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Why do women get quality and we don't?

post #1 of 32
1/10/13 at 10:19pm
Thread Starter 
Perhaps this has been asked before but I'll ask it again - Is there any particular reason why so many scents for her are EDPs and most scents for him are EDTs?

I ask because I like scents which last and project big time (I feel these are worth my money) and generally EDPs do this better then EDTs. I know certain EDTs out perform EDPs.

I just hate that every 2nd female fragrance I see is a EDP and when buying for myself it's mostly EDT.
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post #2 of 32
1/10/13 at 10:43pm
You just aren't looking hard enough
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post #3 of 32
1/10/13 at 10:57pm
I suppose it's simply because socially it is considered acceptable for a woman to project a lot and be perfumey, but less so for a man.

cacio
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post #4 of 32
1/10/13 at 11:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cacio View Post

I suppose it's simply because socially it is considered acceptable for a woman to project a lot and be perfumey, but less so for a man.

cacio


That is a likely reason.
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post #5 of 32
1/10/13 at 11:14pm
Go niche or Arabian.

My Montales, Le Labos, Creeds and my sole Dior Couturier (Leather Oud) last for well over 10 hours each (and project a mile).
Even VIW which, by its very nature shouldn't last long, lasts the whole day.

So do my Al-Rehabs, Surratis, and Ajmals. Attars seem to have serious legs to them. Most of them last for days with just a few swipes.

Of course, there are lots of designer frags (including, as you said, some EDTs) that last all day and then some.
Egoiste, Terre d'Hermes (both EDT and Parfum), Mugler Cologne, LIDGE, Caron 3rd Man/Yatagan/PUH, and Acteur by Azzaro are the standouts from my collection.

There are some fragrances that just last and last - it's just a matter of whether or not you like them.
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post #6 of 32
1/10/13 at 11:31pm
Quality is there if you look for it.
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post #7 of 32
1/10/13 at 11:33pm
King Musk, a drugstore cheapie, lasts 15 hours easily. Longevity does not equal quality.
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post #8 of 32
1/10/13 at 11:37pm
Female perfumes are generally more expensive than ours.
Ladies are willing to spent a lot more on a perfume, so
of course they also get the best quality.
Even though some EdTs last longer than some EdPs,
it's still more expensive to produce most EdPs thus the
higher retail price. That's just MHO anyway!

Most men are too cheap!

But don't get too hung up on concentrations. Try 'em all!
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post #9 of 32
1/11/13 at 12:11am
Almost everything in my wardrobe whether it is an EDT or EDP lasts at least 6-8 hrs on me(and I have dry skin). Quality depends more on the fragrances ingredients than its concentration. I have a couple EDC's that outlast most EDT's and a couple EDT's that outlast most EDP's. You must find the DIAMONDS in the ROUGH which offer the perfect combination of exquisite scent, projection, and longevity. Like SculptureOfSoul said: Longevity does not equal quality.
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post #10 of 32
1/11/13 at 12:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cacio View Post

I suppose it's simply because socially it is considered acceptable for a woman to project a lot and be perfumey, but less so for a man.

cacio

I agree with this.

In Jean Claude Ellena's book, The Alchemy of Scent, he touched on concentrations (EdC, EdT, EdP, extrait) and said that concentrations were not merely a matter of how much oil present in alcohol, but also on the use/style of the perfume. So, traditionally, men used EdCs and EdTs rather than EdPs and extraits, since these are used different contexts. If I am not wrong, EdPs and extraits are for more intimate settings/purposes.

Also, regarding projection, EdTs are actually more often considered to project better than EdPs; this has apparently something to do with the use of alcohol as carrier. EdPs thus project better than extraits; and alcohol-based perfumes project better than oils.
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post #11 of 32
1/11/13 at 12:14am
Don't let perfume strength concentrations fool you. I'll pit my Lapidus Pour Homme, Joop!, 1 Million, and 24 the Fragrance Gold EDTs against any EDP. Hell, Abercromibe Fierce and Woods are EDC's and they are stronger than your average EDT. On the flip side, Creed SMW and MI are EDPs and they have the strength and lasting power of an EDC, bordering on aftershave. Hell, Pinaud Clubman aftershave wipes the floor with some of the EDTs on the market. See what I mean? Don't worry about concentration brotato. Just wear what smells good and gets you laid.
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post #12 of 32
1/11/13 at 12:45am
First of all, there is no fragrance out there that you can't wear, not one, so stop your whining. If you want to wear Angel EdP because it is a beautiful fragrance and lasts a long time and is EdP strength, nobody is stopping you...except you.

