EDP and Extrait, the Two Tiers We Carry

Every fragrance on our shelf comes in one of two forms, and the label tells you which. Eau de Parfum or Extrait de Parfum. We carry these two and nothing else, and understanding what separates them makes it far easier to know how a bottle will wear before you ever spray it.

What the two tiers are

Concentration is the share of aromatic oils dissolved in the alcohol-and-water base. It sets the general character of a scent, and it is the one thing that divides our catalog into tiers.

• Eau de Parfum (EDP). Rich, balanced, and long lasting. This is the modern default for a full, lasting scent, the most versatile concentration, and our standard tier. It projects readily and tolerates a slightly more generous hand.
• Extrait de Parfum (Extrait). The richest and most tenacious concentration, and our highest tier. It carries more oil, so a little goes a long way. Extrait tends to sit closer to the skin than an EDP while lingering for hours, presence over a whisper rather than a room-filling cloud.

One point of vocabulary worth settling, because it trips people up constantly. When a house writes Parfum or Pure Parfum, that is the same thing as Extrait de Parfum. They are not separate steps on a ladder with one above the other. Extrait is simply the fuller name, and it is the top.

We do not carry Eau de Toilette or cologne. If you want the reasoning behind that, see Why We Do Not Carry EDT or Cologne.

How the difference feels on skin

Higher concentration generally means richer, longer, and closer to the body. It does not automatically mean louder in a room. An Extrait can be intimate, a quiet trail you and the people near you notice, while a well-built EDP may push further off the skin. When someone calls a scent strong, it is worth asking whether they mean projection, sillage, or longevity, because those three behave independently.

A second thing to hold onto: concentration is a ceiling and a character, not a promise of quality. A well-composed EDP can outlast and out-project a poorly made Extrait. Materials, the perfumer's hand, and your own skin chemistry all shape the result. Treat the tier as a strong hint about how a fragrance will wear, not a guarantee. If you want the fuller picture, What Concentration Actually Means goes deeper.

Because Extrait is potent, it usually asks for a lighter application than an EDP. For guidance by tier, see How Many Sprays to Use, and for what to expect from Extrait through the day, What to Expect From Extrait on Skin.

Choosing between them

Every product page states its tier plainly alongside the house, the notes, and the launch year, so you always know which form you are looking at before you decide. Browse the full collection at our homepage, and open any fragrance to read its details.

A few honest starting points. Reach for EDP when you want reliable, versatile wear that carries through a day and reads clearly to others. Reach for Extrait when you want depth and closeness, an evening register, or a scent that stays near you rather than announcing itself. When a house offers the same signature in both forms, the two can smell and behave differently, the same idea drawn into a darker register; Same Name, Different Tier covers that.

A note on our boxes, since the tiers show up there too. An EDP box holds EDP only. An Extrait box is a curated mix of Extrait and EDP, rounded out so it stays full for the month. Whether the Extrait tier changes what a box costs is a pricing matter that varies, see the live pages at /order and /pre-order.

Where to go next

If you are still weighing the two, When to Choose an Extrait walks through the moments the higher tier suits best. When you are ready to look at real bottles, open the collection and check the tier on any page that catches your eye. And if a scent has you unsure which form fits your day, write us at [email protected] and we will talk it through with you.