Whether you’re discovering perfume for the first time or refining your scent knowledge, understanding commonly used fragrance terms can completely change the way you experience the art of perfumery.
This glossary breaks down the essential vocabulary used by perfumers, brands, and fragrance enthusiasts into simple, easy-to-understand definitions. Use it as a guide to explore scent families, fragrance structures, ingredients, and the artistry behind modern perfumery, helping you choose fragrances that work for you.
Absolute
A highly concentrated, intensely aromatic, and viscous oily mixture extracted from plant materials, rather than heat-based distillation. Often richer and deeper than essential oils, this mixture is truer to the original aroma of the plant.
Accord
A blend of two or more materials combined to create a new scent. Ingredients for the accord can be all-natural, all-synthetic, or a combination.
Amber / Oriental
A warm fragrance family characterised by vanilla, amber, spices, resins and incense. “Amber” is often preferred over the term “oriental”, but you may still see them used interchangeably.
Aromatic
A fragrance family built around fresh herbs such as lavender, rosemary, basil, thyme, and sage.
Base Notes
These are the deepest and longest-lasting parts of a fragrance, and are smelled long after the top and middle notes have evaporated. These notes emerge during the dry down and provide richness and longevity.
Bergamot
A citrus fruit widely used in perfumery for its fresh, bright, slightly bitter aroma.
Chypre
A fragrance family under the umbrella of woody / amber. It combines citrus top notes with mossy, woody, and resinous notes such as oakmoss and patchouli. It is warm, dry, and complex and derived from the French word for ‘Cyprus’ - referring to Mediterranean scents.
Distillation
A process where steam extracts essential oils from natural materials. The steam passes through plant matter, causing the oils to evaporate and separate from the source. The vapour is then cooled and condensed back into liquid form, resulting in an oil that can then be purified and used.
Dry Down
The final stage of a fragrance after the top and heart notes fade, leaving the base notes on the skin.
Eau Fraîche
A very light fragrance concentration, typically containing 2 to 5% perfume oil. It contains a higher proportion of water than alcohol, giving it a softer and more subtle scent. Eau Fraîche usually lasts around 1 to 3 hours on the skin.
Eau de Cologne (EDC)
A light, refreshing fragrance concentration traditionally centred on citrus notes, usually around 2 to 5% perfume oil. Though unlike Eau Fraîche, it contains more alcohol, which helps the fragrance project more strongly at first but can also make it fade relatively quickly. Eau de Cologne generally lasts around 2 to 4 hours on the skin.
Eau de Parfum (EDP)
A richer fragrance concentration containing roughly 15 to 20% perfume oil. Due to the higher concentrations, Eau de Parfum smells more intensely, and it usually lasts around 4 to 8 hours on the skin.
Eau de Toilette (EDT)
A lighter fragrance concentration typically containing 5 to 15% perfume oil. Eau de Toilette usually lasts around 3 to 5 hours on the skin.
(Fact: the word toilette in French refers to the act of grooming or getting ready, not a bathroom toilet - so whilst the term literally translates to ‘toilet water’, in French, it’s closer to ‘washing water’ or ‘grooming water’.)
Essence
A concentrated aromatic substance that captures the key scent of a natural or synthetic material. Essential oils are one type of essence, and essences are used in very small amounts because they are usually very potent!
Essential Oil
A natural aromatic oil extracted from plants, usually through distillation. Essential oils are highly concentrated and are used in perfumery, and sometimes are diluted due to their potency.
Extraction
The process of obtaining aromatic compounds from raw natural materials like flowers, fruits, woods, or resins. It can be done using methods like distillation or cold pressing, depending on the type of material and desired result.
Fougère
A classic fragrance family often associated with masculine scents, perfumes described as fougère will usually be fresh, grassy, and green.
Frankincense
A resin derived from the Boswellia tree, valued for its smoky, resinous aroma.
Gourmand
This term describes fragrances inspired by edible notes such as vanilla, caramel, chocolate, coffee, or sugar.
Heart notes / middle notes
Used interchangeably, this is second in the fragrance pyramid and is the part of the fragrance that develops after the top notes fade. The middle notes usually last several hours.
Layering
The practice of combining two or more fragrances to create a unique and personalised scent.
Maceration
This refers to the practice of letting newly created fragrances ‘rest’, which allows the oils and components of the scent to fully blend, stabilise, and mature.
Nose
If you see someone being referred to as a ‘nose’, this is another term for a perfumer, referring to those who create fragrances.
Notes
The individual scent elements within a fragrance, organised into top, heart, and base notes.
Olfactory
The simple definition is that ‘it relates to smell’, referring to the olfactory nerves, receptors, and nasal passages. You may see ‘olfactory experience’ or ‘olfactory family’ written, and this just refers to the sense of smell.
Oud
Also called agarwood, oud is a dark, resinous wood note that has a smoky, and complex aroma. You’ll often see this to describe woody perfumes.
Parfum / Extrait de Parfum
The highest fragrance concentration, usually above 20% perfume oil, offering maximum richness and longevity.
Patchouli
An earthy, woody, slightly sweet note from the mint family, commonly used in woody and chypre fragrances.
Perfumer
The person who creates fragrances, also sometimes referred to as a ‘nose’.
Projection
This refers to how strongly and how far a fragrance can be smelled from the person who is wearing it. If it can be smelled across the room, this is a very strong projection. If it can’t be smelled unless you are close to the wearer, this is a soft projection.
Sandalwood
A creamy, soft, woody note that is often described as having a smooth and comforting character. Usually found in woody or amber fragrances.
Sillage
This is the scented trail left behind by someone wearing perfume, it is different to the projection. Think of it as the trail left behind you as you move, where the projection is measured from standing still.
Synthetic Notes
Synthetic notes refer to aromatic elements that are created in laboratories rather than extracted from nature. For example, vanillin is the synthetic form of vanilla.
Tonka Bean
A seed with warm notes reminiscent of vanilla, almond, tobacco, and caramel.
Top Notes
Top notes refer to the first scents smelled immediately after applying a fragrance. They are usually light and fast-evaporating, so they aren’t present for as long as the base or middle notes.
Vetiver
Vetiver is a type of grass which, when the roots are extracted, produces an earthy, grassy and woody note.
Woody
A fragrance family centred around notes like cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver, and patchouli.
Ylang-Ylang
A tropical flower with a rich, creamy, sweet floral smell often used in floral fragrances.
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Understanding these basics makes it much easier to see why perfumes smell and last differently, and how ingredients come together to form a finished fragrance. For a deeper look into how different perfume scents are structured and what sets them apart, our blog ‘What are the different types of fragrance?’ explains this in more detail.
If you want to put your new knowledge into practice, why not browse through our fragrance collection or test out some clearance fragrances if you’re experimenting with layering or new fragrance families? Read through each of the descriptions and see how the perfumes are summarised and find one that works for you, using this glossary for reference.