Extrait de Parfum, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette — what separates them?
Not a matter of cheap or expensive, but of how much fragrant material is in the bottle. Here is what the numbers mean, and why they change how you wear it.
The names on a fragrance label are often read as a ladder of quality — as though Extrait must always beat Eau de Toilette. In truth they describe one thing only: the percentage of fragrant material dissolved into the alcohol. Everything else follows from that number.
The numbers
The ranges below are the ones the industry commonly uses, not a fixed standard. Every house sets its own limits, and many never publish them at all.
- Extrait de Parfum (or simply Parfum) — roughly 20–30% fragrant material. The most concentrated.
- Eau de Parfum — roughly 15–20%.
- Eau de Toilette — roughly 5–15%.
- Eau de Cologne — roughly 2–5%. The lightest, and made to be applied generously.
What it does on skin
The more concentrated the liquid, the less alcohol has to evaporate before the scent itself is legible. An Extrait tends to sit closer to the skin — it does not project as forcefully as an Eau de Toilette in the first minutes, but it lasts far longer and turns more slowly across the day.
That changes how it should be worn. Four to six sprays of an Eau de Toilette is unremarkable. The same dose of an Extrait is too much — for the wearer and for everyone near them. Two sprays is usually enough, which is why a 30 ml bottle of Extrait lasts far longer than people expect.
So which should you choose?
If you want a scent that stays with you all day without a top-up at the office, an Extrait makes sense. If you like changing scent by the afternoon, or live somewhere hot and humid where a dense fragrance feels stifling, an Eau de Toilette is the kinder choice.
One correction worth making: concentration says nothing about the quality of the materials. A well-built Eau de Toilette will beat a careless Extrait every time. The label tells you how dense the liquid is, not how good it is.