Second, although under some circumstances EdP is more concentrated than EdT, some fragrance makers are reluctant to put Eau de Parfum on a fragrance marketed to men because some men are afraid to wear anything with the tag "perfume" or "parfum" on it because they think it means it is girly. So just because it says EdT or Cologne, that doesn't mean it isn't strong or doesn't last.

Third, all of this titling is just marketing. Why let yourself get caught up in the hype at all? Just wear whatever you like, and ignore the lettering on the box and bottle altogether.
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post #13 of 32
1/11/13 at 12:49am
Just bite the bullet and wear womens' frags. Most of them are better (quality-wise, not only longevity-wise) than most mens' frags.
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post #14 of 32
1/11/13 at 4:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by noggs View Post

Just bite the bullet and wear womens' frags. Most of them are better (quality-wise, not only longevity-wise) than most mens' frags.

Amen, brother, amen!
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post #15 of 32
1/11/13 at 4:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by noggs View Post

Just bite the bullet and wear womens' frags. Most of them are better (quality-wise, not only longevity-wise) than most mens' frags.

Agree
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post #16 of 32
1/11/13 at 4:25am
Was wondering too the other day when wearing Rochas Femme. So strong and lovely (and an EDT, I think).
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post #17 of 32
1/11/13 at 4:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cacio View Post

I suppose it's simply because socially it is considered acceptable for a woman to project a lot and be perfumey, but less so for a man.

Not sure. This is only my own experience, but about 90 percent of the time if I smell huge fragrance projection, it's coming from a man.

For me the more interesting question isn't about women having more EdPs than men; I don't believe that an EdP is automatically better quality than an EdT. The more important point to me is why women's fragrances in general are more varied and smell better. Turin and Sanchez covered this in their book. I don't know if that situation will ever improve, but in the meantime I wholeheartedly support any man who moves to the other side of the perfume department.
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post #18 of 32
1/11/13 at 4:28am
Women generally have more freedom when it comes to fashion/make up/jewellery, etc. The rules as to what is generally acceptable for grown men are much stricter.
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post #19 of 32
1/11/13 at 5:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by noggs View Post

Just bite the bullet and wear womens' frags. Most of them are better (quality-wise, not only longevity-wise) than most mens' frags.

lol - Suddenly everyone is making a pretty big leap here. The OP was simply asking why women's fragrances were more often of a stronger concentration. Now suddenly people are telling him he should just start smelling like a woman and stop fighting it. That's like telling a guy he should start wearing women's blouses because he is left-handed. His complaint wasn't about he wasn't smelling feminine enough, but that it wasn't lasting long enough.

Anyway, the trend I notice is that more and more men's fragrances are becoming stronger. Years ago most men's fragrances were EdC (Here in the US, men call everything "Cologne", regardless of strength). Now EdT is the norm. It looks like EDPs are trend they are going. Many if not most high-end fragrances now are very long lasting (regardless of the concentration). With further enhancement to synthetics in the future, I will bet even the softest citrus fragrance will last 12 hours (someday)...
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post #20 of 32
1/11/13 at 5:49am
I believe it's due to the marketing and ridiculous generalization that has become accepted that perfume is for women and cologne is for men (hell I still get caught up in it sometimes)

Women don't get more quality, though if you're speaking about designer brands they do seem to mostly be higher concentration.

If you look around at the real quality stuff then you'll see that gender doesn't really matter, and that concentration isn't discriminatory.
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post #21 of 32
1/11/13 at 6:10am
There are plenty of great male fragrances out there. I have no problem with it.

