Founder Diaries · Perfume Education · 2026

Sillage, accord, dry-down, EDP, oud, ambroxan, chypre — every word on a bottle, a review or a product page, defined plainly by a perfumer. One A–Z reference to keep.

By Sonal Sahani · ISIPCA, Versailles-trained perfumer · Founder, SOSA Home & Body · Updated May 2026

Disclosure: SOSA Home & Body is an independent fragrance house and is NOT affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any perfume brand or house referenced for context in this educational glossary. All brand names and trademarks belong to their respective owners and are used only for descriptive comparison. SOSA does not sell counterfeits — our Perfume Recreation is an independent interpretation, hand-composed by our own perfumer and calibrated for Indian skin and weather.

Why a fragrance glossary is the most useful thing to keep

You read a review that praises a perfume's "beast-mode sillage," its "indolic jasmine heart" and its "ambroxan-heavy dry-down," and you nod along without being sure what any of it means. Or a product page lists an "EDP at 18%," a "chypre accord" and "good longevity but moderate projection," and you cannot tell whether it will actually last on your skin in Pune. Almost every fragrance buyer in India has had this experience, because the world of perfume runs on a vocabulary that no one ever explained — half French, half technical, half marketing.

I am Sonal Sahani, an ISIPCA, Versailles-trained perfumer and the founder of SOSA Home & Body in Pune. ISIPCA is the famous fragrance school near Paris where many master perfumers learn their craft. This glossary is the reference I wish every buyer had: fifty essential terms, each defined in one or two crisp, quotable lines, arranged A to Z so you can find any word in seconds. Learn the vocabulary and you will read reviews properly, decode product pages, and buy better — wasting less money on scents that disappear by lunchtime. And because this matters even more here than in Europe, several terms carry an India-specific note: a perfume balanced for a cool, dry Paris winter does not behave the same way in 40°C Pune heat or 80% Mumbai monsoon humidity, where the top notes flash off faster and the trail blooms bigger. Where this guide names a material or a style, it is only to illustrate a term — SOSA is an independent fragrance house, not affiliated with or endorsed by any brand, and we do not sell counterfeits.

How to use this glossary: four at-a-glance cards

Almost every fragrance term falls into one of four groups. Knowing which group a word belongs to is half the battle — so here are the four families of terms as quick-reference cards, before the full A–Z table below.

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The big three, untangled: sillage vs projection vs longevity

Three terms get mixed up more than any others, and getting them right transforms how you read reviews. They describe three completely different things — so here is each in one crisp line.

A perfume can be loud but short-lived (high projection, low longevity), or quiet but tenacious (low projection, high longevity, an intimate "skin scent"). In Indian heat, projection and sillage tend to rise because warmth lifts the molecules off your skin faster — which is why one or two sprays of a strong fragrance is usually plenty here, and why over-spraying a beast-mode scent can become overwhelming indoors.

The A–Z glossary: 50 fragrance terms

This is the reference to bookmark. Fifty essential perfume terms in alphabetical order, each with a crisp, quotable definition and, where it helps, an example or an India-specific note. Skim it once to get oriented, then come back whenever a word stumps you.

Quick way to use the table: when a review uses a word you do not know, find it here first, then check which of the four groups it belongs to — structure, concentration, performance or material. Almost every fragrance term sits in one of those four, and once you can place a word, you can read the whole review with confidence.

Shop a climate-calibrated recreation · ₹1,799 → Design a bespoke scent →

India-specific notes: attar, heat & performance

A glossary written for India needs a few terms read through a hotter, more humid lens than the European originals assume. Here is what changes when the same vocabulary meets 40°C heat and 80% monsoon humidity.

Attar is not just "an oil perfume" — it is the climate-smart choice. Because an attar is alcohol-free and oil-based, it does not flash off the way an alcoholic spray does in heat. It sits close to the skin, blooms slowly with body warmth, and lasts a long time from a tiny amount — which is exactly why traditional Indian and Arabic perfumery leaned on attars long before air-conditioning. For the monsoon, or for reactive skin, an attar is often the most reliable format you can wear.

Performance terms behave differently in heat. Longevity tends to shorten in our heat because warmth speeds evaporation, so a scent that lasts all day in a cool climate may fade by midday here unless it has a strong, anchored base. At the same time, projection and sillage tend to grow, because heat lifts the molecules off your skin faster — so the same fragrance reads louder in summer than in winter. The practical rule: in Indian heat, fewer sprays of a base-rich, well-fixed fragrance beats many sprays of a light, top-heavy one.

