Perfume, also known as parfum, is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living spaces an agreeable scent. Perfumes consist of man-made mixtures of aromatic chemicals and essential oils. The term "fragrance" is often used interchangeably with "perfume".
Perfumes can be found in a variety of cosmetics, including some products marketed as "unscented". However, many of the thousands of chemicals used in fragrances have not been tested for toxicity, alone or in combination, and can trigger allergies, migraines, and asthma symptoms. People with multiple chemical sensitivities or environmentally linked illnesses are particularly vulnerable, with fragrances implicated both in the development of the condition and triggering symptoms.
There are different types of fragrances, including eau de parfum, eau de toilette, and cologne, which differ in their concentration of perfume oil. Eau de parfum is composed of 15 to 20 percent perfume oil, while eau de toilette ranges from 10 to 15 percent.
The term "parfum" or "fragrance" is a generic term on the ingredient list that is made up of 30 to 50 chemicals on average, but it can have as much as 200 components. If you have sensitive skin, fragrance is the number one cause of contact allergy to cosmetics, and its definitely a smart thing to avoid with sensitive skin.
