Those cryptic three-letter codes on every perfume box aren't marketing fluff. They're a precise statement about how much pure fragrance oil is inside — which controls longevity, sillage, and price. Here's the cheat sheet.
The concentration ladder
- Parfum / Extrait — 20–40% fragrance oil. The strongest, longest-lasting, most expensive. Often 8–12 hours.
- Eau de Parfum (EDP) — 15–20%. The sweet spot — long-lasting but wearable. 6–10 hours.
- Eau de Toilette (EDT) — 5–15%. Lighter, brighter, more affordable. 3–5 hours.
- Eau de Cologne (EDC) — 2–5%. Splash-on, very fresh, very short. 2–3 hours.
- Eau Fraîche — 1–3%. Barely there. Usually for layering.
Why we only bottle EDP
EDP is the Goldilocks zone. Strong enough to last through an Indian workday (see our long-lasting perfumes guide), mild enough that it doesn't announce you before you walk into a room. Every XPerfumes fragrance — Mumbai Mist, Goa Waves, Rasila Ratnagiri, Kashmir Frost, Mysore Musk — is bottled at EDP concentration for exactly this reason.
Concentration ≠ quality
A bad parfum is still a bad fragrance. A great EDT can smell better than a mediocre EDP. Concentration tells you about strength and longevity, not beauty.
Same fragrance, different concentrations
Designer houses often release the same scent in EDT and EDP — and they smell different. Higher concentration usually emphasises base notes (woods, amber), so the EDP version is often warmer and deeper than the EDT version of the same name.
How many sprays?
- Parfum — 1 spray. Two if you're going big. It is that strong.
- EDP — 2–4 sprays across neck, collarbone, wrists.
- EDT — 4–6 sprays. You can be generous.
- EDC — splash. Reapply after lunch.
What about "perfume oil" and attars?
Attars (traditional Indian perfume oils) are alcohol-free and often 100% oil. They don't project far, but they last 12+ hours on skin and age beautifully. They're a different experience — closer to wearing a scent like jewellery than spraying a signature.