Concentration matters more here. An EDT that performs respectably in Paris can feel thin and fleeting in Pune; an EDP or an extrait, with more oil and a stronger base, holds far better. This is why SOSA composes its recreations at EDP strength and anchors the lighter notes deliberately — so the whole scent survives a long, hot, humid Indian day rather than racing to its base by lunchtime.

Chart: the concentration ladder

Of all the terms above, concentration is the one that most directly predicts how long a fragrance will last — so it is worth seeing on a single ladder. The bars below show the typical oil percentage and indicative wear time for each concentration on Indian skin in warm conditions; SOSA's recreations sit at EDP strength, anchored for the heat.

Scores are indicative ranges for typical wearers in warm, humid Indian conditions, not guaranteed times — your own skin chemistry, application and the day's weather will shift the result. SOSA is an independent fragrance house; any materials or styles named on this page are used only for educational explanation.

From a building block to a bottle, by priority

The whole point of learning the vocabulary is to choose better. Here is how the building blocks above turn into something you can actually wear — fairly, depending on your priority and budget. SOSA's own approach is simple: a recreation is decoded note by note, and a bespoke scent is built from these same building blocks.

And to be genuinely fair: if your priority is the prestige, the boutique experience, the collectible bottle and the exact original accord of a famous house, the original designer or niche perfume is the right buy. No recreation replaces heritage and cachet. Many people use an affordable recreation or attar first to learn which note families and accords suit their skin and climate, then invest in a flagship original once they know themselves.

How to read a review or product page like a perfumer

Put the whole glossary to work and a perfume review stops being jargon and becomes a forecast. Here is exactly how to read one — and how you can too.

Place each term in its group. When you hit a word, ask whether it describes structure (notes, accord, dry-down), concentration (EDP, extrait), performance (sillage, projection, longevity) or material (oud, ambroxan, indolic). Sorting words into those four buckets makes any review instantly readable.

Separate the big three. A reviewer raving about "beast-mode projection" is telling you it is loud, not that it lasts; "great longevity but soft projection" means a quiet scent that stays all day. Read sillage, projection and longevity as three different promises, never as one.

Weight your attention towards the base and concentration. The opening and the headline note are seductive but fleeting; the base materials (woods, amber, oud, musk, vanilla) and the concentration are what decide whether the scent survives a hot Indian day. If the base reads thin and the concentration is EDT, expect a short wear in the heat.

Then always test on skin. A review and a notes list are fair previews, but the same materials can read differently on your skin chemistry and in your local climate. Spray on the inner wrist, wait thirty minutes, and judge the dry-down — that is the perfume you are really buying.

Who this glossary is for

• Anyone who has read a perfume review and nodded along without knowing what the words meant.
• Shoppers who want to decode a product page before they spend a rupee.
• People confused about the difference between sillage, projection and longevity.
• Buyers unsure what EDT, EDP and extrait actually change about a fragrance.
• Anyone whose imported perfume keeps fading or turning sharp in Indian heat and humidity.
• Future bespoke clients who want to describe the notes and accords they love.

A note from the perfumer

I trained at ISIPCA in Versailles, the school near Paris where so many master perfumers learn their craft, and one of the very first things you do there is learn the language — hundreds of materials, the families they belong to, the words for how a scent behaves over time. It is a vocabulary built over a century, mostly in French, and it can feel like a closed club. But none of it is mysterious once it is explained plainly, and a buyer who knows the words is a buyer who can never be misled by clever marketing.

When I came home to Pune, I learned a second lesson the French curriculum never quite taught: that the same vocabulary plays differently at 40°C than it does in a cool European studio. Concentration matters more here; fixation matters more here; the difference between a top-heavy scent and a base-rich one is the difference between a perfume that vanishes by lunch and one that lasts till night. So every SOSA formula begins with the same materials the great French and Swiss houses use — perfumery-grade aromatics from suppliers like Firmenich, Givaudan, IFF and Symrise, alongside real naturals such as Bulgarian rose absolute, Kashmiri saffron, Indian sandalwood and jasmine sambac, and Cambodian oud — and then I rebuild it for our weather using what we call the SOSA Climate Calibration Method™. Everything is hand-composed in small batches, allowed to macerate, on a pharmaceutical-grade perfumer's alcohol base, IFRA-compliant, with no parabens, no phthalates, no fillers, and no outsourcing.

