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Fragrance reviewers throw around terms like sillage, accord, drydown and beast mode — and most Indian buyers nod and pretend to follow. Here’s the full glossary so you can actually read reviews with confidence.
Quick Answer: The 30 most important perfume terms: accord, note, pyramid, top/heart/base notes, sillage, projection, longevity, drydown, EDP/EDT, maceration, ambroxan, aldehyde, gourmand, fougere, chypre, niche, designer, dupe, decant, batch code, concentration, beast mode, compliments, skin scent, olfactory fatigue, patch test, IFRA, flanker, splash bottle, atomiser.
Structure terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Accord | A blend of notes that acts as a single ‘smell’ (e.g., a ‘marine accord’ combines several molecules to smell like the ocean) |
| Note | A single identifiable scent ingredient in a fragrance (e.g., rose note, vanilla note) |
| Pyramid | The 3-layer structure of a fragrance: top, heart, base |
| Top notes | First 0–30 minutes — citrus, herbs, aquatic |
| Heart notes | 30 minutes–4 hours — florals, spices, the ‘character’ |
| Base notes | 4–10+ hours — musk, vanilla, oud, woods |
| Drydown | The late-stage scent (base notes only) — what you smell 6+ hours in |
Performance terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sillage | The trail you leave when you move — French for ‘wake’ |
| Projection | The radius of your scent bubble in still air |
| Longevity | Total hours the perfume remains detectable on skin |
| Beast mode | A scent with huge projection, huge sillage, and 10+ hour longevity |
| Skin scent | When the fragrance sits close to the skin — intimate, detectable only up close |
| Compliments | How often strangers comment — slang for a scent that gets noticed |
Concentration terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Parfum / Extrait | 20–40% fragrance oil — the strongest |
| EDP (Eau de Parfum) | 15–20% oil — most common for premium fragrance |
| EDT (Eau de Toilette) | 5–15% oil — lighter, shorter |
| EDC (Eau de Cologne) | 2–5% oil — splash-style, short wear |
| Body mist | 1–3% oil — dies fast, not a real perfume |
Ingredient & chemistry terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ambroxan | Synthetic amber molecule — the modern clean-masculine signature |
| Aldehyde | Sparkling, soapy, ‘champagne bubbles’ synthetic family — Chanel No 5’s signature |
| Iso E Super | Woody, transparent, commonly used as a modern ‘glow’ note |
| Oud | Resinous fragrant wood from infected Aquilaria trees — Arabic/Indian luxury ingredient |
| Civet / Musk | Animalic base notes — mostly synthetic in modern perfumery |
| Coumarin | Sweet, hay-like molecule — core of the fougere family |
Family terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Gourmand | Edible notes — vanilla, caramel, coffee, chocolate |
| Fougere | Masculine family — lavender, coumarin, oakmoss |
| Chypre | Bergamot + oakmoss + labdanum classic structure |
| Oriental | Warm, spicy, resinous (amber, vanilla, incense) |
| Floriental | Floral + oriental hybrid — most modern feminine EDPs |
Market & buyer terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Niche | Small-batch artistic perfumery (Creed, Kilian, MFK) |
| Designer | Mass-market luxury (Dior, YSL, Chanel) |
| Dupe / Inspired-by | Affordable reformulation of a designer scent |
| Flanker | A variation of an existing perfume (e.g., Sauvage Elixir flanker of Sauvage) |
| Decant | A small (5–10ml) sample transferred from a larger bottle |
| Batch code | Manufacturing code — traces production date and batch |
| Splash bottle | A perfume bottle without a spray — you tip liquid out |
| Atomiser | The spray mechanism on a bottle |
Experience & safety terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Olfactory fatigue | Your brain filtering out a consistent smell — why you stop smelling your own perfume |
| Patch test | Testing on inner elbow for 24 hours to check skin reaction |
| IFRA | International Fragrance Association — global safety standards |
| Maceration | Aging period (weeks/months) where the fragrance matures after bottling |
FAQs
What’s the difference between a note and an accord?
A note is a single ingredient. An accord is a composition of several notes that acts as one identifiable ‘smell’.
Is ‘beast mode’ a real industry term?
It’s fragrance-community slang, not a manufacturer term. Means a scent with exceptional projection + longevity.
What should I read first — notes or accords?
Accords — they’re more descriptive. Notes tell you ingredients; accords tell you the vibe.
Do I need to know all these terms?
No. Learn them as you go. Start with: top/heart/base notes, EDP vs EDT, projection vs longevity. That covers 80% of reviews.
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Now read any review with confidence
Explore Florencia’s scent library — each page describes notes, accords, and performance so you can apply what you’ve learned.