Mankind has been making use of various products since ages to stop body odors and the smell of perspiration. (Some Anthropologists believe that human odor was a way to repel animals who wanted to prey upon humans.) Smelling bad is considered bad manners and people spray different kinds of liquids available in the market by the names of deodorants and perfumes on their clothes and body to keep smelling fresh. There are many people who cannot differentiate between a deodorant and a perfume and use the terms interchangeably. These are also the people who spray these products over their clothes and body as if they were the same. However, the two products, despite the fact that both are liquids having fragrances used for similar purposes, are quite different in composition and longevity of their fragrance. Let us find out that in this article.
Deodorant
Deodorant is a liquid spray that is used to eliminate body odors. It is very effective in covering bad smell of perspiration coming out of armpits and also from the clothes when a person has been working hard for some time. As the name implies, a deodorant does what it has been made for; deodorize a person or a place where it is sprayed.
A deodorant is made from fragrant oils that are 6-15% by volume in 80% solution of alcohol. When sprayed on the body, deodorants work as antiperspirants, but as they contain a very small percentage of fragrant oils, they do not work if sprayed on clothes. However, antiperspirants are only a type of deodorants and work to prevent sweating. It is these antiperspirants that are sprayed under armpits. On the other hand, deodorants can be applied on other body parts too.
Perfume
Perfume is a fragrant liquid that is applied on clothes and some body parts, to linger on and keep away body odors. Perfumes are made using fragrant oils. These oils come from various herbs, flowers, and spices. Perfumes contain these fragrant oils in a high percentage to the tune of 15-25% in an 80% alcoholic solution. This is why perfumes last for a very long time as they have a high concentration of fragrant oils. In fact, some perfumes are so strong that their fragrance lasts even after the person who has applied them on his clothes has taken a bath.
What is the difference between Deodorant and Perfume?
• Perfumes have a higher percentage of fragrant oils in alcohol (15-25%) than deodorants (6-15%).
• Perfumes are stronger in fragrance and last longer than deodorants.
• Deodorants are meant to mask body odor and some of them act as antiperspirants.
• Deodorants are applied directly on the body, especially under the armpits.
• Perfumes are applied on clothes and some body parts such as back of the neck, ears, wrists, and so on.
• Perfumes are in general costlier than deodorants as they contain a higher concentration of fragrant oils than deodorants.