I wrote this glossary because once you can read the words, you stop being sold to and start choosing for yourself. And reading the words is where two of the things I love most begin: when a client brings me a fragrance they adore, I decode its notes one by one and rebuild its character as a Recreation; and when a client wants something that is only ever theirs, we build a Bespoke Signature from the very building blocks defined on this page. A portion of every bottle we sell supports Nanhi Kali and a girl's education, which is the part of this work I am proudest of.

Read the founder's story → Explore bespoke perfumery →

— Sonal Sahani, Founder & Perfumer, SOSA Home & Body · ISIPCA, Versailles · Pune, May 2026. SOSA is an independent fragrance house; any brands or materials mentioned are referenced only for descriptive, educational comparison and are not affiliated with or endorsed by SOSA.

The final word

Fragrance has its own language, but it is not a difficult one. Almost every term comes down to how a scent is built (notes, accords, families, the pyramid), how strong it is (concentration — EDC, EDT, EDP, extrait), how it behaves (longevity, projection, sillage, dry-down) and what it is made of (oud, musk, ambroxan, vanillin and the rest). Place any word into one of those four groups and you can read any review, product page or bottle with confidence. The A–Z table above is the reference to keep — fifty terms, defined plainly, in one place.

For India specifically, the rule is simple: concentration and a strong, well-fixed base decide whether a scent survives the heat, while projection and sillage tend to bloom bigger here — so a base-rich EDP or an alcohol-free attar will almost always outperform a light, top-heavy spray. Judge a perfume by its dry-down on your own skin after thirty minutes, not by its opening. And if you already love a particular scent, a climate-calibrated recreation is an affordable way to wear it all day; if you want something built entirely from the building blocks you choose, a bespoke signature is waiting. Now you have the vocabulary — use it.

Shop the SOSA Recreation · ₹1,799 → Design a bespoke scent →

Frequently asked questions

What does sillage mean?

Sillage (pronounced see-yazh, from the French for a ship's wake) is the scent trail a fragrance leaves behind you as you move — the cloud that lingers in a room or a corridor after you have passed. It is not the same as projection or longevity: projection is how far the scent radiates from you right now, longevity is how many hours it lasts, and sillage is the trail it leaves in your wake. A perfume with good sillage means people catch your scent moments after you have walked by. In Indian heat sillage tends to bloom bigger, so one or two sprays of a strong fragrance is usually plenty.

What is the difference between projection and longevity?

Projection is how far a fragrance radiates from your skin into the air around you — your scent bubble — while longevity is how many hours the fragrance lasts on your skin before it fades. They are independent: a perfume can project loudly for two hours then die, or sit quietly close to the skin yet last all day. Sillage is a third, separate quality — the trail you leave behind you. In Indian heat projection usually rises because warmth lifts the molecules off your skin faster, but that same heat can shorten longevity unless the fragrance has a strong, anchored base.

What does EDP, EDT and extrait mean?

These are concentrations — how much perfume oil is dissolved in the alcohol base, which drives strength and longevity. Eau de Toilette (EDT) is roughly 5–15% oil and the lightest and shortest-lived; Eau de Parfum (EDP) is roughly 15–20% and the modern everyday standard with good strength; Parfum or Extrait de Parfum is the richest at roughly 20–40% and lasts longest. Eau de Cologne is the lightest of all at around 2–5%. Attars and perfume oils are different again — undiluted or oil-based rather than alcohol sprays. SOSA composes its recreations at EDP strength so they hold through a long Indian day.

What is an accord in perfume?

An accord is a blend of several notes that combine into one new, unified smell — the way several musical notes played together form a chord you hear as a single sound. For example, an amber accord is usually built from labdanum, vanilla and balsamic materials, and you smell warm amber rather than each ingredient separately. Perfumers think in accords as much as in single notes, because an accord is a recognisable building block — a fougère accord, a chypre accord, a gourmand accord — that gives a fragrance its overall identity. When a product page mentions an amber, woody or floral accord, it means a deliberately blended impression, not one raw material.

What is an attar?

