Perfumery Jargons - ABCs

From “Dry Down” to “Sillage,” Here’s Your Intro to Fragrance Language

Perfumery has its own language—a blend of romance, chemistry, and artistry. If you're just getting into fragrance, some of the words you’ll hear in a boutique or read in descriptions might feel mysterious. But don’t worry: you don’t need to be an expert to understand the basics.

Here are five key perfume terms that will help you feel confident when exploring scents—and deepen your appreciation for the craft behind them.

1. 🌿 Accord

The soul of a scent blend.

An accord is not a single ingredient, but a harmonious blend of multiple notes that together create a new, unified scent impression. It’s like a musical chord in fragrance form.

• Realistic accords aim to replicate ingredients from nature—like musk or ambergris—through lab-made molecules, especially as real deer musk is now banned and natural ambergris is extremely rare.
• Abstract accords evoke a concept or memory—like “First Kiss” or “Blue Shirt.” They don’t exist in nature, but perfumers recreate the idea using imaginative blends.

🧪 Examples:

• “Ginger Flower” in Ingenious Ginger
• “Salvage Shipwreck” in Whispered Myth
• “Leather” (no actual leather is used—it’s built from other notes like birch tar, isobutyl quinoline, and suede molecules)

These reconstructions are part of the magic of modern perfumery—bottling something that can’t be distilled.

2. ⏳ Dry Down

The final chapter of a perfume’s story.

Dry down refers to how a perfume smells in its final phase—after the brighter top notes and evolving heart notes fade, and the base notes take center stage. This stage can last hours and reveals how the scent mingles with your skin chemistry.

💭 Think of it like:
The perfume’s lasting memory, the scent that lingers on a scarf or pillow.

It’s why the same perfume can smell slightly different on two people—and why testing on skin is always better than paper.

3. 💨 Projection

How far your fragrance travels.

Projection is the distance your scent radiates from your body—your personal scent bubble. It determines how noticeable your perfume is to those around you.

📏 Example:

• High projection: Island Lush – Goldfield & Banks
• Bold and expressive: Vanexstasy – Maison Tahité

Strong projection is ideal when you want your fragrance to make a statement, while soft projection suits more intimate or professional settings.

4. 🌬️ Sillage (pronounced “see-yazh”)

The invisible trail you leave behind.

Sillage describes the scent trail you leave in your wake—the perfume’s lingering presence in the air after you pass by. It’s what others smell when they walk through where you’ve been.

Sillage vs. Projection:

Projection = how far scent travels outward.

Think: You enter a room and everyone notices → projection.

Sillage = how long scent lingers in the air behind you.

You leave, but your scent remains → sillage.

Both are influenced by perfume concentration, note composition, climate, and skin chemistry.

5. 🌸 Olfactory Family

The personality groups of perfume.

Olfactory families are how perfumes are grouped based on their shared characteristics. This helps you discover new scents based on what you already like.

The major families include:

• Floral (roses, jasmine, tuberose)
• Amber (vanilla, spices, resins)
• Fresh (citrus, green, aquatic)
• Woods (cedar, vetiver, sandalwood)

🎯 Knowing your preferred family can guide you to new favourites and streamline your fragrance shopping experience.

Final Thought:

Understanding fragrance vocabulary empowers you to ask better questions, find the right scent faster, and connect more deeply with what you're wearing. Whether you’re just starting out or rediscovering perfume with fresh curiosity, learning these terms is the first step in your scented journey.