Perfume reviews are full of jargon. This plain-English fragrance glossary decodes the words you'll actually meet — so you can shop and read reviews with confidence.
The essentials
- Notes: the individual smells in a perfume (rose, vanilla, etc.).
- Top / heart / base notes: the three stages a scent moves through (full explainer).
- Accord: several notes blended into one impression (like a chord in music).
- Drydown: the final, lingering stage — the base notes.
Strength & performance
- Concentration: how much fragrance oil a formula contains — EDT, EDP, parfum, oil (concentrations).
- Projection: how far your scent radiates right now.
- Sillage: the scent trail you leave behind (sillage explained).
- Longevity: how long it lasts on skin (how long perfume lasts).
Style words
- Skin scent: an intimate 'your-skin-but-better' fragrance (more).
- Sillage monster / beast mode: slang for a very strong, far-projecting scent.
- Fixative: a note (like musk) that makes a scent last (what is musk).
- Floriental / amber floral: florals warmed with amber/vanilla.
Format words
- Eau de parfum (EDP): a common mid-high concentration.
- Perfume oil: alcohol-free, oil-based fragrance (benefits).
- Roll-on: a rollerball applicator for precise, mess-free application.
FAQ
What does 'drydown' mean in perfume?
The final stage of a fragrance — the long-lasting base notes you smell hours after applying.
What is an accord?
A blend of several notes perceived as a single smell — the building block of a perfume's character.
Now that you speak fragrance, explore an oil roll-on: Roxelis.