Extrait de Parfum
Extrait de parfum — also called parfum or pure perfume — is the most concentrated format, roughly 20–40% aromatic compounds. What that means for wear and price.
Updated
Extrait de parfum is the most concentrated way a fragrance is sold — the same words "parfum" and "pure perfume" name the same thing. It carries the highest share of aromatic compounds of any standard format, conventionally somewhere around 20 to 40 percent (most land near 20 to 30), against the alcohol and trace water that make up the rest. It sits at the top of the concentration ladder, above eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne, and eau fraîche.
Those percentages are convention, not law. No regulator sets them: in the United States the FDA does not require a concentration tier on the label at all, and the industry's own IFRA standards govern ingredient safety, not what a house may call its bottle. One brand's extrait can wear like another's eau de parfum. "Extrait" is French for extract, and despite the density it is still an alcohol-based liquid — a high oil load in a minimal alcohol base — which is what separates it from an alcohol-free perfume oil.
The common misread is that more concentration means a louder fragrance. It usually means a longer and denser one — often eight hours or more — but the projection is frequently close to the skin rather than room-filling. Apply it like the concentrate it is: a dab or a single press, not the three or four sprays an eau de toilette invites.
- Extrait de parfum
- The most concentrated fragrance format, also called parfum or pure perfume. Conventionally about 20–40% aromatic compounds (commonly ~20–30%) in a minimal alcohol base — the highest oil load of any standard tier. Worn sparingly; dense and long-lasting, often skin-close rather than far-projecting. The percentages are an industry convention, not a legal standard.
- Eau de parfum (EDP)
- The next step down and the everyday workhorse: roughly 15–20% aromatic compounds. Balanced between strength and wearability, which is why most modern releases lead with an EDP. Strong and long-wearing without the restraint an extrait asks for.
- Eau de toilette (EDT)
- Lighter still, around 5–15% aromatic compounds. Brighter and more volatile, with a shorter arc — often three to five hours — which suits daytime and warm weather. Frequently a reformulation of an EDP rather than a simple dilution of it.
- Eau de cologne (EDC)
- A low concentration, roughly 2–5%, built for a fresh, fleeting splash rather than all-day wear. Classically citrus-and-herb led. Note the term also names a fragrance family, which is a separate idea from this concentration tier.
- Eau fraîche
- The lightest format, about 1–3% aromatic compounds, with most of the bottle being water and alcohol. Cooling and brief — closer to a scented refresh than a fragrance meant to last the day.
- Perfume oil
- A high-concentration format that drops the alcohol entirely, suspending the compounds in a carrier oil instead. It wears close to the skin and unfolds slowly. Unlike an extrait — which is concentrated but still alcohol-based — a perfume oil is alcohol-free, which is the line between the two.