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Perfume types explained: cologne, eau de toilette, EDP and extrait

Written by Onisim Roman · Co-founder, ORYN

Published 2 July 20266 minute read

Perfume types come down to one number: how much fragrance concentrate is dissolved in the alcohol. Eau de cologne usually sits between 2 and 5%, eau de toilette between 5 and 15%, eau de parfum between 15 and 20%, and extrait de parfum, also sold as pure parfum, starts around 20% and reaches towards 30%. The higher the concentration, the more material stays on skin from a single spray, so the composition sits closer and lasts longer. None of these names are legally defined, though. They are industry convention rather than verified categories, which means the same label can cover very different formulations. The one thing on the box that cannot be spun is the ingredient list. ORYN makes a single product: a 50 ml Extrait de Parfum at 25% concentration.

What concentration actually means

A perfume has two parts. There is the concentrate, the blend of raw materials that carries the smell, and there is the alcohol it is dissolved in. Concentration is the share of the liquid in the bottle that is concentrate. At 25%, a quarter of what you spray is the composition itself; the rest is the carrier that puts it on skin and lets it open.

The number is not a quality grade. A well-built composition at 12% can be far better than a careless one at 28%. What concentration does tell you is how much material lands on skin per spray, and therefore how close the perfume stays and how long it stays there.

The four classes, one by one

  • Eau de cologne (2-5%). The most diluted form still in common use. Citrus and aromatic openings, immediate freshness, short duration. Applied generously, often after a shower, and topped up through the day.
  • Eau de toilette (5-15%). The most widely sold class. The opening is bright and legible, and the composition fades over a few hours. A sensible pick for an office, for heat, or for days when you would rather not arrive before yourself.
  • Eau de parfum (15-20%). Denser, with the heart and base far more present. It holds through most of a day and needs fewer sprays to get there.
  • Extrait de parfum (roughly 20% and up). The most concentrated form. Worn in points rather than clouds: one touch at the base of the neck or on a wrist is usually enough. The trail is tighter and more intimate, and the composition unfolds slowly over many hours.

The ranges overlap at the edges, and that is normal. Every house sets its own thresholds, so one brand's eau de parfum can be more concentrated than another's extrait.

What changes as concentration rises

More concentrate does not simply mean louder. It shifts the balance between the layers. The most volatile materials, the ones that make an opening, evaporate at the same rate whatever the concentration, so in an extrait they are proportionally quieter and the heart and base step forward sooner. That is why an extrait can feel as though it starts in the middle, warmer and more settled, while an eau de toilette gives you a more theatrical first minute and a shorter ending.

How you wear it changes too. An extrait asks for restraint, because the amount that suits an eau de toilette becomes far too much. If you want the detail on what makes a perfume last, we have written about that separately.

How to tell what you are holding

The label states a class but not a percentage, because nobody is required to publish one. Three things tell you more than the name on the box:

  1. The ingredient list. In the European Union, components are listed in descending order of quantity, and regulated fragrance allergens are named individually. A long, explicit list says more about a maker's transparency than any marketing term. Reading an INCI label is a subject of its own.
  2. How it behaves on skin, not on paper. A blotter shows you the opening; skin shows you the composition. Give it a few hours.
  3. How far it carries. A very concentrated liquid worn in points can be imperceptible two metres away and unmistakable in an embrace. That is a compositional choice, not a weakness.

Where ORYN's perfume sits

ORYN makes one thing: a 50 ml Extrait de Parfum at 25% concentration, with a formula composed for one person at a time. The concentration is fixed and stays fixed, for a reason that has nothing to do with taste. A product's safety assessment declares a ceiling for every material in the finished liquid, and a floating concentration would make every one of those ceilings float with it. One percentage, assessed once, true of every bottle.

Every bottle carries its own full ingredient list and an allergen declaration computed from that formula rather than from an average. The palette it is composed from is public: you can read it in the ingredient list, and the path from conversation to bottle is described on the experience page.

Frequently asked questions

Usually, yes, because more material remains on skin after application. But concentration is only one factor. Composition matters just as much: an extrait built almost entirely from volatile materials will fade before an eau de parfum resting on heavy base notes. Skin differs too: dry skin holds less than oily skin. Concentration moves the odds; it does not settle the outcome.

No. Eau de toilette, eau de parfum and extrait are commercial conventions rather than legal categories, and no maker is obliged to publish the exact percentage. European cosmetics law regulates something else entirely, and far more strictly: product safety, the ingredient list, and the declaration of regulated fragrance allergens. So the name on the box is a hint, and the ingredient list is the information.

Less than you would expect. One or two touches on warm points, the base of the neck or a wrist, usually carry a full day. Start with a single spray and give it an hour: at high concentrations the distance between enough and too much is one press. Don't rub after applying, since rubbing hurries the opening along.

Because each additional concentration would mean a separate safety assessment, with every material's ceiling recalculated. When each customer's formula is different, a fixed percentage is the only way that stays verifiable. We chose 25% and left it there, so every composed formula falls inside the same assessed envelope.