A short guide to perfume terminology. Explaining all important keywords that you may not know about.
Terminology is by definition overwhelming at first. As you probably know, there’s a lot of jargon involved in perfume-speak, and it can be downright confusing. And if you consider yourself as a perfume enthusiast you may have heard some terms that are thrown at you. Sometimes you might get them, sometimes a bit less. It helps if you can relate to your early (or late) French classes (some of this terminologies relate back to its French origins).
But do not despair, we at Peïthō Perfumes are here to help you navigate the wonderful world of perfume and share our own love for wonderful scents.
That’s why we’ve put together this guide to perfume terminology. Whether you’re a pro or a novice, this guide will help you (more to novices, but hey..)make sense of all the important keywords.
So let’s get started!
When we first started getting into the perfume world, we were quickly overwhelmed with all of the new terminology. We’ve put together a short guide to perfume terminology, explaining all of the important keywords that you may not know about. From pros to amateurs, this guide will help you understand everything you need to know about perfume!
Accord: An accord is a combination of two or more fragrance notes that work together to create a particular smell. For example, a floral accord might include notes of rose, jasmine, and lily.
Blend: A blend is a combination of two or more different fragrance compounds. Blends are often used to create a more complex scent than a single compound can provide.
Concentration
The concentration of a perfume refers to the amount of fragrance oil that is used in the scent. The higher the concentration, the more intense the scent will be.
Eau de Parfum (EDP) is the most common type of perfume, with a concentration of around 15-20%, sometimes even a bit higher. By the way, we at Peïthō Perfumes aim at approx. 25% to give you a good solid quality scent.
Eau de Toilette (EDT) has a lower concentration of around 5-15%.
Eau de Cologne (EDC) has the lowest concentration of around 2-5%.
Extrait de Parfum (EDP) is the most concentrated type of perfume, with a concentration of around 20-40%.
Compound
A compound is a single fragrance note that has been created by combining two or more different fragrance molecules. For example, a compound called linalool (as a compound) is created by combining the molecules linalool and linalyl acetate.
Diffusion
Diffusion is the process by which a perfume’s fragrance molecules are released into the air. This can be done through evaporation (when the perfume is applied to the skin) or through a diffuser (a device that disperses the fragrance into the air).
Distillation
Distillation is a process by which a perfume’s fragrance molecules are extracted from plant materials. This is typically done using a still, which heats the plant material and collects the fragrance molecules that are released.
Fragrance Families
Perfumes are often classified into “families” based on their main fragrance notes. For example, a floral perfume would be classified as a member of the floral family, while a woody perfume would be classified as a member of the woody family.
There are many different fragrance families, but some of the most common are floral, woody, oriental, fresh, and musky.
Maceration
Maceration is the process of soaking botanical ingredients in a solvent (usually alcohol) to extract their fragrance. This process is used to create natural perfumes, as well as to intensify the scent of synthetic fragrances.
Natural vs. Synthetic
Natural perfumes are made with botanical ingredients that have been extracted through the process of maceration. Synthetic perfumes are made with synthetic fragrance oils that mimic the scent of natural ingredients.
Both natural and synthetic perfumes have their own unique benefits and drawbacks. Natural perfumes may have a shorter shelf life, but they can be more complex and nuanced in their scent. However, natural perfumes are prone to quality differencies since the production procedure may vary. Synthetic perfumes have mainly a longer shelf life and our considered cleaner in quality. With synthetic materials scents are created that are not or rarely found in nature. It is always the job of the parfumeur to ensure that the synthetic material is not overwhelming in order to avoid “fake” or “chemical-y” smells.
Synthetic materials have the beauty that they can further imitate scents from nature that are deriving from animals, such as Ambergris (formed by secretation from whales. Whale barf so to say). Ambergris is considered illegal in certain countries such as the USA or Australia (and others), yet still legal in France, Switzerland and also the UK. The reason behin this is animal welfare and not necessarily health concerns. Science howerver has come up with various products to imitate this scent with products such as Ambroxan, Ambroxide, Cetalox or even Ambergris Oliffac.
Note that we at Peïthō Perfumes are determined in abstaining from any material that is directly animal related (or even tested on animals!).
Sillage & Projection
Sillage is the French word for “wake”, and it refers to the trail of scent that is left behind (by its meaning by the waves or track created by a boat) when you wear a perfume. The sillage of a perfume can be light, moderate, or heavy, depending on the concentration of the fragrance.
Projection is similar to sillage, but it specifically refers to how far the scent can be detected. For example, a perfume with a heavy sillage might have a moderate projection, while a perfume with a light sillage might have a heavy projection.
In short you could also say that sillage is related to your movement whilst projection is related to the “natural charisma” of your perfume projecting its power through the room you are in.
Undertone
An undertone is a fragrance note that is not immediately detectable, but can be sensed after wearing a perfume for a while. Undertones are often more subtle than the perfume’s main notes, and they can help to round out the scent.
We hope this guide has been helpful in explaining some of the basic terminology of the perfume world! If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with us us directly.
If you are looking for a quality perfume that you can wear to pretty much any occasion, be sure to check out Peïthō.
Peïthō produces handmade molecular perfumes using quality ingredients to create unique, one-of-a-kind fragrances.
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