EZER Paris

Fragrance guide

Extrait de Parfum or Eau de Parfum: What Is the Difference, and Which to Choose

Published on 2 min read

The difference between an extrait and an eau de parfum is not a matter of quality: it is a matter of concentration, and therefore of how the fragrance is worn.

The difference between an extrait de parfum and an eau de parfum is not a matter of the quality of the juice: it is a matter of the concentration of perfume material in the alcohol, and therefore of how the fragrance lives on the skin.

An extrait de parfum concentrates 25 to 35% perfume material. An eau de parfum concentrates 15 to 20%. An eau de toilette falls between 8 and 12%, a scented mist lower still — often alcohol-free.

What concentration changes

The higher the concentration, the closer the fragrance stays to the skin. An extrait diffuses little but lasts long: eight to twelve hours, sometimes more on a garment. Its sillage is short, its imprint deep. It is a fragrance discovered by drawing near.

An eau de parfum projects more in the first hours, then settles. It lasts a working day — six to eight hours — and welcomes a reapplication in the late afternoon.

Concentration also changes the construction: in an extrait, the perfumer can load the base with heavy materials — woods, resins, musks — that the alcohol of an eau de toilette would not accept.

Which to choose

Choose the extrait for longevity and intimacy: long days, skin that “eats” fragrance, the precise morning gesture that must last until evening. Two presses suffice — an extrait is measured, not sprayed in a cloud.

Choose the eau de parfum for light and movement: everyday wear, warm seasons, the pleasure of reapplying. It is the balance of the everyday.

At EZER, the two exist in mirror: six extraits concentrated at 25 to 35%, six eaux de parfum at 15 to 20%. The same standard of materials, two ways of leaving an imprint. The Collection Privée takes the extrait further still, towards oud, amber and leather.