“She stopped, as her dull senses were made sharp by the steady and confident steps of the man in the blue jacket with the high punk hair. She was a feminist, never giving in to the deception or the whims of men, but there she stood the fool’s watch as her gaping mouth and her agape eyes couldn’t resist the fragrance that trailed the dashing young man. She gave into her mortal desires and was driven amorously mad, not by sight, but by smell…” Let’s find out, Why Is Perfume So Expensive?
The fable above depicts the power of a strong scent or smell. The power of smell is the most uniquely deceptive tool in the world. Smell precedes the senses of:
- Sight
- Touch
- Taste
The abovementioned senses require closure to be effective, but smell needs no such requirement. However, among the plethora of perfumes in the world with pleasant smells, some are way more expensive than cars. Why?
The content, as well as the branding of the product, makes the perfume expensive, but the main determinant of the price of a perfume is the content. The content of the perfume defines the smell produced by the perfume. Some of these contents are rare and they strongly determine the odor intensity. It is the odor intensity from the perfume that makes the sense of smell very sensitive. When the odor intensity is extremely strong and above its threshold, the sense of smell would be very active and would be able to easily detect such odor, but once the odor intensity is very low and below its threshold, the olfaction will be very low. It is the substance used to create such odor that determines the intensity of the scent. The content of what odor is worn is a strong determinant of how strong the scent will be. If a fragrance can last for a long time, the chance is that the ingredients or content of such a product will be rare, unique, and expensive. Therefore it is the substance or content of a perfume that either makes it expensive or inexpensive. But what is the substance in a perfume that made the feminist, in the fable above, enchanted by the scent of the man in the blue jacket and high punk hair? Keep reading to know the substance that makes a vial of perfume cost more than a car and whether such substance is capable of bewitching a firm mind.
What is perfume?
Perfume is a mixture of substances, mostly natural or a mixture of natural and synthetic elements, usually diluted to a liquid form that is used to emit pleasant smells.
Its primary aim is to boost the self-confidence of a person while making him or her very approachable and distinctively unique in a place of work, school, etc. It also makes an area pleasant to inhabit, especially one that was previously unfit to live in.
Types of Perfume
Generally, we have 5 or 6 types of Perfume based on their concentration, but primarily and based on how these sweet-smelling fragrances are applied or worn, we have two major types:
- Spray perfume
- Oil perfume
The spray perfume comes with a mixture of alcohol, which is one of the primary properties of its class. The spray perfume doesn’t last as long as an oil perfume that has the same fragrance-defining ingredient. This is because the alcohol mixture has a vaporizing quality that evaporates the scent into thin air when sprayed and it gradually dissipates.
Oil perfume on the other hand is highly concentrated and contains no alcohol. Oil perfume is majorly applied on the areas of the skin that absorbs more heat. Examples of such places are the wrist, the elbow cleaves, the knee cleaves, or the neck right up above the clavicle bone. This is because the fragrance is emitted by the temperature of the body due to its dense concentration and lack of alcohol in the product.
Major ingredients of perfume
Its properties or substance are mostly natural or synthetic ranging from Ambergris, the most expensive perfume substance in the world to Jasmine, Amber, or Sandalwood. But to be brief as well as thorough, the ingredients will be classified based on the class of scent they fall under:
Natural fragrance:
The natural fragrance just as the name implies is obtained from raw materials of plants or animals. They are rare to obtain. Based on their rarity, the cost to obtain them would be expensive. Examples of such are Jasmine and tuberose. Not only are these priceless flowers rare but an ounce of perfume is also equivalent to more than 200,000 handpicked jasmine flowers. The mind-bewitching jasmine has a sensual smell of both purity and wildness.
Flowery fragrance:
The flowery fragrance is obtained from flower petals. Due to its nature and smell, it is widely considered feminine, but most stand-out men’s perfume contains flowery fragrance. An example of such is the Roja Dove Elysium EDP 100ML which cost between $170,000 – $250,000. The scent is elegant, fancy and of course floral.
