YEARS AGO, IT WAS CUSTOMARY TO USE JUST ESSENTIAL OILS AND RESINS AS PERFUME. REAL, AUTHENTIC AND HONEST TO GOD, RAW MATERIALS FROM MOTHER EARTH. THESE WERE IN PURE FORM, MEANING THEY WERE NOT ADULTERATED WITH SYNTHETICS, WATER OR ALCOHOL. THEY WERE ALSO EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE AND USUALLY RESERVED ONLY FOR THE ELITE, MEANING KINGS AND QUEENS. REMEMBER THE STORY OF BABY JESUS, THE KING, AND THE THREE WISE MEN BRINGING FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH? WELL, AS THE STORY GOES, THESE MATERIALS WERE NOT CUT WITH WATER, ALCOHOL OR SYNTHETICS, BUT WERE CONCENTRATIONS OF THE REAL THING. WELL, THE REST OF THE COMMON PEOPLE, WHOM WERE NOT KINGS AND QUEENS, GOT JUST A WEE BIT JEALOUS AND ENVIOUS THAT THEY WERE NOT PRIVY TO SUCH WONDERFUL COMMODITIES. SINCE THESE COMMON FOLKS WERE THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION, WHAT COULD THE PERFUMER DO? SO, THIS PUT THE PERFUMER IN QUITE A DILEMA. WITH PEOPLE BEATING DOWN THEIR DOORS WANTING TO SMELL GOOD, SINCE EVEN BATHING WAS A LUXURY, THE PERFUMER DEVISED A PLAN. WHAT IF THE PERFUMERS DILUTED THE PERFUME WITH A CHEAP MATERIAL SO THAT EVERYONE COULD AFFORD A BOTTLE? YOU COULD ALSO COMPARE THIS TO DRUGS AND DRUG DEALING. THE ORIGINAL INTENTION, I DO BELIEVE, WAS A GOOD ONE. SO, THE PERFUMES WERE DILUTED WITH WATER, ALCOHOL AND EVENTUALLY SYNTHETICS. NOW, I AM NOT PUTTING DOWN ANY OF THESE MATERIALS. I GUESS EVERYTHING HAS ITS PLACE. WATER IS WONDERFUL AND WE COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT. I LOVE ALCOHOL AND I ALSO DRINK IT. AND SOME SYNTHETICS ARE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT THE CONSUMER TOUCHES HAS SYNTHETICS. IT HAS BEEN AMAZING OF THE STUFF MAN/WOMAN HAS MADE IN HIS/HER LABORATORY. WHEN IT COMES TO WATERING DOWN PERFUMES. THAT IS ALL RIGHT; AS LONG AS YOU THE CONSUMER KNOWS THAT IT IS WATERED DOWN. WE WILL GET TO PERCENTAGES IN A MOMENT. THE ALCOHOL IS USED AS BOTH AS A PRESERVATIVE AND AN ANTIBACTERIAL, MEANING THAT IT KILLS BACTERIA WHICH CAUSES DECOMPOSITION. ALSO, IT DOES HELP WITH THE ABSORPTION OF THE PERFUME ONTO THE SKIN. WARNING: PLEASE DO NOT EVER TRY TO DRINK PERFUME AS THE ALCOHOL IS DENATURED, WHICH MEANS THAT IT IS NOT DRINKABLE.

NOW TO THE PERCENTAGES OF PERFUME AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHEN YOU GO TO THE PERFUME COUNTER AND IF YOU ARE A KING OR A QUEEN, ALWAYS ASK FOR “PURE PARFUM”. THIS USUALLY MEANS THAT YOU ARE GETTING A VERY HIGH END PERFUME. IT USUALLY IS NOT DILUTED WITH ANY WATER OR ALCOHOL. IF THERE WERE ANY ALCOHOL IN IT, IT WOULD BE FROM THE NATURAL DISTILLATION OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OR A FLAMMABLE SYNTHETIC. REMEMBER, MOST OILS ARE FLAMMABLE. SECOND IN LINE IS THE EAU DE PARFUM, (HIGH END), WHICH MEANS THAT IT IS DILUTED WITH WATER, USUALLY AROUND 20-30% WATER, BUT IT ALSO USUALLY HAS ALCOHOL ALSO AS PART OF THE DILUTENT. THEN THERE IS EAU DE TOILETTE, WHICH IS MEDIUM RANGE IN PRICE AND HAS BEEN DILUTED WITH ALCOHOL AND WATER, USUALLY BETWEEN 10-20%. THEN THERE IS COLOGNE, WHICH IS MEDIUM TO LOW PRICE AND IS DILUTED BETWEEN 5-10%. AND THEN THERE IS EAU DE FRAICHE, WHICH IS PROBABLY THE ABSOLUTE CHEAPEST PRICE AT WHICH YOU CAN BUY PERFUME AND IT CAN BE DILUTED AS LOW AS 1%. THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH ALL OF THIS IS THE SO-CALLED “CHEAPENING” OF THE PERFUME IN ORDER TO MAKE IT AFFORDABLE. SOME PERFUMERIES AND PERFUME HOUSES HAVE GOTTEN A BAD NAME BY DOING THIS, WHICH IS VERY UNFORTUNATE. THE BOTTOM LINE IS, QUALITY HAS BEEN SACRIFICED FOR QUANTITY.

THIS PERFUME GUIDE IS COPYRIGHTED AND HAS BEEN WRITTEN BY BOBBIE KOPELMAN, PRESIDENT OF PARAGON PERFUMES LLC, MAUI, HAWAII, ON THIS 4TH DAY OF DECEMBER 2006. TO CONTACT BOBBIE, SEND ALL EMAIL TO PARAGONPERFUMES@MAC.COM OR GO TO THE EBAY STORE PARAGON PERFUMES. SIGN UP ON THEIR EBAY EMAIL LIST AND ENTER A MONTHLY DRAWING FOR A FREE PERFUME SOLID. THE COMPANY DOES NOT SELL OR TRADE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND IT IS STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.

SEND A SELF ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS FOR A FREE SAMPLE OF THE PERFUME, FOR UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE. PARAGON PERFUMES LLC 282 EHILANI STREET MAKAWAO, HAWAII 96768