The Man’s Guide to Fragrances

Guys, I’m sure you’ve experienced this situation at some point: your girlfriend or spouse has (not so subtly) hinted that she wants a new fragrance for her birthday – awesome, no more guess work, but now what?

Now you’re standing in the shop with bewildered look on your face, wondering aimlessly around this “foreign land”; EDP, EDT, EDC…huh? We understand your plight and so we’ve compiled the “Man’s Guide to Fragrances” cheat sheet!

It’s actually not as daunting as you may think: the difference between these types of fragrances is simply the oil concentration…oh, wait; it’s not that simple.

While the above statement is technically correct “These different concentrations DO NOT necessarily mean different levels of quality, and furthermore, they may also include different fragrance notes entirely!” according to the Perfume Expert.

OK, it’s time to add some percentages to help break it down.

Eau de Toilette (EDT)

Contains between 4% to 10% perfume oil. It’s lighter than Eau de Parfume (EDP) and should last for approximately half a day, but this does depend on how much you use. Here are the most popular EDTs:

For her: Dolce & Gabana Light Blue EDT 100ml, available for R1195

For him: Christian Dior Sauvage EDT 100ml, available for R1495

Eau de Cologne (EDC)

Contains between 2% – 5% perfume oil. Here are the most popular EDCs:

For her: 4711 Wunder Wasser EDC 90ml, available for R690

For him: Pierre Cardin EDC for men 80ml, available for R614