Over the years, it has become common for people to wear good smelling perfumes. This is traditionally so because everybody is absolutely interested in eliminating bad smells which is usually caused by body damp, heat and sweat. The most popular and commonest thing people use to achieve this is perfume. Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aromatic compounds, fixatives and a solvent used to give the human body and objects a pleasant scent. The beauty and strength of perfumes of every variety depends on its fragrance oil content.

There are three common varieties of perfume namely Eau de Parfum (EDP), Eau de Toilette (EDT) and Cologne. These perfume names are derived from French words that have found common usage in English. EDP translates to 'water of perfume, while EDT translates to 'water of toilet.' Notwithstanding, these are literal translations and bear only a limited meaning on the actual functions of EDP and EDT.

1. Eau de Parfum

Eau de Parfum (EDP) is a type of perfume which is made from a combination of ethanol and water, with a medium to high concentration of perfumed (ethanol) oil in comparison to the water or alcohol content of the solution. This variety of perfume contains 10% - 20% (typical 15%) fragrance oil. This is the highest composition content of all the three varieties. You will generally find this variety of perfume in upscale lines or stores; and it costs more than the Eau de Toilette and Cologne because of the higher amount of aromatic compound it contains. The EDP also provides a long-lasting fragrance and depending on the dryness of your skin, a few drops of EDP should last from morning until night

2. Eau de Toilette

This is a type of perfume with a medium to low concentration of perfumed (fragrance) oil. EDT contains 5% - 15% (typical 10%) fragrance oil. It generally contains more water than ethanol and is less expensive because it is less concentrated; that also means that it does not last as long. If you love to wear perfume all day, you will probably find that you need to carry bottles of EDT around town because you will need to reapply it often to keep the aroma fresh. This of course, can up the overall cost of using EDT.

3. Cologne

This is a typical chypre citrus type of perfume with 3% to 8% (typical 5%) fragrance oil. It is sometimes used interchangeably with the term EDT. However, the concoction began as the name of a light; fresh fragrance mixed with citrus oils and was made popular by Napoleon. Some perfumers today have a version of this called eau fraiche.

Summary

1. Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette are both types of perfume.
2. EDP has a greater concentration of scent than EDT.
3. EDP lasts longer than EDT.
4. EDP is more expensive than EDT, though, since you have to apply EDT more often, the cost may turn out to be equal.

Overall, Eau de Parfum are high quality perfumes with long lasting fragrances