Eau de toilette

An eau de toilette is a perfume with a low concentration of essential oils. The higher the concentration of the eau de toilette, the longer it will last. However, the orchestration of the perfume is crucial, and its good hold will depend on the talent of the perfumer (and not only on concentration). An eau de toilette should be applied on clothes in a special way to ensure perfect diffusion.

What is eau de toilette?

The eau de toilette is fresher and richer in top notes than the eau de parfum. This type of fragrance is fast diffusing and can be sprayed on clothes. However, due to its low concentration (it contains 3 to 20% of concentrate in an 80° vol. alcohol) the eau de toilette has a limited shelf life. Depending on taste, it can be used as a complement to perfume extract or eau de parfum.

By analogy between perfumery and painting, the perfume extract could be assimilated to the original work, the eaux de parfum would be limited and numbered editions, and the eaux de toilette would be lithographs.

How to apply an eau de toilette?

To guarantee a perfect scent, the best way to apply an eau de toilette is to spray it once you are dressed. You should trace a large triangle with the fragrance. Start spraying from the top of your hair (this won't damage your hair if sprayed from a distance), then inside of your jacket, and finish at the hem of your garment. 

You can also spray your eau de toilette by creating a "cloud" in front of you and then, a few seconds after, pass through the sprayed fragrance in the air. This way, you can be sure that your clothes or jewellery will not be damaged.

Also, remember to use all the derivative products (body lotion, talcum powder, soaps, deodorants). They will allow you to obtain a better tenacity and diffusion of your fragrance (see How to make a perfume last).

Finally, you can perfect your trail by including a few drops of eau de toilette in the rinse water of your lingerie, or by washing it with the shower shampoo of the same range as your eau de toilette, to obtain ultimate refinement.

By following these techniques of applying the eau de toilette, you will be able to smell every centimetre of your skin deliciously perfumed!

Why is the scent of eau de toilette changing on different skin types?

Eau de toilette, eau de parfum and perfume extract have different levels of concentration, each fragrance will react differently depending on the skin (see Choose a perfume according to your skin type).

Each skin is unique and has its own scent, that varies according to each person's diet, PH, physical activity, treatments and medications. Moreover, the scent of the fragrance will not be the same in Paris, New York, Shanghai or Dubai! Indeed, it will vary according to the atmosphere, the air conditioning, or the weather (if it is humid, dry or hot).

In the end, it's all about the alchemy between the eau de toilette and your skin. If this alchemy no longer works, don't think that the eau de toilette is not good anymore. It simply means that the meeting with the fragrance doesn't work on your skin. The most important thing is to feel in harmony with your fragrance and to get compliments from those around you, a proof that you have chosen a fragrance or eau de toilette that suits you.

"Sylvaine Delacourte likes to say that it is not the fragrance that perfumes the person, but the person who perfumes their fragrance.”

In addition, as perfume extracts are becoming rare, customers are increasingly turning to eaux de parfum or eaux de toilette, whose prices are more attractive. In general, each product will be orchestrated differently depending on the category of fragrance to which it belongs (eau de toilette, eau de parfum and perfume extract). However, some brands do not change the orchestration of their product according to the type of fragrance, and only modulate the degree of concentration. 

Concentration of the eau de toilette

An eau de toilette with a concentration of 6% to 20% will be more extroverted, and will also be better noticed by the people in your wake than by yourself! However, it will be less tenacious. Some new eaux de toilette are so concentrated and sometimes so well orchestrated that they can be very effective and diffuse very well. 

When the perfume extract is concentrated from 20% to 40%, it will be intimate and can be smelled only by the person wearing it, or by people nearby.

As far as eau de parfum is concerned, a concentration of 7% to 30% is a good compromise, and will guarantee both tenacity and wake. Sylvaine Delacourte's fragrances are orchestrated in eaux de parfum, with a minimum concentration of 15%, and up to 20%.

Each scent thus has very variable concentrations, that sometimes can be similar, as there are no particular regulations in this field.

Tenacity and a good trail prove that the fragrance has been perfectly orchestrated, and above all demonstrate the talent of the perfumer. Lasting power of a fragrance is about good orchestration above all, rather than a strong concentration (even if it also influences the lasting power of a perfume).

The role of an eau de toilette and a fragrance

Each fragrance (perfume, eau de parfum or eau de toilette) reflects the personality of the person. When they are well chosen, perfume and eau de toilette, will give a signature to the person: they help him or her to assert himself or herself, and carry the message that one wishes to convey to others. A perfume must therefore be in harmony with the person who wears it (a poorly adapted fragrance risks giving you the impression of being out of step with yourself).

Perfume and eau de toilette are therefore not comparable to a garment that you can change according to your mood, the weather, or the time of day. The fragrance you wear represents the reflection of your soul. In fact, it is much more valuable to be recognized and complimented for the trail you leave, rather than for the brand or the name of the perfume you are wearing.

Choosing your perfume or eau de toilette style

Most of the time, we tend to be attracted to the same style of perfume or eau de toilette. Indeed, throughout our lives, we encounter pleasant smells and tastes, which play a major role in forging our olfactory experience, our deep identity that unconsciously guides us towards a particular style of fragrance.

If you don't know what fragrance or eau de toilette to choose, you can have a consultation, during which a professional will guide you towards the fragrance that truly echoes your inner identity.

Conclusion 

Eau de toilette is considered to be the most accessible product in perfumery. This type of fragrance, that is generally more "extroverted" than other products, has a good trail, even if sometimes the tenacity is weak. If your eau de toilette is volatile, then you will need to spray it several times during the day (it can also happen that your eau de toilette is better smelled by those around you than by yourself, which can be a little frustrating).

Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances

Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musk and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.