An attar is a traditional concentrated perfume oil, usually alcohol-free, made by capturing aromatic materials such as oud, rose, sandalwood, saffron or jasmine into a carrier oil. Because attars are oil-based rather than alcohol sprays, they sit close to the skin, bloom slowly with body heat, and resist the kind of fast flash-off you get from alcoholic fragrances in heat — which is exactly why they perform so well in Indian summer and monsoon humidity. Attars are applied in tiny amounts to pulse points and tend to last a long time. They are also gentler on reactive skin because there is no alcohol carrier.

What is the dry-down of a perfume?

The dry-down is how a perfume unfolds and settles over time as its different molecules evaporate at different speeds — the long, final character you wear for most of the day after the bright opening has faded. First the top notes burst and fade within about fifteen minutes, then the heart notes define the scent for two to four hours, and finally the base notes form the lasting dry-down for the rest of the day. A perfume should always be judged by its dry-down on your own skin after about thirty minutes, never by the opening on a paper strip. The dry-down is the perfume you actually live with.

What does longevity mean in perfume?

Longevity is how many hours a fragrance lasts on your skin before it fades to nothing — distinct from projection (how far it radiates) and sillage (the trail you leave). It is driven mostly by the strength of the base notes, the concentration, your skin chemistry and the climate. Rich woods, amber, oud, musk and vanilla last longest; light citrus and aquatic notes fade fastest. In India, heat speeds evaporation and can shorten longevity, which is why a fragrance balanced for a cool European climate often disappears by midday here unless it has a strong, anchored base built for the heat.

What is the difference between a synthetic and a natural perfume ingredient?

A natural ingredient is extracted from a plant or other natural source — rose absolute, sandalwood oil, jasmine — while a synthetic is a single aroma molecule created in a lab, such as ambroxan, vanillin or iso E super. Synthetic does not mean inferior or unsafe: synthetics are how perfumers achieve consistency, recreate materials that cannot be ethically harvested, and build modern notes that do not exist in nature. Almost every great modern perfume blends both. SOSA uses real naturals such as Bulgarian rose absolute, Kashmiri saffron, Indian sandalwood and Cambodian oud alongside perfumery-grade aroma molecules from the same houses that supply French and Swiss luxury labels.

What is a fixative in perfume?

A fixative is a material that slows down the evaporation of a fragrance so it lasts longer on the skin — it anchors the lighter, faster notes to the heavier base. Classic fixatives include musks, ambroxan, resins, oakmoss and certain woods. Without good fixation, even a beautiful perfume can flash off in an hour, especially in heat. Fixation is at the centre of the SOSA Climate Calibration Method, where we deliberately anchor the bright top and heart notes so they survive 40°C heat and 80% humidity instead of vanishing in the first hour on Indian skin.

What is IFRA and why does it matter?

IFRA, the International Fragrance Association, sets the global safety standards for how much of each fragrance material can be used in a product so it is safe to wear on skin. An IFRA-compliant perfume has been formulated within these limits, which restrict known allergens and sensitising materials to safe concentrations. It is a mark of responsible perfumery, not a limit on quality. Every SOSA fragrance is IFRA-compliant, free of parabens and phthalates, and built on a pharmaceutical-grade perfumer's alcohol base, so you get the character you want within established safety limits.

What is a flanker in perfume?

A flanker is a new version of an existing perfume that keeps the original name but tweaks the formula — an Intense, Elixir, Eau Fraîche, Le Parfum or limited edition built on the same family but with a different twist. Flankers let a house extend a successful scent: an Intense or Elixir is usually richer and longer-lasting, while an Eau Fraîche is lighter and fresher. They can smell quite different from the original despite sharing the name, so it is worth checking which version a notes list or review refers to before you buy.

What does gourmand mean in perfume?

Gourmand describes a fragrance family built on edible, dessert-like notes — vanilla, caramel, tonka, chocolate, coffee, honey and sugar — that smell good enough to eat. Gourmands are warm, sweet and comforting, and because they lean heavily on rich base materials they tend to last well, which makes them popular for evenings, winter and cooler weather. In Indian heat a very sweet gourmand can feel heavy at midday, so many people wear them at night; a well-calibrated gourmand keeps its warmth without turning cloying.

What does indolic mean?

Indolic describes a slightly animalic, heady, almost over-ripe quality found in many white flowers such as jasmine, tuberose and orange blossom, caused by a natural molecule called indole. In small amounts indole gives white florals their sensual, living, three-dimensional richness; in larger amounts it can read mothball-like or musty. When a review calls a jasmine perfume indolic, it means that deep, narcotic, slightly carnal facet rather than a clean, soapy floral. It is a sign of a rich, natural-smelling white floral rather than a flat one.

