Fragrance glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms you will encounter when exploring perfume. Each entry links to a full guide where one exists.
- Perfume notes
- The individual scent ingredients that make up a fragrance — raw materials such as rose, sandalwood, or bergamot that a perfumer combines to build the overall composition. See the full guide: perfume notes explained.
- Top notes
- The first scents you smell when you spray a fragrance. They are typically light and citrus-forward, lasting only the first 15 to 30 minutes before they fade and the heart notes emerge. See also: perfume notes.
- Heart notes
- The core of a fragrance that appears once the top notes dry down. Heart notes usually include floral or spice accords and last one to three hours. They define the character of the scent more than any other layer.
- Base notes
- The deep, long-lasting foundation of a fragrance: woods, musks, resins, and ambers that anchor the lighter notes above them and remain on skin for hours or even days.
- Fragrance families
- A classification system that groups perfumes by their dominant character — floral, woody, oriental, fresh, and so on. Knowing your preferred family makes it easier to find new scents you will enjoy. See the full guide: fragrance families.
- Fragrance layering
- The practice of wearing two or more fragrances at the same time to create a personalised scent combination that neither product achieves alone. See the full guide: fragrance layering, or the step-by-step tutorial: how to layer perfume.
- Signature scent
- A single fragrance that becomes closely associated with a person — the scent others recognise as distinctly theirs. Finding one often takes time and deliberate exploration. See the full guide: how to find your signature scent.
- Scent profile
- A summary of an individual's fragrance preferences: the notes, families, and moods they gravitate toward. Building a scent profile helps cut through thousands of options to find fragrances worth trying.
- Sillage
- Pronounced "see-yazh", from the French word for wake or trail. Sillage describes how far a fragrance projects from the skin and how noticeable it is to people nearby. High sillage fragrances are bold and room-filling; low sillage scents stay close to the skin.
- Accord
- A blend of two or more raw materials that, when combined, create a new and unified scent impression different from any single ingredient. Common accords include rose-oud, citrus- musk, and fougere (fern-like).
- Eau de Parfum (EDP)
- A fragrance concentration level typically containing 15 to 20 percent aromatic compounds in alcohol. EDPs last longer on skin than Eau de Toilette (EDT) and project more strongly. They are the most common concentration sold in premium fragrance.
- Fragrance discovery
- The process of finding new perfumes through samples, decants, or curated sets rather than buying full bottles blind. Discovery is especially valuable when exploring unfamiliar notes or houses. See the full guide: fragrance discovery.
- How to choose a perfume
- Selecting a fragrance involves understanding your skin chemistry, preferred note families, occasion, and season. A structured approach helps avoid costly mistakes. See the full guide: how to choose a perfume.
- Fragrance-free perfume
- Products marketed as fragrance-free contain no added fragrance ingredients and are formulated for people with scent sensitivities or allergies. They are distinct from "unscented" products, which may contain masking agents. See the full guide: fragrance-free perfume.
- Perfume allergy
- An immune response to one or more fragrance ingredients, typically causing skin irritation, headaches, or respiratory symptoms. Common triggers include linalool, limonene, and isoeugenol. See the full guide: perfume allergy.