What the words on the bottle mean, and where each one sits on the strength ladder.
Concentration is the share of aromatic oils dissolved in a perfume's alcohol and water base. More oil generally means a richer, longer, costlier scent. Two honest caveats: there is no legal standard, so the same label can differ between houses, and the ranges overlap at the edges. Read this as a map, not a law.
0%10%20%30%40%50%
Eau Fraîche1–3%
EDC2–6%
EDT5–15%
EDP15–20%
Parfum20–30%
Elixir30–50%
Oil is not on this axis. It is a format, not a rung, and the note below says so.
Eau Fraîche
1–3% oil
Longevity 1 to 2 hoursProjection Very soft, stays close
The lightest wearable form. Mostly base with a whisper of oil, made to refresh rather than to last.
Longevity 8 to 12 hours or moreProjection Soft to moderate, often intimate
The classic pure perfume tier. Dense and refined, and often worn close to the skin despite its strength. Parfum, Extrait and Extrait de Parfum all name the same thing.
Longevity 6 to 12 hours or moreProjection Intimate, sits on the skin
A format rather than a rung on the ladder. The composition is carried in oil and dabbed on, soft in projection and long on the skin. This includes traditional attars.
The first six are a strength ladder, lightest to strongest. Oil sits apart because it is a format, not a point on that ladder. And a word on projection, how far a scent radiates: it follows concentration only loosely. It depends far more on the specific materials and the base than on the percentage, which is why some extraits stay quiet and close while a light eau de toilette can fill a room. Treat projection as a tendency, not a promise.
Olfactive families
The twelve Osmagora uses, and the four groups they fall into.
A fragrance family names the dominant character of a scent. Osmagora uses twelve, drawn straight from the two standards perfumery itself uses: the seven classic families of the Société Française des Parfumeurs (1912) and Michael Edwards' Fragrance Wheel, which groups them into four.
Fresh
bright, sharp, lifted
CitrusGreenAquaticFruityAromatic
Floral
the scent of flowers
Floral
Amber
warm, sweet, resinous
Amber/OrientalGourmand
Woody
dry to opulent woods
WoodyChypreLeatherFougère
Read left to right as the wheel turns: fresh and sharp, into flowers, into warm amber, into deep woods. Neighbouring groups smell related; opposite ones contrast.
The classical reference
The Société Française des Parfumeurs' seven families and their subdivisions, with our own descriptions.
The founding classification splits seven families into detailed subdivisions. Structure and names follow the Société Française des Parfumeurs; the descriptions below are our own. Source: SFP.
ACitrus
Zests of bergamot, lemon, orange and mandarin, often lifted with orange flower. The home of the classic Eau de Cologne.
A1CitrusThe pure citrus accord.
A2Spicy CitrusCitrus laced with clove, pepper, nutmeg or cinnamon.
A3Aromatic CitrusCitrus lifted by thyme, marjoram, rosemary or mint.
A4Floral Chypre CitrusA modern cologne: citrus joined by fresh and floral notes over a woody, mossy base.
A5Woody CitrusA softer citrus over a woody, lightly powdered base; the floral is barely there.
A6Floral Woody CitrusCitrus carrying light florals and contrasting woods.
A7Musky CitrusCitrus with an immediate clean (synthetic) musk, plus floral and woody notes.
BFloral
Built around a flower as the main theme: jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, violet, tuberose, narcissus.
B1SolifloreA single flower reconstructed: rose, jasmine, violet, lilac, lily of the valley.
B2Floral MuskyA floral with musk up front, plus fruity, woody or aldehydic touches.
B3Floral BouquetSeveral flowers combined into a richer, more complex composition.
B4Floral AldehydicA bouquet topped with aldehydes, often powdery and lightly animalic.
B5Floral GreenA floral sharpened with a green freshness, typically galbanum.
B6Floral Fruity WoodyA floral bouquet with a woody undertone and fruit: peach, apple, plum, apricot.
B7Floral WoodyA dominant flower over woody, powdery, vanillic notes.
