Perfumes are a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aromatic compounds, fixatives and solvents used to give the human body a pleasant smell. The compounds that provide the scent of a perfume can be manufactured synthetically or extracted naturally from plant or animal sources.

Perfumes have been known to exist in some of the earliest civilisations either through ancient texts or from archaeological digs. Modern perfumery began in the late 19th Century with the commercial synthesis of aromatic compounds thus allowing the manufacture of perfumes with smells previously unattainable from natural aromatics alone.

The following provides information as to the strengths of the various products:

Eau de parfume: 10-20% aromatic compounds

Eau de toilette: 5-10% aromatic compounds

Eau de Cologne: 3-5% aromatic compounds

Aftershave: 1-3% aromatic compounds