragrance, flavor and smell. Hence what suits the most, may not necessarily suit you. Do not just blindly follow the branded perfumes. It really pays to try different perfumes before you settle for one.

Smell: Always go for a perfume that contains fresh smells and makes you attractive and impressive. Have your best friend (preferably female) give his/her views on the particular perfume you are trying. Often, it is the other person who can tell you what goes right with you.

Ingredients and Flavors: Perfumes can be selected using different ingredients and flavors. They are different categories of perfumes such as woody perfume, fruit perfume, floral perfume, oceanic perfume, greens perfume and oriental perfume. Usually, each of these fragrances is suitable for a male or female depending on their personal preference. However, you can always go for one that best suits your personality and life-style.

Climate and Season: While choosing a perfume, one should consider the climate and season. What goes best in the winter may not be even good enough in the summer. Hence, it is extremely important to choose the perfume that does justice to the climate and to your skin.

You need to know the difference in order to learn how to buy a perfume that is of value to you, not only financially but emotionally and psychologically as well.

There are three types of perfumes; Eau de Perfume, Eau de Toilette and Eau de Cologne. The amount of alcohol, water content and essential oils contained within the bottle differs with each type.

Eau de Perfume, in so far, has the highest concentration of essential oil in them. And the release of the smell is often described as lingering and slow. Most people prefer to buy a bottle of Eau de Perfume as opposed to a bottle of Eau de Toilette. Because there is a concentration level of fifteen to twenty percent of essential oils in there, is it any wonder why Eau de Perfume is the most expensive of the lot? Nope, guess not.

Eau de Toilette is the middle ground person and is usually worn by people during the day. The scent emanating from this bottle is lighter compared to Eau de Perfume and it lasts for a shorter period of time resulting in the need to ‘top up’ halfway through the day. There’s right about eight to fifteen percent essential oil content in a bottle of Eau de Toilette.

There ARE others who believe in subtlety and these are the people who should consider purchasing Eau de Cologne or Rau de Frache. The essential oil content in these two types of perfumes is weak – often not more than five percent of essential oil content is found in a single bottle of perfume. Men usually prefer this type of perfume as opposed to Eau de Perfume because generally speaking, men are not always as smell savvy as their women counterpart.

So, bear these facts in mind the next time you go shopping for a bottle of fragrance. Knowing these facts will help you make a wise decision about the type of perfume you should invest in.