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Glossary

The words you’ll see on labels, in reviews and in our masterclasses, explained simply.

Absolute: A highly concentrated aromatic extract made by washing a concrete with alcohol to remove plant waxes. Used for delicate flowers such as jasmine, tuberose and orange blossom that cannot survive steam distillation. Absolutes smell closer to the living flower than distilled oils.
Accord: A blend of several materials that smells like one new thing, the way notes make a chord in music. Amber, chypre and fougère are accords, not ingredients.
Aldehydes: A family of molecules with a sparkling, waxy, soapy or citrusy smell. Made famous by Chanel No. 5 (1921), where they give a champagne-like lift to the florals.
Amber: In perfumery, a warm, sweet, resinous accord usually built from labdanum, benzoin and vanilla. It has nothing to do with fossilised amber and is different from ambergris.
Ambergris: A rare, waxy material from sperm whales that ages at sea and washes ashore. Its salty, skin-like, radiant smell is today recreated with molecules such as Ambroxan.
Anosmia: Inability to smell. Specific anosmia, not being able to smell one particular molecule (often a musk or a woody amber), is very common and completely normal.
Aroma chemical: A single fragrant molecule, either isolated from a natural material or created by chemists. Most modern perfumes use more aroma chemicals than naturals.
Attar: A concentrated, alcohol-free perfume oil. In the Kannauj tradition, flowers or herbs are hydro-distilled in copper stills (deg-bhapka) and the vapour is captured in sandalwood oil.
Bakhoor: Wood chips or pressed pellets soaked in perfume oils and resins, burned on charcoal to scent homes, hair and clothes across the Gulf and South Asia.
Base notes: The deepest layer of a perfume, made of heavy molecules that evaporate slowly: woods, musks, resins, amber and vanilla. They form the dry down and can last a day or more.
Body mist: A light fragrance (typically 1–3% concentrate) in a water–alcohol base, made to refresh skin through the day. Ideal for layering under perfume.
Chypre: A fragrance family named after Coty’s Chypre (1917): bergamot on top, florals in the heart, and a base of oakmoss, labdanum and patchouli. Elegant, mossy and slightly bitter.
Concentrate: The perfumer’s finished formula before dilution. Also called the perfume oil or juice concentrate.
Concentration: How much concentrate a product contains: extrait 20–30%, eau de parfum 15–20%, eau de toilette 5–15%, eau de cologne 2–5%, body mist 1–3%.
Concrete: A waxy, solid extract obtained by washing flowers or leaves with a solvent such as hexane. It is the first step towards an absolute.
Diffusion: How easily a scent spreads through the air around you. Some molecules (Hedione, Iso E Super) are prized for their diffusion rather than their strength.
Dilution: Reducing a material’s strength in alcohol or a carrier, usually to 10% or 1% for smelling. Many materials smell completely different when diluted.
Dry down: How a fragrance smells after it has settled on the skin, usually from about an hour onwards. It is what you and others smell for most of the day.
Eau de cologne: A light, citrus-rich fragrance tradition from 18th-century Cologne, and also the name for the lightest concentration (about 2–5%).
Eau de parfum (EDP): A rich concentration of about 15–20%, lasting around six to eight hours. The most popular choice for everyday luxury.
Eau de toilette (EDT): A lighter concentration of about 5–15%, usually brighter and fresher than the EDP of the same perfume.
Enfleurage: A historic extraction method in which flowers were laid on purified fat that absorbed their scent. Labour-intensive and now almost never used commercially.
Essential oil: A volatile oil obtained from plants by steam distillation or, for citrus peels, cold pressing.
Extrait de parfum: The most concentrated form of perfume, about 20–30%. Rich, close to the skin and very long-lasting. Also called parfum.
Fixative: A material that slows evaporation so a scent lasts longer: resins, musks, heavy woods and some odourless molecules.
Flanker: A new version of an existing perfume that shares its name, such as an “Intense” or a summer edition. Usually built on the original’s structure with a new twist.
Fougère: French for “fern”. A fragrance family founded by Houbigant’s Fougère Royale (1882) around lavender, coumarin and oakmoss. The backbone of many men’s perfumes.
Fragrance wheel: A map of scent families (fresh, floral, amber, woody and their sub-families) created by Michael Edwards. Families next to each other on the wheel blend easily.
Gourmand: Notes that smell edible: vanilla, caramel, praline, coffee, chocolate and honey. The family took off with Angel (1992).
Headspace: A technique that captures the air around a living flower or object and analyses its molecules, so perfumers can recreate the smell without harvesting it.
Heart notes: The middle of a perfume, emerging as the top notes fade and lasting several hours. Usually floral, spicy or fruity, and the true character of the scent.
IFRA: The International Fragrance Association. Its IFRA Standards set limits or bans for materials, by product type, based on safety assessments. Responsible brands follow them worldwide.
Indole: A molecule found naturally in jasmine, orange blossom and tuberose. Animalic in concentration, beautifully floral in tiny amounts. It gives white flowers their sensual depth.
Layering: Wearing two or more fragrance products together (for example a body mist, a perfume and an oil) to build a personal scent.
Linear fragrance: A perfume that smells much the same from first spray to dry down, typical of minimalist modern compositions.
Longevity: How long a fragrance stays noticeable on the skin. It depends on the formula, concentration, skin type and climate.
Maceration: Resting a newly blended perfume, usually for two to six weeks, so the materials settle and round out before chilling and filtering.
Mouillette: A paper smelling strip used by perfumers and in boutiques to evaluate scents without skin.
Musk: Soft, clean, skin-like notes. Natural deer musk is no longer used; today’s musks are synthetic (polycyclic, macrocyclic) or from plants such as ambrette seed.
Note: A single smell you can recognise in a perfume, such as bergamot or vanilla. A note describes what you smell, not necessarily an ingredient.
Olfactory family: A group of scents with a shared character: citrus, aromatic, floral, chypre, fougère, amber, woody, gourmand, aquatic.
Olfactory fatigue: The way your nose stops noticing a smell that is always present. It is why you stop smelling your own perfume after a while.
Oud: A dark resin formed in agarwood (Aquilaria) trees when they are infected. Smoky, animalic and woody, it is one of the most precious materials in perfumery. Wild trees are protected under CITES.
Projection: How far a scent radiates from your skin in the first hours. Different from sillage, which is the trail it leaves as you move.
Resinoid: A thick extract made from natural resins or balsams (benzoin, labdanum, myrrh) using solvents. Warm, rich and a strong fixative.
Sillage: French for “wake”: the trail a fragrance leaves in the air as you move through a room.
Skin scent: A perfume designed to smell like warm, clean skin, worn close to the body. Usually musky and soft.
Soliflore: A perfume that portrays a single flower, such as a rose or tuberose soliflore.
Tincture: An extract made by soaking a material (such as vanilla pods, ambergris or benzoin) in alcohol for weeks or months.
Top notes: The first impression of a perfume, from light molecules that fade within 15–30 minutes: citrus, herbs, light fruit, aldehydes.