Perfume has its own vocabulary, and it can be confusing when you are trying to choose a bottle. This glossary explains 45 of the most common fragrance terms in plain English, in alphabetical order, with a focus on the words you will meet when shopping for Arabian perfume.
- Accord
- A blend of notes that combine into a single, new impression, such as an amber accord or a leather accord. Perfumers build most fragrances from accords.
- Aldehydes
- Synthetic molecules that add a sparkling, soapy or waxy lift to the opening of a fragrance.
- Amber
- A warm accord of resins, vanilla and other notes, and also the name of a fragrance family. It is not the fossil gemstone. See what amber smells like.
- Ambroxan
- A synthetic molecule that recreates the warm, mineral, skin-like quality historically associated with ambergris. Very common in modern fresh and woody fragrances.
- Attar (ittar)
- A concentrated perfume oil, traditionally alcohol-free and applied by dabbing rather than spraying.
- Bakhoor
- Scented wood chips or incense burned to perfume a room or clothing. See our beginner’s guide to bakhoor.
- Base notes
- The heaviest, slowest-evaporating notes that make up the final stage of a fragrance, such as oud, amber, musk and sandalwood.
- Batch code
- A short code printed on the bottle or box that identifies the production batch. Useful for checking authenticity. See how to spot fake Reef perfume.
- Blind buy
- Buying a fragrance without smelling it first. Most online perfume purchases are blind buys, so notes and reviews matter.
- Chypre
- A classic structure with a citrus opening, a floral heart and a mossy, earthy base of notes like patchouli and labdanum.
- Cologne (Eau de Cologne)
- The lightest and shortest-lasting concentration, typically a couple of hours. The word is also used loosely to mean men’s fragrance.
- Concentration
- How much fragrance oil is in the bottle compared with alcohol. Higher concentration generally means more intensity and longer wear. See our guide to perfume concentration.
- Decant
- A small amount of fragrance poured from a full bottle into a travel atomiser, used for sampling.
- Dry-down
- The final stage of a fragrance, once the top and heart notes have faded. See understanding dry-down.
- Dupe (clone)
- A fragrance designed to smell similar to a more expensive one. See what a fragrance clone is.
- Eau de Parfum (EDP)
- A concentration of roughly 15 to 20 percent fragrance oil, though the exact range varies between houses. Longer-lasting than an eau de toilette.
- Eau de Toilette (EDT)
- A lighter concentration of roughly 5 to 15 percent, usually fresher and shorter-lasting. See EDT vs EDP.
- Extrait de Parfum
- The most concentrated common format, often around 20 to 30 percent, with the strongest presence and longevity.
- Flanker
- A variation on an existing fragrance released under a similar name, such as an “Intense” or “Elixir” version.
- Floral
- A fragrance family built around flower notes such as rose, jasmine and lily of the valley.
- Fougère
- A classic men’s structure built around lavender, oakmoss and tonka bean, giving an aromatic, herbal, slightly sweet feel.
- Fresh
- A fragrance family that includes citrus, aromatic, marine and green scents. See fragrance families explained.
- Gourmand
- A fragrance built around edible notes such as vanilla, caramel, coffee or chocolate.
- Heart notes (middle notes)
- The notes that emerge once the opening fades, forming the character of the fragrance. Usually florals, spices or fruits.
- Labdanum
- A sticky resin from the rockrose shrub used in amber accords, with a warm, leathery, honeyed character.
- Longevity
- How long a fragrance lasts on skin or fabric. See how to make perfume last longer.
- Maceration
- The resting period after blending, during which the fragrance oil and alcohol combine before filtering and bottling.
- Musk
- A soft, warm, skin-like base note, now almost always synthetic. See what musk smells like.
- Niche
- A term for smaller, independent fragrance houses with more unusual compositions. Sometimes used loosely as a premium label.
- Nose
- A perfumer, or the sense of smell.
- Nose blindness
- Temporary loss of sensitivity to a smell you are constantly exposed to. See why you cannot smell your own perfume.
- Note pyramid
- A fragrance’s structure, split into top, heart and base notes. See how to read a note pyramid.
- Oriental
- An older name for what is now commonly called the Amber family: warm, spicy, resinous and sweet.
- Oud
- The resin-saturated heartwood of the Aquilaria tree, prized in Arabian perfumery for a deep, smoky, resinous scent. See what oud smells like.
- Parfum
- Another name for extrait, and also the general French word for perfume.
- Patchouli
- An earthy, dark, slightly chocolatey base note used in woody and chypre fragrances.
- Projection
- How far a fragrance radiates from the wearer, as opposed to how long it lasts.
- Reformulation
- A change to a fragrance’s recipe, sometimes because of regulation or ingredient supply, which can alter how it smells.
- Signature scent
- A fragrance someone wears consistently enough that people associate it with them.
- Sillage
- The scent trail a fragrance leaves in the air. See what sillage is.
- Skin scent
- A very quiet fragrance that seems to come from the skin itself, usually built on soft musks.
- Soliflore
- A fragrance built around a single flower.
- Tonka bean
- A seed that adds a sweet, vanilla-almond warmth to the base of a fragrance.
- Top notes
- The first notes you smell, usually citrus, fruit or herbs. They fade within minutes.
- Unisex
- Marketed to everyone rather than one gender. See are Reef perfumes unisex.
- Vetiver
- A grassy, smoky, earthy root used as a base note, common in fresh and woody fragrances.
- White musk
- A marketing term for clean, soft, airy musks, often described as smelling like fresh laundry.
Where to go next
Now that you know the vocabulary, use it. Try our Perfume Finder, read how to choose a perfume, or explore sandalwood and other Arabic perfume notes.
