Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is cologne, parfum, EDT, or EDP?

A. Although people call men's fragrances "cologne," this term really refers to one of the perfume strengths of concentration.  It has nothing to do with gender.  Cologne is a lower level of strength, usually around 5% fragrance concentration with the other 95% being alcohol and sometimes small amounts of additives like anti-oxidants, preservatives, sunscreen, or skin moisturizers.  A perfumer choses the concentration for a perfume based on the materials used in the formula.  For example, an eau de toilette (EDT) made with strong materials may be perceived to be more powerful as a parfum made with weaker-smelling materials.  The full list of fragrance concentrations (note there is no legal requirement for these categories):

Q. What concentration are Sintanni perfumes?

A. We find that parfum concentration between 20% and 30% work best for our compositions.  If we made scents with large amounts of top notes like citrus, we might set those at EDT or EDP.  But since we usually use a greater amount of deep, rich materials (i.e. base notes), we mostly make them at parfum.

Q. What are top notes, middle notes, and base notes?

A. This refers to the evaporation rate of a material.  Generally, a lighter molecule will evaporate before a heavier one.  In short, top notes such as citrus, evaporate off your hot skin first, which is why they are sensed first.  Then middle notes (also called heart notes), like florals, leave your skin next.  Then the heaviest like musks, vanilla, woods, and resins come last since they are the heaviest molecules.

Q. Can I make my fragrance last longer by spraying lotion on my skin first?

A. No, this is a myth.  Molecules evaporate independently based on their molecular weight and vapor pressure, so lotion won't "hold them down."  The heat of your skin greatly increases the speed of evaporation of your perfume.  So while the lotion may delay this for a short time, once your skin heats up this layer of lotion, your perfume will evaporate the same way as on bare skin.  Spraying perfume on clothes makes it last longer because your clothes are cold compared to your skin.

Q. Does rubbing my skin together after I spray on perfume "crush the molecules"?

A. Absolutely not.  You can't break a molecule by squeezing it.  However, rubbing your writs together quickly and aggressively after you spray on perfume WILL generate heat, which will speed up the evaporation.  So you may run through the top notes (like citrus) and go right into the heart notes.  Dabbing is fine, but avoid rubbing.

Q. Can I buy a perfume that contains no chemicals?

A. Absolutely not.  Everything, including you, are made from chemicals.  Water is a chemical: H2O.  Air is full of several chemicals like nitrogen and oxygen in vapor form.  Anything you buy contains chemicals, including your dinner.

Q. How are fragrances made to be safe for use?

A. The two major bodies keeping fragrances safe for use on your skin are the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) and the European Union (EU).  IFRA is an international body that makes recommendations for certain materials and molecules that might be allergenic and keeps them below certain levels.  They aren't trying to destroy fragrance as some think... they are trying to keep fragrances safe so governments don't step and ban perfume.  Most perfume made for the world market is manufactured to comply with EU cosmetic laws, which are much more strict than IFRA and US standards.  Also, the EU has outright banned several popular perfume materials like Lilial that IFRA only recommends limiting percentages.

Q. What are synthetics?

A. Synthetic materials generally refer to molecules that are man-made and not found in nature.  Conversely, molecules like linalool are found commonly in many natural oils and abolsutes (e.x. lavender, rose, basil, neroli, and more).  Linalool and other such molecules are often called "nature identicals."  Whether you add linalool by itself to a perfume or lavender oil, you are getting the linalool molecule in the fragrance, which you can see on most ingredient labels on perfume packaging.  An example of a synthetic molecule is the Galaxolide musk (the scent of Tide detergent) or the woody ISO-E Super.  Hedione, the extremely popular light floral molecule, was found in natural jasmine in 1966 and was resultantly extremely expensive.  Now it is synthesized from the waste product of nylon manufacture and is very inexpensive.  Therefore it is a "nature identical" just like linalool.

Q. Are natural perfumes "better" than perfumes that contain synthetics?

A. No.  From the dawn of perfume in ancient civilizations until synthetic perfume materials were first used in 1882, perfume was much different than today.  In general, it was much thicker, stronger, and animalic.  Using massive amounts of full-strength natural rose, jasmine, cedarwood, saffron, spices, and real animal musk makes something that to today's noses would be considered extremely harsh.  They had no Hedione, ISO-E Super, or the synthetic musks of today that are light, pleasant, and more importantly, give the perfume composition space so you aren't overwhelmed.

Q. Are natural perfumes safer than synthetic perfumes?

A.  No.  Natural materials such as rose absolute for example, can contain between 400 and 800 different molecules.  A synthetic rose note can be made from as little as 3 synthetic materials (phenyl ethyl alcohol, citronellol and geraniol) which are the same molecules found in a rose.  Obviously, 3 molecules have lower odds of causing a skin reaction than 800.  Therefore, we use some of the best naturals in the world and ensure the levels are kept below IFRA standards and European Union safety regulations.

Q. How old are synthetics?

A. Coumarin (the marzipan-like molecule found in tonka bean) was isolated in 1869 and first appeared in Houbigant's Fougère Royale in 1882.  However, vanillin (the major aroma component of vanilla) was isolated in 1858 before coumarin, but did not appear in a perfume until Guerlain's Jicky in 1889.

Q.  Why do the notes description not always match the ingredients list?

A.  Notes are a subjective description of the smell of a perfume.  A perfume that has a note of "rose" does not have to contain any real rose oil or absolute, but rather just SMELL of rose.

Q.  What must appear on a perfume ingredients list on the packaging?

A.  The ingredients list on perfume packaging is a legally required disclosure of 26 molecules and natural materials (like oak moss) that must be disclosed.  "Rose oil" would not appear on a perfume label, but the allergenic components of the oil... like geraniol, eugenol and citronellol, must appear on the packaging if their level is over 0.001%.  If you made a rose accord with citronellol and geraniol, you would have to list them also, just like you would if using natural rose oil.  However if you made a rose note with a synthetic like Phenoxanol, it is not one of the 26 EU allergens so it would NOT appear on the ingredients list.  Finally, the 3 most common perfume materials...Hedione, ISO-E Super, and Galaxolide, do not have to be listed on a perfume label.  Of these, only ISO-E Super is limited as an allergen but it does not require disclosure.  All of these are part of the "FRAGRANCE (PARFUM)" item on an ingredients list.

Q.  What is BHT and is it dangerous?

A.  BHT is butylated hydroxytoluene and is a synthetic chemical that is added to foods as a preservative.  It is an anti-oxidant and it is also used in cosmetics to preserve their freshness.  At the very low levels used in cosmetics on skin, BHT was determined to be totally safe by the WHO and all major medical and cosmetic organizations around the world, including the strict EU.  Someone would have to eat and ingest large amounts of pure BHT over a long period to cause health problems.  We use BHT at 0.25% of the perfume weight, which is under the 0.5% recommended usage level for "leave on skin" products.