Glossary
The vocabulary, without the marketing.
Fragrance writing leans on a lot of words that nobody defines. These are the ones worth knowing, in plain English.
- AccordA blended impression
- Several notes combined until they read as one thing. A “fougère accord” is not an ingredient; it is the effect of lavender, oakmoss and coumarin arriving together.
- AldehydesThe soapy sparkle
- Synthetic materials that add lift and a clean, slightly waxy brightness at the top of a fragrance. Famous for making classic florals feel airy rather than heavy.
- AmbroxanModern warm mineral
- A synthetic with a dry, salty, skin-like warmth. It has quietly become the backbone of a great many contemporary masculine scents.
- AmberWarm and resinous
- Not a single ingredient but a sweet, resinous warmth usually built from labdanum, benzoin and vanilla. Cosy rather than sugary.
- AnimalicSkin, fur, warmth
- Notes that suggest something living: musk, civet, castoreum. Small amounts add depth and intimacy; large amounts divide a room.
- AquaticSea air and ozone
- The open, slightly salty freshness built with calone and similar materials. Ubiquitous in nineties summer fragrance and back in fashion.
- Base notesWhat lasts
- The heaviest materials, which appear last and stay longest: woods, resins, musks, vanilla. What you smell on a scarf the next morning.
- ChypreMossy, dry, classical
- A structure built on citrus over oakmoss and labdanum. Dry, elegant and slightly bitter, and the ancestor of a great many sophisticated scents.
- ConcentrationHow much perfume oil
- Eau de cologne, eau de toilette, eau de parfum, parfum, roughly in ascending order of oil content. More concentration usually means more longevity, not necessarily more strength.
- Dry downThe final act
- What a fragrance becomes after the opening burns off, usually a few hours in. Often the part you actually live with.
- EDPEau de parfum
- A higher concentration than eau de toilette. Typically richer and longer-lasting, and often a different balance rather than simply a stronger version.
- EDTEau de toilette
- Lighter than eau de parfum, usually brighter at the top and shorter-lived. Frequently the better choice in heat.
- FlankerA variation on a hit
- A new fragrance released under an existing name, with a modifier: Intense, Elixir, Sport, Noir. Sometimes a genuine reinterpretation, sometimes a paint job.
- FougèreThe barbershop family
- Lavender over oakmoss and coumarin. The classic structure behind most traditional masculine fragrance, named after a nineteenth-century scent meaning “fern”.
- GourmandGood enough to eat
- Fragrance built on edible notes: vanilla, caramel, chocolate, coffee, praline. Warm and comforting, and easy to overdo.
- Heart notesThe middle
- What emerges once the top notes fade and before the base takes over, usually florals and spices. Often where a fragrance's character actually lives.
- Iso E SuperThe invisible wood
- A synthetic with a soft, transparent cedar warmth that many people can barely smell directly, but which makes everything around it glow.
- LongevityHow long it lasts
- How many hours a fragrance remains detectable on skin. Highly personal: dry skin holds scent far less well than oily skin.
- MuskSoft, warm, skin-like
- Once animal-derived, now almost entirely synthetic. Adds softness, cleanliness and a sense of warmth close to the skin.
- NicheSmall-house fragrance
- Fragrance from houses that sell on composition rather than fashion licensing. Often more unusual, usually more expensive, not automatically better.
- NoteA single smell
- One identifiable element in a fragrance: bergamot, rose, vetiver. Notes are described in tiers, from top to base.
- Note pyramidTop, heart, base
- The conventional way of describing how a fragrance unfolds over time. Useful shorthand, though modern compositions often refuse to behave in tiers.
- OpeningThe first ten minutes
- The initial burst, dominated by the lightest and most volatile materials. Rarely representative of what you will smell like for the rest of the day.
- OudDark, resinous wood
- Resin-infused agarwood, medicinal and animalic in its natural form and usually softened in Western fragrance. Powerful and polarising.
- ProjectionHow far it reaches
- How much space a fragrance occupies around you. Distinct from longevity: something can last all day and sit close to the skin the whole time.
- SillageThe trail you leave
- From the French for a boat's wake: the scented trail left behind as you move through a room. Related to projection, but about the trace rather than the bubble.
- Skin scentClose and quiet
- The stage where a fragrance sits right against the skin and is noticeable only up close. For many people the most flattering phase.
- Top notesThe first impression
- The lightest, most volatile materials: citrus, light herbs, aldehydes. They announce a fragrance and are gone within the hour.
- VetiverDry root, smoke and earth
- A grass root that smells of earth, smoke and grapefruit peel depending on how it is handled. A backbone of masculine perfumery.
- WoodyCedar, sandalwood, vetiver
- A family built on dry or creamy wood materials. Grounding, versatile, and the most common base for contemporary fragrance.
