Reference Guide

Fragrance Glossary

Essential fragrance terminology for wholesale buyers and retail partners. From concentration types to fragrance families, IFRA to MOQ.

Concentration Types

Body Mist

Body Mist is a lightly fragranced body spray at 1–5% concentration, formulated for all-over body…

Concentration

Fragrance concentration refers to the percentage of aromatic compounds (parfum oil) in a fragrance formula.…

Eau Fraîche

Eau Fraîche contains just 1–3% fragrance oil in mostly water, making it the lightest fragrance…

EDC

Eau de Cologne (EDC) features 2–4% concentration, making it the lightest and most affordable fragrance…

EDP

Eau de Parfum (EDP) is a fragrance concentration of 15–20% aromatic compounds in alcohol. For…

EDT

Eau de Toilette (EDT) contains 8–15% fragrance concentration, offering 4–6 hours of longevity at a…

Parfum / Extrait

Parfum or Extrait de Parfum contains 20–40% fragrance concentration, delivering all-day wear from a single…

Fragrance Families

Aquatic

Aquatic fragrances evoke the sea, fresh water, and clean air through synthetic marine accords. Popular…

Aromatic

Aromatic fragrances feature herbaceous notes — lavender, rosemary, sage, and thyme — often combined with…

Chypre

Chypre fragrances are built on a mossy-woody-citrus structure, typically bergamot, oakmoss, and labdanum. An sophisticated,…

Floral

Floral is the largest fragrance family, centred on flower-derived notes such as rose, jasmine, peony,…

Fougère

Fougère (French for 'fern') is a classic masculines-dominant fragrance family built on lavender, oakmoss, and…

Fresh / Citrus

Fresh and citrus fragrances feature light, clean notes: bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, and aquatic accords. Top-selling…

Gourmand

Gourmand fragrances feature edible, dessert-like notes: vanilla, chocolate, praline, and caramel. Extremely popular in Gen…

Oriental

Oriental fragrances feature warm, sensuous notes including vanilla, amber, benzoin, and spices. Strong in the…

Woody

Woody fragrances are built around sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver, and oud. The fastest-growing wholesale category globally…

Fragrance Notes

Accord

A fragrance accord is a blended combination of multiple ingredients that creates a unified, harmonious…

Base Notes

Base notes are the lasting foundation of a fragrance, appearing after 30 minutes and remaining…

Dry-down

Dry-down refers to the final stage of a fragrance as it fully develops on skin,…

Heart Notes

Heart notes (also called middle notes) form the core character of a fragrance and emerge…

Longevity

Longevity is how long a fragrance lasts on skin from application. Generally measured in hours.…

Projection

Projection describes how far from the body a fragrance radiates and how detectable it is…

Sillage

Sillage (pronounced 'see-yazh') describes how far a fragrance projects beyond the wearer — its trail…

Top Notes

Top notes are the opening scent impression of a fragrance — the first 15–30 minutes…

Industry & Trade

Batch Code

A batch code (or lot number) is a production identifier printed on fragrance packaging that…

DDP

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) is a shipping term meaning the seller covers all costs including…

EXW

EXW (Ex Works) means the buyer is responsible for all costs from the seller's warehouse:…

HS Code 3303

HS Code 3303.00 is the international customs tariff code for perfumes and toilet waters. Used…

IFRA

IFRA (International Fragrance Association) sets global safety standards for fragrance ingredients, limiting concentrations of potentially…

MOQ

MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is the smallest order a wholesale supplier will accept for a…

MSDS / SDS

MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) or SDS (Safety Data Sheet) details the chemical properties, hazards,…

Private Label

Private label fragrances are products manufactured by a supplier and sold under the retailer's own…

White Label

White label is similar to private label — pre-made fragrances sold with the buyer's own…

Key Ingredients

Ambergris

Ambergris is a rare natural fixative secreted by sperm whales — one of perfumery's most…

Bergamot

Bergamot is a citrus fruit from southern Italy whose rind yields a bright, green-lemon top…

Iris / Orris

Iris (or orris, from the root) provides a powdery, violet-like, elegant note used in haute…

Jasmine

Jasmine is one of the most important floral ingredients in perfumery — used in over…

Musk

Musk is a foundational base note providing warmth, softness, and skin-like depth to fragrances. Modern…

Neroli

Neroli is distilled from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree, yielding a delicate, honeyed-citrus…

Oud

Oud (agarwood) is a dark, rich resinous ingredient from the Aquilaria tree — among the…

Patchouli

Patchouli is a rich, earthy base note from the Pogostemon cablin plant, iconic in Oriental…

Rose Absolute

Rose Absolute is a highly concentrated rose extract produced by solvent extraction, capturing the full…

Sandalwood

Sandalwood provides a creamy, warm, softly sweet base note. Australian sandalwood and Mysore (Indian) sandalwood…

Vetiver

Vetiver is a woody, smoky-earthy root note from a grass cultivated in Haiti and India.…

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