And I wouldn't want any of my fragrances lasting more than 8 hours because I like to wear more than one fragrance per day. And if a fragrance like le male lasts 2 says then that's far from a good thing.
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post #22 of 32
1/11/13 at 6:20am
You base your comments on a false premise - that women's EDPs are better than male EDTs.

I have bought hundreds of women's EDPs - only to have the women I bought them for comment that many (including those made by major houses) didn't last much more than four hours on them. From observation, most women's EDPs are on par longevity wise with male EDTs (though I think male EDTs may outdo the women's EDPs in the projection stakes).

The reason is simple - most male EDTs have wood or leather basenotes, and these last a lot longer than the floral basenotes in women's scents. The few male EDPs I have last about 15 hours with strength, some seven hours or so more than their EDT counterparts. That said, I have EDTs that last longer than the male EDPs. And Joop Homme EDT would easily last for a week on you, if you didn't have to take showers during that time.
Cheers,
Renato

P.S. As the purchaser of several hundred female scents ( and having smelled hundreds of others), I must say I've only ever come across about a dozen that I actually like. Masculine scents are much better in my opinion.
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post #23 of 32
1/11/13 at 6:34am
  • Zgb
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I'd agree to this to an extent. Women get quality whilst men get variety.
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post #24 of 32
1/11/13 at 6:40am
I put together a whole blog on perfume concentrations. Check it out!
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post #25 of 32
1/11/13 at 4:30pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the wise words gents, they do actually make sense. I forgot to add that it was aimed more at designer fragrances. All I wanted to know was why more females scents and EdP and more male scents are EdT. It's not about me wanting to wear women's perfume, just wondering why so few male designer fragrances say EdP on the box. Thanks to everyone who replied. Marketing an EdP as an EdT because you're worried it's gonna seem too girly and manly men won't buy it makes a lot of sense.
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post #26 of 32
1/11/13 at 4:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by noggs View Post

Just bite the bullet and wear womens' frags. Most of them are better (quality-wise, not only longevity-wise) than most mens' frags.

This. You might be surprised how much you like them.
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post #27 of 32
1/11/13 at 4:59pm
In a traditional sense, society would see women as the flowers and men as the bees. Perhaps it is much easier for a woman to wear too much perfume compared to what will be tolerated for a man. In saying that I have some great designer edts in my collection that will outlast most of my high end men's niche edps. In fact, I think edp verisions of my best edts would pale in comparison judging by the tendency of edps to evolve faster into skin scents.
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post #28 of 32
1/11/13 at 8:16pm
In perfume, the male of the species is always smaller than the female.

It has to do with a lot more than the concentrations.
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post #29 of 32
1/11/13 at 10:01pm
Seems like men have more of a selection. We can't always have our cake and eat it too
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post #30 of 32
1/11/13 at 10:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sjg3839 View Post

Seems like men have more of a selection. We can't always have our cake and eat it too

Ah, we all have everything to select from! It's all a matter of where we choose to go with our scent & whether we're pleasing ourselves or others with our choices. Run with the pack or pave your own road.
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post #31 of 32
1/11/13 at 10:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Grand Duc View Post

Female perfumes are generally more expensive than ours.
Ladies are willing to spent a lot more on a perfume, so
of course they also get the best quality.
Even though some EdTs last longer than some EdPs,
it's still more expensive to produce most EdPs thus the
higher retail price. That's just MHO anyway!

Most men are too cheap!

But don't get too hung up on concentrations. Try 'em all!

I agree with Ducky on this. I have seen some EDTs and colognes with high fragrance content.

Sample and be the judge.
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post #32 of 32
1/12/13 at 3:04am
I agree with many of the comments, when I first began my love affair with fragrances, I was obsessed with finding something that lasted longer than it took to walk out of the store where I applied it...Then I found niche...Many Montales, Bond no. 9's Mona d'Orios, etc last a long time and are marketed as "unisex" I still haven't really decided what mens, womens, or unisex REALLY means, but like pornography, I can't define it, but I know it when I see it! (or in the case of fragrances-smell it)
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