Difference Between Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette

People like to smell good. What classes as good varies from person to person, but in general spices, fruits, and flowers are preferable to the standard human body odor created by a mixture of sweat and dirt on our skin. Because of this, people have gone to great lengths throughout the ages to eliminate bad smells from their body. One popular method is applying perfume. Making perfume is an exacting science, and over the years perfumers have developed many different varieties. Two different varieties of perfume are eau de parfum and eau de toilette.

Translations of the Terms
Both eau de parfum and eau de toilette are French words that have found common usage in English.
Eau de parfum translates to water of perfume.
Eau de toilette translates to water of the toilet.
These are literal translations and bear only a limited meaning on the actual functions of eau de parfum and eau de toilette.

Definitions of the Terms
Eau de parfum – is a type of perfume with a medium-high concentration of perfumed oils in comparison to the water or alcohol content of the solution
Eau de toilette – is a type of perfume with a medium-low concentration of perfumed oils

How These Perfumes are Made
Perfumeries keep their formulas secret. The recipes have been handed down from generation to generation in some cases. Therefore you can’t really know precisely how perfumes are made. However, the general formulas for eau de parfum and eau de toilette are as follows:
Eau de parfum – is made with around 15% concentrated aromatic compounds. This means scented particles suspended in oil. The rest is made from a combination of ethanol and water. Better eau de parfum has a higher ratio of ethanol to water.
Eau de toilette – is made with around 10% concentrated aromatic compounds. It generally has more water than ethanol in it.

Which One Should You Buy?
Eau de parfum – is more expensive. You will generally only find this variety of perfume in upscale lines. That is because of the higher amount of aromatic compound. It also lasts a lot longer. Depending on the dryness of your skin, a few drops of eau de parfum should last from morning until night.
Eau de toilette – is less expensive because it is less concentrated. That also means that it doesn’t last as long. If you love to wear perfume all day, you will probably find that you need to reapply at least once. This of course, can up the overall cost.

Summary:
1.Eau de parfum and eau de toilette are both types of perfume.
2.Eau de parfum has a greater concentration of scent than eau de toilette.
3.Eau de parfum lasts longer than eau de toilette.
4.Eau de parfum is more expensive than eau de toilette, though, since you have to apply eau de toilette more often, the costs may turn out to be equal.