Perfume glossary
Note
A note is a single smell you can pick out in a perfume, such as lemon, jasmine or cedarwood. Perfumes are described as a list of notes so that you can picture the scent before you smell it. A note names what you smell, which is not always an ingredient in the bottle.
Top note
Top notes are what you smell in the first minutes after you spray. They are the lightest part of a perfume and they fade the fastest. Citrus and fresh herbs often play this part. Wait for them to pass before you decide whether you like a scent.
Middle note
Middle notes come forward as the top notes fade, and they form the body of a perfume. Flowers, spices and tea often sit here. This is the part most people mean when they describe what a perfume smells like.
Base note
Base notes are the part of a perfume that stays on your skin the longest. They come forward as the lighter notes fade. Woods, musk and amber are common here. This is the smell that stays on your scarf after the rest has gone.
Accord
An accord is a group of notes blended so that they smell like one thing, the way several musical notes make a chord. A “leather accord” or a “tea accord” is built this way. When a description mentions an accord, read it as one smell and not as a list.
Dry-down
The dry-down is how a perfume smells once it has settled on your skin, after the top notes have gone. It is the stage you live with for most of the time you wear the scent, and it can differ from one person to the next. Try a perfume on your own skin and give it time before you buy.
Sillage
Sillage is the trail a perfume leaves in the air behind the person wearing it. A perfume with strong sillage is noticed across a room, and one with soft sillage stays close to the skin. Which you want depends on where you will wear it.
Longevity
Longevity is how long you can still smell a perfume on your skin. It depends on the notes, the concentration, your skin and the weather. This is why the same perfume lasts differently on two people.
Fragrance family
A fragrance family is a group of perfumes that share a general character, such as Floral, Woody or Amber. Families help you find new scents close to the ones you already like. A perfume can sit between two families.
Concentration
Concentration is the share of fragrance oil in a perfume, with alcohol making up most of the rest. Words such as Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum name different concentrations. A higher concentration usually smells denser and stays longer.
Eau de Parfum
Eau de Parfum is a concentration richer than Eau de Toilette and lighter than Extrait de Parfum. It usually smells fuller and stays longer than an Eau de Toilette, and it is one of the most common strengths today. It is often shortened to EDP.
Eau de Toilette
Eau de Toilette is a lighter concentration than Eau de Parfum. It usually smells brighter and airier and fades sooner, which suits daytime and hot weather. It is often shortened to EDT.
Blotter
A blotter is the paper strip used to test perfume in a store. It shows the general direction of a scent without the influence of skin. Use it to narrow your choice, and then try the scent on your skin.
Layering
Layering means wearing two scented products together, such as a lotion and a perfume, or two perfumes. People do it to make a scent stay longer or to create a mix of their own. Start with one spray of each, because two scents add up quickly.
Amber
Amber in perfume is not the fossil stone, which has little smell of its own. It is an accord, a blend that smells warm, sweet and resinous. Amber is usually found in the Base, and it gives a perfume a soft, lasting warmth.