EDP, EDT & Parfum: Fragrance Concentrations Explained
What EDP, EDT, EDC, and Parfum mean, why the same fragrance smells different across concentrations, how top/heart/base notes work, and what fragrance accords are.
What do EDP, EDT, EDC, and Parfum mean?
These terms describe the concentration of perfume oils dissolved in alcohol. Higher concentration generally means longer-lasting, often heavier, and more expensive. Eau de Cologne (EDC) is 2–5% oil, light and fleeting, often citrus-forward. Eau de Toilette (EDT) is 5–15% oil, the most common category for designer fragrances. Eau de Parfum (EDP) is 15–20% oil, richer and longer-lasting, the most common category for modern niche fragrances. Parfum or Extrait de Parfum is 20–40% oil — the most concentrated, longest-lasting, and most expensive form.
Are EDP and EDT versions of the same fragrance just stronger versions of each other?
Often no, and this surprises people. The EDP and EDT of the same fragrance are frequently reformulated to behave differently at different concentrations, with different note balances. The EDT version of Dior Sauvage, for example, smells noticeably different from the EDP — not just lighter, but built around different accords. This is why sampling each concentration separately matters before committing to a bottle.
What are top, heart, and base notes?
A fragrance unfolds in three stages over hours. Top notes are what you smell in the first 15–30 minutes — bright, volatile, fast-evaporating: citrus, herbs, aldehydes, fresh greens. Heart notes (or middle notes) emerge as the top notes fade and dominate from roughly 30 minutes to 2–3 hours — florals, spices, fruits. Base notes are the longest-lasting and form the dry-down, lasting 4 to 12+ hours — woods, resins, musks, ambers, vanillas. The full character of a fragrance is the way these three layers move through each other, which is why a single sniff at the counter is essentially useless.
What's a fragrance accord?
An accord is a blend of multiple notes that combine to create a single perceived smell — the way primary colours combine to make a new colour. A leather accord might be built from birch tar, isobutyl quinoline, and labdanum; an aquatic accord from calone, dihydromyrcenol, and ozonic molecules. When perfumers and reviewers describe a fragrance, they're usually talking about its accords as much as its individual notes.
Fragrance ADDX decants are labelled with concentration so you know exactly what you're getting. Browse the full range — EDP, EDT, and Parfum across designer, niche, and clone fragrances.