Almost everything on the Notes & Scents shelf is labeled extrait de parfum. It is the most expensive concentration a house sells and the one shoppers ask about most, usually in the form of "is it just a stronger eau de parfum?" The short answer is no. The longer answer is below, without the marketing.
The terms
A finished perfume is a blend of aromatic materials (the concentrate or compound) diluted in perfumer's alcohol, sometimes with a little water. The concentration names describe, loosely, how much compound is in the bottle:
| Name |
Typical concentration |
Notes |
| Eau de cologne (EDC) |
2–5% |
Traditionally citrus and herbs; very short-lived |
| Eau de toilette (EDT) |
5–15% |
Lighter, brighter, often the "daytime" version |
| Eau de parfum (EDP) |
10–20% |
The default format in modern niche and designer perfumery |
| Extrait de parfum / parfum / pure perfume |
15–40%, commonly 20–30% |
The most concentrated spray or dab format |
Two warnings about this table. First, the ranges overlap and are not regulated: a house can call a 15% blend an extrait and another can call a 20% blend an eau de parfum. Second, "parfum," "pure parfum," "extrait," and "extrait de parfum" are used interchangeably by most brands. Attar al Has, Jonathan Blanc and most contemporary houses use extrait de parfum.
Note also that attar is a different thing entirely: a traditional alcohol-free perfume oil. The house Attar al Has takes its name from that word, but its perfumes are alcohol-based extraits and eaux de parfum in the Western sense.
What people assume changes
The common assumption is that an extrait is the same perfume as the eau de parfum with more compound and less alcohol, and that it therefore lasts longer and projects further. Each part of that is partly wrong.
It is usually a different formula
When a house releases a perfume in both EDP and extrait, the perfumer almost always adjusts the formula rather than simply changing the dilution. There are practical reasons: at higher concentration some materials become harsh, cloying or unstable, and the balance between top, heart and base shifts because heavier base materials dominate. So the extrait may have more of the base accord, less of the citrus, a different musk. In some cases the two are effectively different perfumes sharing a name.
The Attar al Has references we stock were released as extraits from the start; there is no EDP version to compare them with. But if you have worn an EDP from another house and then try its extrait expecting the same scent turned up, you will often find something warmer, denser and less sparkling instead.
It lasts longer, but not proportionally
Longevity does increase with concentration, because there is more material on the skin to evaporate. But the relationship is not linear, and the composition matters more than the percentage. A 12% EDP built on musks, ambers and woods will outlast a 25% extrait built on citrus and light florals. Concentration tells you how much compound is there; the formula tells you how fast it leaves.
What you can reliably expect from an extrait is that the base stays longer. The top notes evaporate at the same speed regardless of concentration (bergamot is bergamot) so the opening of an extrait is not dramatically longer than an EDP's. The middle of the day is where the difference shows.
It usually projects less, not more
This is the part that surprises people. Alcohol is what carries scent molecules off the skin into the air. Less alcohol means less lift. Extraits tend to sit closer to the body, with a softer, denser aura, while EDPs and EDTs throw further in the first hour. If you want a perfume that fills a room, a well-made EDP will often do it better than the extrait of the same name. If you want a perfume that people notice when they lean in and that is still there at midnight, the extrait is the format.
This is why extraits have a reputation for being "intimate" or "skin-close." It is not a quality of the compound; it is the physics of dilution.
Sprays are not one-size-fits-all
Because the concentration is higher, the correct dose is lower. Two sprays of an extrait is a full application; four is a lot. Over-applying an extrait is the most common cause of the complaint that a perfume is "too sweet" or "gives me a headache": it is rarely the perfume and usually the dose. Our 2 ml samples give roughly 20–25 sprays, which is eight to ten wearings of an extrait applied correctly.
What extrait does not guarantee
-
Better ingredients. Concentration says nothing about the quality of the materials. A high-concentration perfume can be built entirely on inexpensive synthetics; a low-concentration one can be full of natural absolutes. Judge the perfume, not the label.
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A dab-on format. Older parfums came in stoppered bottles for dabbing. Modern extraits are almost all sprays, including everything we carry.
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Value per wear. An extrait costs more per ml but you use fewer sprays and it lasts longer, so cost per wearing is often similar to an EDP. Our article on how to sample niche perfume has the arithmetic.
Where the Notes & Scents range sits
The six Terra Mysteria perfumes (Wild Emerald, Velvet Morganite, Tiger's Eye, Radiant Peridot, Harmonic Tourmaline and Ethereal Moonstone) are extraits de parfum, as are the core Attar al Has references such as Skin Musk and Wonderful Tonka. Délicieuse Crème Brûlée by Jonathan Blanc is an extrait de parfum in a 50 ml bottle. A small number of Attar al Has compositions have been labeled eau de parfum by the brand in some formats; where that is the case, or where we could not confirm the concentration, the product page says so. We would rather tell you we are not sure than put "extrait" on everything.
Browse every fragrance we carry.
How to wear an extrait
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Two sprays, on skin, not clothes: one at the base of the throat or chest, one on a wrist or inner elbow. Fabric holds the top notes and mutes the base, which defeats the purpose of the format.
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Do not rub. It does nothing useful and can disrupt the top notes.
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Give it an hour before judging. Extraits open denser and need time to settle into the part that lasts.
