A Guide to Perfume Terminology

Step one of addiction is admitting that you are powerless over said addiction, and I will be the first to admit that I am powerless over my perfume addiction. I have no intention of getting to step two because there are just too many wonderful smells to stop loving perfume. I’ve historically been more likely to follow my nose than to actually read up on what is in a perfume, but in recent years I’ve gotten more discriminating. Knowing what is in a perfume can help you predict whether or not you will like it, and understanding perfume terminology can help you find a scent you might otherwise have never known about. Here are the most commonly used terms in the perfume world:

Top Notes
Top notes are the scents you will smell first in a perfume, but these are often the scents that will fade away first. If a perfume has a top note you love, you’ll likely love the perfume at first, but the smell is unlikely to stick around.

Middle Notes
Middle notes are the “heart” of a perfume and are what the perfume will smell like for the longest period of time. They emerge as the top notes are fading, and if a perfume has a middle note you love, odds are good that you’ll love the way the perfume smells for a couple of hours.

Base Notes
Base notes are the last notes to appear of a perfume and can often be the most unpleasant. Middle notes act to counteract the often jarring scent of base notes. When you smell a perfume on yourself after several hours and dislike the smell, it’s likely that you’re smelling the base notes. Choose base notes wisely in a perfume and don’t choose a perfume that has even a single base note you dislike.

Cloying
Perfume lovers may use the term cloying to mean different things, but a perfume that is cloying is generally sweet and sticks around for a long time.

Heady
A heady perfume, just like it sounds, is one with a heavy scent that may give people prone to headaches a migraine or a sneezing fit.

Scent Families
Perfumes are generally classified according to one or more scent families. These are the natural substances a perfume most smells like. The classic scent families for perfume are:
1) Single floral/soliflore: These are perfumes that smell like a single family. Think here of perfume oils that smell like Jasmine or lilac. These perfumes will typically smell the same for the entire time you are wearing them.
2) Floral: These fragrances smell like a mix of flowers, or may smell like different flowers at different times.
3) Oriental/Amber: These scents have an exotic smell to them and may be very complex. Vanilla, amber, and musk are common ingredients in these scents.
4) Woody: These are fragrances that are dominated by wood smells like sandalwood or cedar. Think of the smell of incense or freshly cut wood and you’ll have a fair idea of the sort of smell you’re getting into.
5) Chypre: Named after a perfume created by perfumer Frances Coty, these perfumes are dominated by scents of bergamot, patchouli, and oakmoss.
6) Fougere: Many men’s perfumes belong to this family and are heavily dominated by lavender and other “masculine’ scents.

Dry Down
This is what a perfume smells like after it has time to settle into the skin, usually after thirty or so minutes. It’s common to hear people say that a perfume becomes too intense in the dry down or that they dislike the smell in the dry down.

Eau de…What?
Not all perfumes are “technically” perfumes and a fragrance’s chemical classifications denote how strong the fragrance is. The most common fragrance concentrations used include:
Perfume Mist: This is the weakest fragrance and includes body splashes. Typically these fragrances contain 3-8% scent compounds.
Eau de Cologne: The least strong of the true perfumes, this fragrance will be light and may not last long. Typically 4-9% scent compounds.
Eau de Toilette: This is the most popular fragrance because it will last longer without being too overpowering. Typically 5-15% aromatic compunds.
Eau de Parfum: These stronger fragrances typically contain 10-20% aromatic compounds.
Perfume Oil/Fragrance Oil: These oils are typically diluted with other substances to create perfume, but some people enjoy using them in small doses. Depending on the manufacturer or quality, they may contain anywhere from 40-90% aromatic compounds.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume
http://www.auntjudysattic.com/About_Perfume.htm
www.nstperfume.com