Perfume is a mix of essential oils (such as orange oil, jojoba oil, lemon oil, etc.) and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give men and women a pleasant and attractive scent. Much of the fragrances that are used in perfumes are incense based… and these in large part hailed from India.

The earliest attar was mentioned in the Hindu Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita. The Harshacharita, written in 7th century A.D. in Northern India, mentions the use of fragrant agar wood oil.

History records that the world’s first chemist is thought to be a woman named Tapputi, a perfume maker who was mentioned in a cuneiform tablet from the second millennium BC in Mesopotamia. According to the same historical sources, Tapputi mixed distilled flower oils, and calamus with other aromatics, filtered the mixture and put them back in the still several times.

What is believed to be the world’s oldest perfumes were recently discovered by archaeologists in Cyprus, at a site called Pygros. The perfumes date back more than 4,000 years and were discovered in an ancient perfumery with at least 60 stills, mixing bowls, funnels and perfume bottles found in the 43,000 sq. foot “factory”, so to speak. In those days, people generally used herbs and spices, such as almond, bergamot, coriander, myrtle, conifer resin as well as flowers. However, whether these ‘perfumes’ were specifically meant to be men’s perfumes is not known! But we have truly come a long, long way since then. Literally and figuratively…

Often men find themselves looking for a gift that shows thought, love and pampering. One of the best gifts you can give is a bottle of fragrant perfume. Perfumes make the perfect gift for many reasons… Fragrances make ladies feel very special and loved. They evoke emotion, show that her man cares for her and wants her to look and smell beautiful.

Choosing a perfume is a very trying experience for a man. The choice of smells and flavors in perfumes is vast. Sales assistant at the perfume counter are happy to help in choosing a perfume. But choosing the right perfume ultimately comes down to you, so choose wisely, figure out what kind of fragrances she likes to wear or you would like her to wear. Usually with the mainstream fragrances you can’t go wrong. They all smell wonderful, sometimes they may fit different types of women, but still it is extremely difficult these days to find a bad smelling perfume. So if you are looking for that perfect gift, choose a perfume. If you can’t find the perfume gift set you are looking for, then you can always buy a perfume gift certificate.

Perfume gift sets always make great gifts for women. The unique combination of two or three products including lotion, cologne or perfume make a statement and evoke powerful emotions. A gift set is easy to give and joyfully received. If you want to make a great impression, then there is probably no better way to do so than buying someone a perfume gift set. To find the right women’s perfume gift sets, follow these tips:

• Perfume gift sets for women are many and varied and everyone’s sense of smell is different, so it can be hard to decide on a perfume to buy.
• Remember: Perfume reacts to skin chemistry and what smells great on one person may not smell as good on someone else.
• Make sure that you are buying a perfume for the scent and not for the designers name or bottle that the perfume comes in.
• There are many celebrities marketing their own perfumes and they do not always make better perfumes than the more popular womens’ perfumes that are available.
• Take your time smelling the various perfumes. You may already know of one your lady friend would perhaps like to try, or you may already know her favorite perfume.

Till the advent of the metro-sexual man, the men’s cosmetic industry was as basic as could be. Besides spending on toothpaste, deodorant and perhaps hair oils and gels, the largest component of men’s grooming products would be the shaving market. Aftershave and cologne are items that tend to fly off the counter, but this is also not guaranteed as it is dependent on the style police at any given time, and different brands are popular at different times.

Remember the days when every man wore either Aqua Velva or Old Spice, with maybe a Brut thrown in for good measure? Later in the 80s and 90s, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Davidoff had cornered the market on men’s cologne. Now, Pierre Cardin, Lagerfeld, Nino Cerutti, Drakkar Noir, Joop and Jack Black are some of the popular choices available for your sampling. If you’re looking to get your significant other cologne to match his personality and style sense, what are the trendy scents to check out? We go through some of the most popular men’s colognes below, and survey prices, reviews and where you can buy these colognes.

Tips to remember:

Most men like to use aftershave as it refreshes the skin and acts as a skin toner by firming up the pores. Aftershave does have a milder fragrance than cologne and doesn’t linger on the skin as long. As cologne is more concentrated than aftershave, you should be careful while applying it. A small drop goes a long way, and unless you want to have people cringe at the strong smell emanating from you, it’s best to spray the cologne a couple of times in the air and then let the mist settle on you. You can also walk through the mist to get an even lighter aroma. We also get used to our own scents and perfumes in a short while and lose perspective on how much is required to sustain a non-intrusive scent through the day. It’s best to ask your significant other or someone else whose opinions you trust about your smell and when enough is enough! It’s also good to change your cologne every once in a while and when sampling new scents, go to a department store which has small tester vials which you can use back at home to check their suitability for your skin type and sensibility.

Most men are content to wear cologne picked for them by their significant other as they are not too nit-picky about smells. Women in general have a more finely tuned sense of smell and can differentiate between various notes of a perfume far more easily. So when men buy their ladies perfume as a gift, it’s best to go with an old favorite or get a recommendation from the woman in question rather than getting experimental.

Ordering for Cologne and Aftershave Online:

Colognes, like most elements of style and fashion has different brands getting popular in waves – you’re hot, and then you’re not! But, while styles may come and go, your cologne bottle will last for a good many years so you should decide whether you want to have a plethora of perfume that you use intermittently, or whether you would prefer to stick with an old favorite. If you’re trying something new then it’s best to go to a department or men’s store where you are spoilt for choice and there are often helpful assistants to guide you in your purchase. However, if you know what you want and don’t require any tester sample, then shopping online is one of the most convenient and cheap options for you. Amazon is the world’s most trusted online retailer and we would suggest that you stick with them for any such online purchase. They have a comprehensive selection and have great offers and service and you will find anything you need be it perfume or cologne for women or men.

