Perfume Glossary

Terms

Absolute

An absolute is a highly concentrated aromatic extract obtained from a concrete or resin using alcohol. It carries a fuller, closer impression of the raw flower than a distilled oil, which is why jasmine and tuberose are usually supplied this way. Absolutes are costly per kilo and are normally dosed in small percentages.

Accord

An accord is a blend of several materials that reads as one smell rather than as its parts. Perfumers build a formula from a handful of accords instead of hundreds of loose ingredients. When a brief asks for "a warm amber", it is asking for an accord, not a single raw material.

Alcohol denat.

Alcohol denat. is ethanol made unfit to drink by adding a denaturant, and it is the standard carrier in alcoholic perfume. It appears first on most fragrance ingredient lists because it is the largest component by weight. The denaturant used can differ by market, which matters for import documentation.

Aldehyde

Aldehydes are a family of synthetic materials that add a bright, slightly soapy, effervescent lift to the opening of a fragrance. They became a signature of twentieth-century perfumery and are still used to give a formula sparkle. A small dosage change produces a large perceptual change.

Allergen (fragrance allergen)

A fragrance allergen is a substance that must be declared on the label once its concentration passes a threshold set by the destination market. The list and the thresholds are defined by regulation, not by the manufacturer. Because the list is revised periodically, allergen data should be re-confirmed before artwork is printed.

Base note

Base notes are the heaviest, slowest-evaporating materials in a formula and they define what remains after several hours. Woods, resins, musks and animalic materials usually sit here. They carry the fragrance’s longevity and are what most people mean when they say a scent "lasts".

Batch

A batch is one defined quantity of fragrance compounded or filled under a single production record. Every batch carries a code that ties the finished goods back to the formula version, the raw materials and the release decision. Batch traceability is what makes a complaint investigable rather than a matter of memory.

Concrete

A concrete is a waxy solid extracted from plant material with a hydrocarbon solvent, and it is the intermediate step before an absolute. It contains aromatic molecules together with plant waxes. Concretes are rarely used directly in fine fragrance because the wax limits solubility in alcohol.

Dry down

Dry down is the final stage of a fragrance, when the volatile top and heart materials have evaporated and the base remains. It is what a wearer smells on skin hours after application, and it is usually the phase that determines repeat purchase. Evaluating dry down requires waiting several hours on skin rather than judging from a fresh blotter.

EDC — Eau de Cologne

Eau de Cologne is the lightest of the standard alcoholic concentrations, typically dosed in the low single digits by percentage. It is built for freshness and immediate impact rather than duration. Traditional cologne is a citrus-led composition, though the term is also used commercially for any light concentration.

EDP — Eau de Parfum

Eau de Parfum is a mid-to-high concentration, conventionally cited in the fifteen to twenty percent range. It gives longer wear than an EDT while remaining sprayable and commercially priced. EDP is the most common choice for a brand’s signature launch.

EDP vs EDT: the practical difference

The difference between EDP and EDT is the percentage of fragrance concentrate carried in the alcohol base, not a difference in quality. A higher concentration generally means longer wear and a heavier presence, while a lighter one reads fresher and closer to the skin. The same fragrance can be released in both concentrations, and the perfumer usually adjusts the balance rather than simply diluting.

EDT — Eau de Toilette

Eau de Toilette sits below EDP, conventionally cited in the five to fifteen percent range. It projects clearly for the first hours and then settles close to the skin. EDT is often chosen for daytime, seasonal or entry-price products in a collection.

Extrait de Parfum

Extrait de Parfum is the most concentrated standard format, conventionally cited from twenty percent upward. It is applied sparingly, often from a dab bottle rather than a spray, and it emphasises the base of the composition. Extrait typically carries the highest cost per millilitre in a range.

Fixative

A fixative is a material that slows the evaporation of the more volatile parts of a formula, holding the composition together for longer. Resins, certain musks and heavy woods perform this role. Fixation is a formulation decision, not something that can be added to a finished juice afterwards.

Fragrance oil (compound, concentrate)

A fragrance oil is the undiluted aromatic compound supplied by the perfumer before it is dosed into alcohol, wax or a base. It is the item a brief is really about, and it is priced per kilogram. The same oil behaves differently in perfume, candle wax and a reed diffuser base, so it is evaluated separately in each.

Heart note (middle note)

Heart notes emerge as the top notes fade and they carry the main character of the fragrance. Florals, spices and fruity accords commonly sit in this phase. The heart is usually where a brief’s "story" is actually delivered.

IFRA

IFRA is the International Fragrance Association, which publishes usage standards limiting or prohibiting certain materials in fragrance compositions. A supplier statement of IFRA conformity is issued against a specific product category and a specific dosage. The certificate applies to the compound at a stated concentration, not to every possible finished product.

Longevity

Longevity is how long a fragrance remains perceptible after application. It depends on the concentration, the material palette and the wearer’s skin, so it is measured in ranges rather than a single number. Longevity should be evaluated on skin over a full day, not from the first minutes on a blotter.

Maceration

Maceration is the resting period after the concentrate is mixed with alcohol, during which the components integrate and the smell settles. Freshly mixed juice can smell sharp or unbalanced compared with the same batch a few weeks later. Approval samples should be evaluated after maceration so the decision matches what will be produced.

MOQ — minimum order quantity

MOQ is the smallest quantity a supplier will produce or sell, and in fragrance projects it is never a single number. The compounding batch, the per-fragrance minimum and the purchase minimums for bottles, caps, cartons and decoration are set separately and the binding one is whichever is highest. A quotation should state each layer rather than a single figure.

Oud (oudh, agarwood)

Oud is the resinous heartwood formed when an Aquilaria tree responds to infection, and it is one of the most expensive natural materials in perfumery. Its smell is dense, woody and animalic, and it dominates a composition at low dosage. Most commercial products described as oud use synthetic or blended reconstructions rather than distilled natural oud.

Parfum (as an ingredient term)

"Parfum" on an ingredient list is the collective term for the fragrance compound, allowing its composition to remain undisclosed. It is not the same as the concentration named Extrait de Parfum. Declared allergens appear individually after it once thresholds are exceeded.

Sillage

Sillage is the scented trail a fragrance leaves in the air around the wearer. It is distinct from longevity: a fragrance can last a long time while staying close to the skin, or project strongly and fade quickly. Buyers usually describe sillage in commercial terms as "presence" or "projection".

Top note (head note)

Top notes are the most volatile materials and they form the first impression, usually lasting minutes rather than hours. Citrus, light aromatics and aldehydes typically sit here. A top note sells the first spray in retail but says little about how the product wears.

Where these terms show up in a project

Concentration, note structure and dry down belong to the development stage and are settled through coded samples. Batch, MOQ and allergen data belong to the commercial and compliance stage and are settled in the quotation and the product information file. Confusing the two is the most common reason a project stalls: a decision that looks creative is often a purchasing constraint.

Related guides

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If a term above is blocking a decision, send the brief and the question together. It is faster to resolve a concentration or minimum-quantity choice against a real specification than in the abstract.

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