The perfume vocabulary guide
Perfume terms explained: notes, sillage and projection
Perfume language becomes useful when each word points to a separate idea. A note describes smell; an accord describes construction; projection, sillage and longevity describe different parts of performance. Learning those distinctions makes product pages and skin tests easier to read.
By NASMÉ Parfums · Published 30 August 2026 · 8 minute read · Educational guideRead a perfume in three layers: what it smells like, how it develops and how it behaves around the wearer. Notes and accords describe smell; top, heart and base describe development; projection, sillage and longevity describe radius, trail and duration. None of those terms alone proves quality or a fixed number of wearing hours.
The fragrance pyramid is a timeline, not a formula
The familiar top, heart and base pyramid is a communication model for how a perfume unfolds. IFRA describes bright top notes as the introduction, structured middle notes as the body and longer-lasting base notes as the depth of a composition. Real perfumes are continuous mixtures, so these stages overlap rather than switching on and off at fixed minutes.
A note pyramid also does not disclose formula percentages. A bergamot note may be built or extended by several materials; a small amount of a high-impact material may be very noticeable; and one material can contribute to more than one stage. Treat the pyramid as a map of perception, not a recipe.
- Top or head: the first readable impression and lift.
- Heart or middle: the central character as the opening settles.
- Base or fond: the deeper character that becomes clearer later.
- Dry-down: the continuing evolution after the opening, not only the base list.
A note is not the same as an ingredient
A note is language for an olfactory impression. Sometimes that impression relates closely to a named natural material. Sometimes it is created by a combination of natural and synthetic materials, and sometimes it is an abstract effect such as leather, sea air or warm skin. The note list tells a sensory story; it is not a substitute for the product's ingredient declaration or formula documentation.
An accord is a construction inside that story. Perfumers combine materials until they are perceived as a coherent new effect, much as several musical tones can form one harmony. An accord can support a recognisable material, recreate something that cannot be extracted directly or invent a smell that has no single natural source.
Projection, sillage and longevity answer different questions
Projection is the apparent radius around the wearer at a particular stage. Sillage is the trail left in the air as the wearer moves. Longevity is the duration for which the perfume remains perceptible under the conditions of the test. A fragrance can project strongly at first, leave a quieter trail later and still remain close to skin for a long time.
Separate these dimensions when testing in Qatar, the wider GCC or India. Use the same dose and application area, notice the opening and later wear, move between your normal environments and ask another person before assuming the scent has disappeared. Heat, cooled interiors, movement, surface and temporary scent fatigue can change perception.
- Radius now: projection.
- Trail in motion: sillage.
- Time still perceptible: longevity.
- Change from opening to later wear: dry-down.
Concentration and format are clues, not performance guarantees
Concentration describes the proportion of fragrance compound in the finished product. IFRA notes that Eau de Cologne, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum and Extrait are common industry descriptors rather than internationally fixed regulatory definitions; actual ranges and formulations vary. A higher concentration can change texture and development, but it does not automatically create more projection, better ingredients or longer wear.
Attar and perfume oil describe another way fragrance may be presented and applied, while traditional attar can refer to a specific craft process. Oil, hydroalcoholic spray and other carriers distribute fragrance differently. Read the intended use, carrier and finished-product directions instead of deciding from the format name alone.
Use the vocabulary to compare perfumes fairly
Start with family and notes to decide whether a direction interests you. Then smell the opening, heart and dry-down at a consistent dose. Record projection, sillage and longevity separately. This prevents a loud opening from being mistaken for all-day performance and prevents a close-wearing dry-down from being dismissed as poor quality.
For NASMÉ's pre-launch concepts, note pyramids and family labels describe intended olfactory directions only. Final formulas, concentrations, performance, ingredients and product claims will be stated only after perfumer review, stability and safety work, regulatory assessment and controlled wear testing.
- Smell: family, notes and accords.
- Development: opening, heart and dry-down.
- Behaviour: projection, sillage and longevity.
- Evidence: finished label, supplier documents and repeatable wear tests.
Fourteen perfume terms, kept distinct.
Each definition below is written for practical scent comparison. The same visible terms are published in the page's structured data so search and answer systems receive no hidden or conflicting version.
- FragranceAlso: perfume composition
- A measured mixture of fragrance materials designed to create a distinctive smell. In everyday use, perfume or fragrance can also mean the finished product in which that composition is placed in a carrier.
- NoteAlso: fragrance note
- A recognisable olfactory idea used to describe part of a perfume, such as bergamot, rose, leather or smoke. A listed note is not necessarily a single ingredient or an ingredient declaration.
- AccordAlso: perfume accord
- Two or more fragrance materials composed so they are perceived together as a new, coherent olfactory effect. An accord may suggest something natural, abstract or imaginary.
- Top noteAlso: head note, opening note
- The part of a perfume most apparent near the opening. Top notes often create lift and first impact, but they can overlap with the heart rather than disappearing on a fixed timetable.
- Heart noteAlso: middle note
- The central olfactory character that becomes clearer as the opening settles. Heart notes help connect the first impression to the longer-lasting base.
- Base noteAlso: bottom note, fond
- The deeper, more persistent part of a perfume that becomes increasingly noticeable through the later wear. Base notes provide depth but do not guarantee a particular number of hours.
- Dry-downAlso: drydown
- The perfume's development after its opening has settled, including the transition through its heart and later character. It is an evolution, not a single universally timed moment.
- SillageAlso: scent trail
- The scent trail a fragrance leaves in the air as its wearer moves. Sillage describes the trail, not simply how strong the perfume smells close to the application point.
- ProjectionAlso: scent radius
- The apparent distance a fragrance radiates from the wearer at a given stage of wear. Projection can change over time and should be assessed separately from longevity and sillage.
- LongevityAlso: wear duration
- How long a fragrance remains perceptible under a stated test or wear condition. Formula, dose, surface, climate and perception all affect the result, so longevity is not one universal hour claim.
- ConcentrationAlso: fragrance concentration
- The proportion of fragrance compound in a finished product. Concentration influences the product format but does not, by itself, prove quality, projection or longevity.
- Eau de ParfumAlso: EdP, EDP
- A common fine-fragrance label for an atomised product, often hydroalcoholic. International standards do not impose one universal concentration for the term, so the actual formula and label matter.
- AttarAlso: ittar, perfume oil
- A term used for concentrated fragrance worn in an oil format and, in traditional contexts, for fragrance made through a specific distillation craft. Modern usage varies, so verify the carrier, process and intended use.
- Fragrance familyAlso: olfactory family
- A broad way of grouping perfumes by their dominant olfactory character, such as floral, woody, fresh or ambery. Family systems vary, so use them as navigation rather than rigid scientific categories.
