Perfume Glossary

This perfume glossary defines 40+ terms used in fragrance buying, perfumery, and reviews — from "EDP" to "sillage" to "oud." Maintained by Brands Warehouse, a Canadian online perfume retailer based in Toronto. Bookmark this page; we keep it updated.

Concentration types

Parfum (also: Extrait, Extract de Parfum)

The highest commercial perfume concentration — 20-40% fragrance oil. Lasts 8-12+ hours. Typically dabbed, not sprayed. Most expensive per ml. Examples: Tom Ford Parfum line, Chanel Les Exclusifs Parfum.

Eau de Parfum (EDP)

15-20% fragrance oil. Lasts 6-10 hours. The most popular modern concentration for designer and Arabian perfumes. Sprayed 3-5 times.

Eau de Toilette (EDT)

5-15% fragrance oil. Lasts 3-5 hours. Lighter and fresher than EDP. Most "summer fragrances" are EDT. Sprayed 4-6 times.

Eau de Cologne (EDC)

2-5% fragrance oil. Lasts 2-3 hours. Traditional 17th-century formulation focused on citrus. Splashed or sprayed liberally.

Eau Fraiche

1-3% fragrance oil suspended primarily in water. Lasts 1-2 hours. Designed for hot weather and gentle skin.

Fragrance structure

Top notes (also: head notes, opening)

The first scents you smell when you spray. Last 5-30 minutes. Common top notes: citrus (bergamot, lemon, mandarin), green herbs (mint, basil), light fruits (apple, pear).

Heart notes (also: middle notes)

The "heart" of the fragrance, emerging 15-30 minutes after spray and lasting 2-4 hours. Common: florals (jasmine, rose, ylang ylang), spices (cinnamon, cardamom), fruits (peach, plum).

Base notes (also: dry-down, far dry)

The long-lasting foundation, emerging 1-2 hours after spray and lasting until the fragrance fades. Common: woods (sandalwood, cedar, oud), resins (amber, frankincense, benzoin), musks, vanilla.

Accord

A blend of 2-5 notes designed to smell like a single ingredient or concept. Example: "leather accord" might combine birch tar, suede, and styrax to recreate a leather scent.

Dry-down

The base note phase of a fragrance. Typically the longest-lasting part and the most important for signature scent recognition.

Performance terms

Longevity

How long a fragrance lasts on skin. Measured in hours from application to when the scent fades below detection.

Projection

How far a fragrance radiates from your skin. Strong projection means people can smell you from a few feet away; close projection (also "skin scent") stays within 6 inches of your body.

Sillage

Pronounced "see-yazh." The scent trail a fragrance leaves behind as you walk through a space. A "heavy sillage" fragrance leaves a noticeable scent in the room after you've left.

Beast mode

Fragrance community slang for very strong projection and longevity (10+ hours, heavy sillage). Often associated with Arabian fragrances and Tom Ford private blends.

Scrubber

Slang for a fragrance you dislike so much you want to scrub it off. Often refers to challenging notes like indoles, civet, or aldehydes that some people perceive as unpleasant.

Note families and types

Oud (also: oudh, aoud, agarwood)

Fragrant resinous wood from the Aquilaria tree, prized in Arabian and Asian perfumery. Smells smoky, woody, slightly fermented. Real oud oil costs $50,000-100,000 USD per kilogram; most modern "oud" perfumes use synthetic accords.

Amber (synthetic)

A perfumery term for a warm, sweet, resinous accord typically blended from labdanum, vanilla, benzoin, and tonka. Not actual fossilized tree resin. The base note of most "warm" winter fragrances.

Musk

Originally derived from a gland in the male musk deer (now banned). Modern musks are synthetic — clean, slightly sweet, body-warm. The base note of nearly every modern perfume.

Civet

Animalic note historically derived from civet cats (now synthetic). Smells fecal in concentration but "warm and sensual" in dilution. Used in small amounts in classic perfumes like Chanel No. 5 and Calvin Klein Obsession.

Ambergris

Hardened secretion from sperm whales (only collected ethically when washed ashore). Marine, slightly salty, woody. Most modern "ambergris" notes are synthetic recreations called "ambroxan" or "ambroxide."

Calone

A synthetic molecule invented in 1966 that smells like ocean spray and watermelon. The defining aroma of the "aquatic" fragrance category (Davidoff Cool Water, Acqua di Gio).

Iso E Super

A synthetic woody-amber molecule introduced by IFF. Provides a "transparent woody" feel that boosts other notes without dominating. Found in nearly every modern designer fragrance.

Hedione

A synthetic jasmine-floral molecule. Adds airy radiance and "diffusion" to a fragrance. Used in Dior Eau Sauvage, Chanel No. 19, and most modern florals.

Arabian and Eastern fragrance terms

Attar (also: ittar)

Concentrated alcohol-free perfume oil, traditionally made by distilling flowers onto a sandalwood or oud base. Applied with a glass rod or fingertip to pulse points. Lasts 12+ hours.

Bakhoor

Scented wood chips — usually agarwood soaked in fragrant oils — burned on charcoal or an electric burner to scent the home, clothing, and hair.

Mukhallat

Arabic for "blend." Refers to a mixture of multiple perfume oils combined into a single complex scent. Most modern Arabian eau de parfums are technically mukhallats.

Dehn al Oud

The highest-grade pure oud oil. Applied like attar in tiny amounts. A 3ml vial of premium Hindi or Cambodian Dehn al Oud can cost $300-2000+ CAD.

Industry & commercial terms

Designer fragrance

A fragrance produced by a fashion or lifestyle brand (Dior, Chanel, Versace, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein). Sold through mainstream department stores and retailers.

Niche fragrance

A fragrance from a smaller, specialized perfumery house focused on artistry rather than mass-market appeal (Tom Ford Private Blend, Creed, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Initio, Lattafa, Afnan).

Flanker

A variant of a successful perfume, usually released a few years later. Examples: Versace Eros Flame is a flanker of Eros; Calvin Klein Eternity Air is a flanker of Eternity.

Limited edition

A perfume produced in restricted quantities, often for a holiday or anniversary. Once sold out, no longer manufactured.

Reformulation

When a brand changes the formula of an existing perfume. Often happens due to IFRA restrictions on raw materials, cost reduction, or "modernization." Older formulations are often considered better by enthusiasts.

Tester / unboxed

A factory-genuine bottle sold without retail packaging (often a white box or no box). Real perfume, sold at 20-40% discount. Common at authorized resellers.

Batch code

A 3-7 character alphanumeric code stamped on the bottle base and box. Decodes to manufacture date via checkfresh.com or checkcosmetic.net. Must match between bottle and box.

Decant

A small sample (typically 1-10ml) transferred from a full bottle into a smaller vial. Used to try a fragrance before buying full size. Available from specialty decant sellers.

Regulatory and safety

IFRA (International Fragrance Association)

The global industry body that sets safety standards for perfume ingredients. IFRA-compliant fragrances restrict known allergens to safe concentrations.

Allergen disclosure

EU law requires perfumes to list 26 specific allergens on the box if present above threshold concentrations (e.g., linalool, limonene, eugenol). Canadian perfumes follow similar conventions.

Patch test

Applying a small amount of perfume to the inner wrist for 24 hours to check for skin reaction before full use. Recommended for sensitive skin.