Spicy fragrance:
Perfumes with a spicy fragrance are very strong as they tend to last long. Its most intense spice is the cloves. Clove costs between $7 – $10 per pound.
Woody fragrance:
This is one of the most attractive fragrances ever in the perfume world as it ranges from Cedarwood to Sandalwood emitting a long-lasting smell. Sandalwood is considered the most expensive wood in the world. The price of red sandalwood is Rs 9500 per kilo, converted to USD is $124.58 per kilo. The scent of Sandalwood is unique, exotic, and sweet.
Fruity fragrance:
These are very fresh attractive fragrances that contain pear, and watermelon. Perhaps could be classified as the cheapest on the list.
Different grades of perfumes
Grades of perfumes are based on how much they cost per ounce and each grade price tag is dependent strictly on its ingredients. If the ingredients are rare, the perfume will cost much, if the ingredients are common and easily found which makes the cost less, the perfume would be less expensive. Normally we have various classes of perfume which include:
- Eau de parfum
- Eau de Toilette
- Eau de Cologne
However, the various grades of perfumes are based on what ingredient dominates the content of the perfume. Such grades will be categorized based on the following:
- Perfume content dominated by Citrus
- Perfume content dominated by Fougere
- Perfume content dominated by Chypre
- Perfume content dominated by Woody fragrance
- Perfume content dominated by Orientals
Perfume content dominated by Citrus:
Any perfume content dominated by Citrus would have a fresh and sharp scent like lemons or oranges. It doesn’t last long, but its fresh smell is soothing and gives you that relaxing and comfortable smell pleasant to the nose. The family of citrus covers lemons, grapefruits, lemongrass, and verbena. Falls into the fruity fragrance.
Perfume content dominated by Fougere:
A perfume that has its content dominated by Fougere is usually cheap and lasts between 1 to 2 hours. Oakmoss, Coumarin, and Lavender make up Fougere. It is a mixture of flowery and woody fragrances.
Perfume content dominated by Chypre:
Perfume content dominated by Chypre smells very dark, mysterious, and complex. It’s very unique and it consists of jasmine, rose, tree moss, and also labdanum. A perfume content dominated by Chypre usually racks up the numbers in terms of cost.
Perfume content dominated by Woody fragrance:
Usually, perfume contents dominated by woody fragrances tend to be more masculine and last longer based on their woody spice. They typically contain Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vetiver, and Pine. Perfumes having more of this content are very unique, strong, and expensive.
Perfume content dominated by Orientals:
These are sweet-smelling spices that although they don’t last long, their sweet fragrance is refreshing. The primary components of orientals are vanilla, ambergris, and tonka bean.
The best perfume to buy that is cost-friendly?
Always have in mind the best perfume to buy which is cost-friendly is a perfume that has a little bit of all the ingredients. When stepping into a cosmetic shop to purchase a bottle of perfume, be sure to read through the ingredients before going to the counter to ascertain its price tag, especially for ones that bear no price tag.
Conclusion
Although some price tags on perfume vials can be very scary, most of them are worth it. Regardless, always make sure you check the ingredients of each vail to get the best perfume.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is expensive perfume worth it?
Yes. Any expensive perfume is probably worth every penny, however, there are cost-friendly perfumes that have very good long-lasting scents. The content of the perfume reveals a lot.
- Is it necessary to smell good?
Yes. Very necessary. Anyone who considers human physical interaction very important must endeavor to always wear a good pleasant scent.
- Are all sweet-smelling long-lasting perfumes expensive?
No. Some sweet-smelling long-lasting perfumes are budget-friendly. But to identify them, you need to go through their content.
4. Why does the branding of a perfume determine the cost of the perfume?
Because some perfume designs have ornate stones like diamonds. An example of such perfume is Shumukh perfume which cost over $1 million.