Some essential facts about perfumes

Here are a few facts that most people are unaware of as far as fragrances are concerned. Did you know that the chemical composition of perfume consists of 78% – 95% of denatured ethyl alcohol? Essential oils make up the remainder. And there are five fragrant variants.

These are:

• Perfume is costliest as its made of 22% essential oils.
• Eau de Parfum or EDP has 15 – 22% essential oils.
• Eau de Toilette or EDT is next with 8 to 15% essential oils.
• Eau de Cologne has only 4% essential oils in its chemical make up.
• Eau Fraiche, the lightest dilution of fragrance, has only 1 to 3% essential oils.

New introductions in the perfume market are often promoted as EDPs. Occasionally the EDT variant is not produced since there is a growing demand for Eau de Parfum as people are looking for a more long-lasting signature.

Fragrance categories:

These are:

• Floral
• Green Marine
• Fruit
• Chypre
• Oriental
• Floriental

Typical plant products include:

• bay leaf
• anise
• bergamot
• cedar wood
• eucalyptus (eucalyptus oil)
• cardamom
• gardenia
• frankincense
• iris
• geranium
• lavender
• jasmine
• lemon (lemon oil)
• lily of the valley
• lilac
• magnolia
• lily
• orris
• moss
• orange (orange oil)
• raspberry
• neroli
• patchouli
• rose
• sage
• pine
• tuberose
• sandalwood
• vanilla
• ylang-ylang
• violet
• argan (argan oil)
• peppermint (peppermint oil)

That musky scent: Animal products used in scents include ambergris drawn from sperm whales, musk derived from the musk deer (male), civet from the civet cat and a secretion of the beaver called castoreum. These are used as fixatives and at the same time add a magical, exciting and intangible mystique to the fragrance.

The lay public and consumers of perfumes will never, ever, actually get to know what goes into the making of a perfume. The chemical formulae for these are very, very closely guarded secrets. But even if they were published, they would consist of complex ingredients and odorants that would be of no use to the general consumer in describing the actual experience of a scent.

The most practical way to describe a perfume is according to the elements of the fragrance notes of the scent or the family it belongs to, all of which influence the overall impression of a specific perfume – from first application to the last lingering hint of a scent.

Over the last half a century or so,  perfume production has changed due to great advances in the technology of perfume creation using compound design and synthesis,  as well as changing styles and tastes; new categories of perfumes for men and women have emerged to describe modern-day fragrances. These can be briefly described as:

• Green
• Aquatic
• Citrus
• Fruity
• Gourmand
• Bright Floral
• Oceanic/Ozonic

The ‘secret’ ingredients in a perfume

As mentioned already, there are many sources that go into the make-up of a perfume. From the traditional and age-old aromatics to 21^st century compounds, fragrances for men and women are complex, complicated and extremely difficult to mix and balance to get just the right bouquet of scents that will have the consumer fall in love with a particular scent.

Animal sources

These are actually somewhat esoteric and seem to come from animals that belong to myth and legend. Let’s take a look at the most used animal sources:

• Musk: Originally derived from the musk sacs of the Asian musk deer, it is now replaced by the use of synthetic or white musk…
• Ambergris: Lumps of oxidized and fatty compounds, which are secreted and expelled by the sperm whale. But since the harvesting of ambergris involves no harm to its animal source, it remains one of the few animal sources around which little or no controversy now exists.
• Hyraceum: Commonly known as “Africa Stone”, is the petrified excrement of the Rock Hyrax.
• Castoreum: Obtained from the odorous sacs of the North American beaver.
• Honeycomb: From the honeycomb of the honeybee.
• Civet: Obtained from the odorous sacs of the civets.

Aromatics sources

Essentially derived from plants – long a source of essential oils (for example – grapeseed oil, lime oil, jojoba oil, etc.) and aroma compounds. By far the largest source of fragrant compounds used in perfumery, essential oils from plants they can be derived from various parts of a plant. Take the everyday coriander for instance. The aerial portions and seeds of coriander have remarkably different odors from each other. Yet another example would be the orange: orange leaves, blossoms, and fruit zest are the respective sources of petit grain, neroli, and orange oil. Other aromatic sources are:

• Flowers and blossoms: Undoubtedly the largest source of aromatics.
• Fruits: The most commonly used fruits yield their aromatics from the rind including citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and limes.
• Bark: These include cinnamon and cascarilla.
• Leaves and twigs: The ones used most often are lavender leaf, patchouli, sage, violets, rosemary, and citrus leaves.
• Roots, rhizomes and bulbs: Commonly used portions include iris rhizomes, vetiver roots, and parts of the ginger family.
• Resins: Valued since antiquity, resins have been widely used in incense and perfumery.
• Woods: Extremely important in providing the base notes to a perfume, wood oils and distillates are indispensable in perfumery.
• Seeds: These include tonka bean, carrot seed, coriander, caraway, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, and anise.

Other sources from nature

• “Seaweed”: Distillates are often used as essential oil in perfumes.
• Lichens: The most commonly used lichens include oak moss and tree moss.

Chemicals at work: synthetic sources

Synthetics provide fragrances which are not found in nature or are difficult to replicate such as the fragrances from fresh fruits. Which is why a whole host of modern perfumes contain synthesized odorants. Take Calone for instance, a synthetic compound, it gives a fresh marine scent used in modern perfumes.  This compound is just one of many that are used in the manufacture of perfumes and colognes for men and women.