Eau de cologne, eau de toilette, eau de parfum and parfum (or extrait) are names for how much fragrance concentrate a finished perfume contains. The chart shows the ranges that perfume houses and the Perfume Society publish for each name, so you can see what EDT or EDP on a bottle usually means, why two charts rarely agree, and what the number can and cannot tell you about strength and lasting power. If you make perfume, the second half of the page turns a percentage into grams.
APPROXIMATE PUBLISHED RANGES
Brand reference charts do not consistently state whether their percentages are by mass or volume. These ranges are nominal guides, not verified w/w or v/v specifications. Check the basis of an actual product or formula before converting it.
Approximate published concentration ranges
| Category | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|
| EDC 2–5% | Carrément Belle gives about 2–5% and the Perfume Society 2–4%; Fragonard’s museum guide uses 5% as its typical point. The name alone does not specify a formula. Source ↗ |
| EDT 5–15% | Amouage’s general guide gives 5–15%, the Perfume Society 4–8% and Fragonard a typical 10%. Adjacent names overlap. Source ↗ |
| EDP 10–20% | Carrément Belle gives about 10–20%, Amouage 15–20%, the Perfume Society 8–15% and Fragonard a typical 15%. Individual eau de parfums can fall outside all of these: Amouage states 25% for one of its own. Source ↗ |
| Extrait 20–40% | Carrément Belle gives 20–40%; the Perfume Society separates “perfume” at 15–25% from “extract” at 20–30%; Fragonard gives 20–24%. The top of a chart is not a ceiling: Amouage states 46% for one extrait. Source ↗ |
A DIFFERENT QUESTION: YOUR BATCH BY MASS
See the proportions change.
Choose a concentrate percentage by weight. This example calculates concentrate as supplied and carrier; it does not assign a fragrance category or a use limit.
20 g concentrate as supplied
80 g compatible carrier
Why concentration charts disagree
Different perfume houses publish different reference values. Fragonard’s museum guide gives typical points of 5% for eau de Cologne, 10% for eau de toilette and 15% for eau de parfum, followed by 20–24% for perfume or extract. The Perfume Society’s guide runs lower: 2–4% for cologne, 4–8% for eau de toilette, 8–15% for eau de parfum, 15–25% for perfume and 20–30% for extract. These are useful orientation points, not the recipe of every product carrying those names.
The ranges above combine clearly attributed examples from perfume houses rather than declaring one universal standard. Read a boundary such as 15% as a place where conventions can overlap. It does not let you identify an unknown bottle or settle its label from the number alone.
EDT vs EDP: which is stronger?
Every published chart puts eau de parfum above eau de toilette: Amouage 15–20% against 5–15%, the Perfume Society 8–15% against 4–8%, Fragonard a typical 15% against 10%. As a rule, an EDP contains more fragrance concentrate than the same house’s EDT, and the Perfume Society’s guide states the usual expectation plainly: the higher the percentage, the longer it will last on your skin.
The rule has exceptions, because the ranges overlap and because a house can label as it likes. Amouage describes Rose Incense as an eau de parfum with 25% fragrance oil, above most EDP ranges. An EDT built on slow-evaporating base materials can outlast an EDP built on citrus. Compare the disclosed concentration and, more usefully, the two scents side by side on skin or on blotters over a day.
Which concentration lasts longest, and why the percentage is only part of it
The published guides agree on the order: parfum or extrait lasts longest, then eau de parfum, eau de toilette and eau de cologne. The Perfume Society describes an eau de parfum as lasting an evening and a parfum as still present the next day; Fragonard says perfume leaves a more tenacious imprint than eau de toilette. None of these sources gives a number of hours, and we have found no published measurement that would justify one, so this page does not print a longevity column.
The percentage is only part of what you notice. Materials evaporate at very different rates, which is why perfumers sort them into top, heart and base notes: our material pages list bergamot as a citrus top note, ethylene brassylate as a musk base note and patchouli as a woody base note. Amouage’s own guide says the effect of concentration depends on the formula. Two products at the same percentage can differ by hours; two at different percentages can feel alike.
Parfum, extrait, elixir, intense: what the label words mean
Parfum and extrait de parfum are the names houses use for their most concentrated versions; the published ranges run from about 15% to 40%. Neither word means 100% neat aromatic material. A commercial product sold as parfum still contains carrier and other components, so read the disclosed formulation information instead of interpreting “pure perfume” literally.
The upper end of a reference chart is not a ceiling. Amouage’s Guidance 46 is an extrait stated at 46%. Its product page also explains that the effect of concentration depends on the formula. A larger number does not by itself establish better quality or a particular number of hours of wear.
