What Is the Highest Quality of Perfume?

In terms of concentration, parfum, also called extrait, is the highest grade, with about 15 to 30% aromatic compounds. But a higher concentration does not automatically mean a better perfume. Quality also comes from the ingredients, the skill of the perfumer and how well the fragrance develops on your skin.

What to look for

• Development: a good fragrance changes gracefully from top notes to heart to base over several hours.
• Staying power: richer base notes such as amber, woods and musk help it last.
• Balance: the notes should blend rather than clash.
• Maker: established houses and perfumers are accountable for their formulas, and reputable retailers ensure the bottle is genuine.

Natural or synthetic?

Both are used. Synthetic ingredients are not automatically lower quality, and many classic perfumes rely on them. Natural ingredients can vary from harvest to harvest.

Testing a perfume

Spray it on your skin, not a paper strip, and wait a few hours before deciding. Buy from authorised sellers, because counterfeit perfumes exist.

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