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Adjust for heat. In summer, one spray. Warmth increases projection and can push a rich extrait into cloying territory.
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Store it away from light and heat. Concentration does not protect a perfume from degrading; the bathroom is the worst place for any bottle.
The one-line version
An extrait de parfum is a denser, longer-wearing, closer-to-skin version of a perfume (often with an adjusted formula) not simply a louder eau de parfum. If you want presence at arm's length for ten hours, it is the right format. If you want to be noticed from across the room in the first hour, an eau de parfum may serve you better, and there is no shame in that.
Definitions for the rest of the vocabulary (sillage, longevity, base notes, chypre) are in our perfume glossary. To test the difference on your own skin, start with the 2 ml samples.
Extrait de Parfum vs. Eau de Parfum: what actually changes?
Almost everything on the Notes & Scents shelf is labeled extrait de parfum. It is the most expensive concentration a house sells and the one shoppers ask about most, usually in the form of "is it just a stronger eau de parfum?" The short answer is no. The longer answer is below, without the marketing.
The terms
A finished perfume is a blend of aromatic materials (the concentrate or compound) diluted in perfumer's alcohol, sometimes with a little water. The concentration names describe, loosely, how much compound is in the bottle:
Two warnings about this table. First, the ranges overlap and are not regulated: a house can call a 15% blend an extrait and another can call a 20% blend an eau de parfum. Second, "parfum," "pure parfum," "extrait," and "extrait de parfum" are used interchangeably by most brands. Attar al Has, Jonathan Blanc and most contemporary houses use extrait de parfum.
Note also that attar is a different thing entirely: a traditional alcohol-free perfume oil. The house Attar al Has takes its name from that word, but its perfumes are alcohol-based extraits and eaux de parfum in the Western sense.
What people assume changes
The common assumption is that an extrait is the same perfume as the eau de parfum with more compound and less alcohol, and that it therefore lasts longer and projects further. Each part of that is partly wrong.
It is usually a different formula
When a house releases a perfume in both EDP and extrait, the perfumer almost always adjusts the formula rather than simply changing the dilution. There are practical reasons: at higher concentration some materials become harsh, cloying or unstable, and the balance between top, heart and base shifts because heavier base materials dominate. So the extrait may have more of the base accord, less of the citrus, a different musk. In some cases the two are effectively different perfumes sharing a name.
The Attar al Has references we stock were released as extraits from the start; there is no EDP version to compare them with. But if you have worn an EDP from another house and then try its extrait expecting the same scent turned up, you will often find something warmer, denser and less sparkling instead.
It lasts longer, but not proportionally
Longevity does increase with concentration, because there is more material on the skin to evaporate. But the relationship is not linear, and the composition matters more than the percentage. A 12% EDP built on musks, ambers and woods will outlast a 25% extrait built on citrus and light florals. Concentration tells you how much compound is there; the formula tells you how fast it leaves.
What you can reliably expect from an extrait is that the base stays longer. The top notes evaporate at the same speed regardless of concentration (bergamot is bergamot) so the opening of an extrait is not dramatically longer than an EDP's. The middle of the day is where the difference shows.
It usually projects less, not more
This is the part that surprises people. Alcohol is what carries scent molecules off the skin into the air. Less alcohol means less lift. Extraits tend to sit closer to the body, with a softer, denser aura, while EDPs and EDTs throw further in the first hour. If you want a perfume that fills a room, a well-made EDP will often do it better than the extrait of the same name. If you want a perfume that people notice when they lean in and that is still there at midnight, the extrait is the format.
This is why extraits have a reputation for being "intimate" or "skin-close." It is not a quality of the compound; it is the physics of dilution.
Sprays are not one-size-fits-all
Because the concentration is higher, the correct dose is lower. Two sprays of an extrait is a full application; four is a lot. Over-applying an extrait is the most common cause of the complaint that a perfume is "too sweet" or "gives me a headache": it is rarely the perfume and usually the dose. Our 2 ml samples give roughly 20–25 sprays, which is eight to ten wearings of an extrait applied correctly.
What extrait does not guarantee
Where the Notes & Scents range sits
The six Terra Mysteria perfumes (Wild Emerald, Velvet Morganite, Tiger's Eye, Radiant Peridot, Harmonic Tourmaline and Ethereal Moonstone) are extraits de parfum, as are the core Attar al Has references such as Skin Musk and Wonderful Tonka. Délicieuse Crème Brûlée by Jonathan Blanc is an extrait de parfum in a 50 ml bottle. A small number of Attar al Has compositions have been labeled eau de parfum by the brand in some formats; where that is the case, or where we could not confirm the concentration, the product page says so. We would rather tell you we are not sure than put "extrait" on everything.
Browse every fragrance we carry.
How to wear an extrait
The one-line version
An extrait de parfum is a denser, longer-wearing, closer-to-skin version of a perfume (often with an adjusted formula) not simply a louder eau de parfum. If you want presence at arm's length for ten hours, it is the right format. If you want to be noticed from across the room in the first hour, an eau de parfum may serve you better, and there is no shame in that.
Definitions for the rest of the vocabulary (sillage, longevity, base notes, chypre) are in our perfume glossary. To test the difference on your own skin, start with the 2 ml samples.