Elixir, intense, absolu and similar words carry no published percentage in any source cited on this page; they are a house’s own names for a richer version of an existing scent. Treat them as descriptions and look for a stated concentration when the number matters to you.
By mass and by volume are different calculations
A 20% w/w mixture contains 20 g of the specified input in 100 g of total mixture. A 20% v/v mixture refers to 20 mL of an input per 100 mL of final mixture under the stated measurement conditions. Grams and millilitres are different quantities; the same percentage number on these two bases does not generally describe the same composition.
Consumer discussions often use volume-style examples, while an exact mass formula uses weighed inputs. If a source simply says “20%,” do not assume its basis. Nor should you assume that pouring two separate liquid volumes together produces their exact summed final volume. Use the specification and density information appropriate to the actual mixture when a conversion is required.
Calculate a documented trial in grams
For a 30 g trial at 15% concentrate loading by mass, the concentrate mass is 30 × 0.15 = 4.5 g. The remaining 25.5 g is the other part of the formula. This is a mass-balance example, not a recommended finished-product concentration or a promise that the mixture qualifies for a particular category.
Specify what the concentrate contains. If it includes working-stock solvents, its neat aromatic content is less than its total mass. A 15% loading of a concentrate containing 80% aromatics contributes 12% aromatics to the final batch: 0.15 × 0.80 × 100. The stock solvents are still present and should remain in the batch record.
Compare the result, not just the percentage
A concentration change is a new experiment. Hold the formula identity, carrier, evaluation method and observation times steady so that you can describe what changed. Use labelled blotters for educational trials and record the opening, later development and final observation separately.
Look at clarity and compatibility as well as odor. A more concentrated trial may need different technical work, and the concentration chart cannot establish suitability for an intended use. Keep any product assessment tied to the actual composition and concentration being evaluated.
Questions & answers
What percentage is eau de parfum?
Published house guides commonly place eau de parfum around 10–20% or 15–20%, but actual products can fall outside those ranges. Amouage, for example, describes its Rose Incense eau de parfum at 25%. Ask for the actual concentration and measurement basis when they matter.
Is eau de parfum stronger than eau de toilette?
Usually, yes: every published chart places EDP above EDT (Amouage 15–20% against 5–15%; the Perfume Society 8–15% against 4–8%). The label still cannot tell you how long a specific bottle lasts. Materials matter as much as percentage, and houses can label outside the ranges.
Which perfume concentration lasts the longest?
Parfum or extrait, by every published guide: it has the most fragrance concentrate, and the Perfume Society describes it as still present the next day. How long any one bottle lasts depends on its materials as much as its percentage, and none of the sources on this page gives a number of hours.
What do EDT and EDP mean?
EDT is eau de toilette and EDP is eau de parfum. Both are names for a concentration band rather than fixed numbers: published ranges put EDT between about 4% and 15% fragrance concentrate and EDP between about 8% and 20%, with EDP the stronger of the two from the same house.
What percentage is parfum or extrait?
Published ranges run from 15–25% (the Perfume Society’s “perfume”) through 20–30% (its “extract”) and 20–24% (Fragonard) to 20–40% (Carrément Belle). One Amouage extrait is stated at 46%, so treat the ranges as conventions, not limits.
What is a perfume elixir?
A house’s name for a richer or more concentrated version of an existing scent. We found no published chart that assigns “elixir” a percentage; check the product’s own stated concentration if it matters.
How much fragrance concentrate goes into a 50 ml bottle?
Weigh the batch rather than filling by volume: a 50 g batch at 15% w/w needs 7.5 g of concentrate and 42.5 g of carrier. The chart shows what percentages the EDT and EDP names usually cover; the dilution calculator does the arithmetic for any batch size and percentage.
Does 20% by mass equal 20% by volume?
Not generally. Mass concentration uses grams of input per total grams; volume concentration uses input volume per final volume. Density and the actual mixture are needed for a meaningful conversion.
Is a 30% blend automatically an extrait?
Thirty percent sits within some published extrait reference ranges, but that number does not establish a universal product classification. Record the actual formula and basis rather than relying on a category name.
How much concentrate goes into a 50 g batch at 20% w/w?
The arithmetic is 10 g concentrate and 40 g of the remaining formula ingredients, for 50 g total. If the concentrate contains stock solvents, its neat aromatic contribution will be lower than 10 g.
Can I calculate the fragrance percentage from the alcohol percentage on a bottle?
Not by subtraction alone. The remainder may include water or other ingredients in addition to fragrance concentrate. You also need to know what the stated percentage measures and on which basis.