What is maceration in perfume?

Maceration is the resting period after a perfume is blended, during which the fragrance oils and alcohol marry and the scent matures and rounds out — much like letting a curry or a wine rest. A freshly mixed perfume can smell sharp or alcoholic; after weeks of maceration the notes settle and the composition becomes smoother and more harmonious. Some enthusiasts also let a new bottle rest at home for a few weeks before judging it. SOSA hand-composes in small batches and allows proper maceration so each formula is balanced before it ships.

What is a nose or perfumer?

A nose is the term for a perfumer — the trained artist who composes fragrances by selecting and balancing hundreds of raw materials into a finished scent. The name reflects how central the sense of smell is to the craft, and a master perfumer can recognise and recall thousands of individual materials. Many perfumers train at specialist schools such as ISIPCA in Versailles, near Paris. SOSA's fragrances are composed by founder Sonal Sahani, an ISIPCA, Versailles-trained perfumer, who hand-composes every formula in Pune and calibrates it for Indian skin and weather.

What is oud?

Oud, also called agarwood, is one of the most precious materials in perfumery — a dark, resinous wood formed when the Aquilaria tree responds to a natural infection. Its scent is deep, woody, smoky, leathery and complex, and it is the backbone of much of Middle Eastern and South Asian perfumery. Real oud is rarer and costlier than gold by weight, so most modern perfumes use oud accords or sustainable oud rather than pure wild oud. Oud is a powerful, long-lasting base note that performs beautifully in Indian heat, which is why so many attars and Arabic-style fragrances feature it.

What does chypre mean?

Chypre (pronounced sheep-ruh) is a classic fragrance family built on a contrast between a fresh citrus top — usually bergamot — and a warm, mossy, woody base of oakmoss, labdanum and patchouli. The name comes from the island of Cyprus. Chypres smell sophisticated, dry and elegant, and they were once the height of fine perfumery; modern versions are often softened because oakmoss is now restricted under IFRA limits. If a perfume is described as a chypre, expect that signature bright-top, earthy-mossy-base structure.

What is ambroxan?

Ambroxan is a popular synthetic aroma molecule that recreates the warm, salty, woody-ambery smell of natural ambergris. It is prized for being clean, radiant, long-lasting and excellent at boosting projection and sillage, which is why it features in many modern best-selling fragrances, especially fresh and ambery styles. Ambroxan also works as a fixative, helping anchor lighter notes. Its tenacity and lift make it useful in fragrances built for hot climates, where a strong, radiant base helps a scent hold against the heat.

What is the SOSA Climate Calibration Method?

The SOSA Climate Calibration Method is our proprietary process for rebalancing a fragrance so it performs in real Indian conditions of up to 40°C heat and 80% humidity, rather than the cool, dry climate most imported perfumes were built for. In practice it anchors the lighter top and heart notes with stronger fixatives so they do not flash off in the first hour, strengthens the proportion of robust base materials so the scent does not collapse, and selects climate-true aromatics that stay faithful in humidity instead of turning sharp. Every formula is then tested on Indian skin across a full hot, humid day so it holds from morning to night.

Is a SOSA Recreation a copy of the original perfume?

No. The SOSA Perfume Recreation is an independent interpretation, hand-composed by our own ISIPCA, Versailles-trained perfumer — not a counterfeit and not a refilled original. Our perfumer decodes the character and structure of a scent you name, note by note, and rebuilds an impression of it from our own materials, calibrated for Indian skin and weather. It does not copy any trademark, logo or packaging. Every formula is IFRA-compliant, phthalate-free, paraben-free and built on a pharmaceutical-grade perfumer's alcohol base. SOSA is an independent fragrance house and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any brand referenced for descriptive comparison.

How do I order a SOSA Recreation, and what does it cost?

Ordering is simple: add the Perfume Recreation to your cart, choose your size, and at checkout enter the name of the perfume you want recreated — you can name any fragrance, even a discontinued or hard-to-find one. Our perfumer then hand-composes an independent interpretation calibrated for Indian skin and weather. Pricing is 10ml ₹499, 50ml ₹1,799 and 100ml ₹3,499, with free shipping above ₹499, and a portion of every purchase supports Nanhi Kali and a girl's education. If you want a scent built entirely from scratch around notes you choose, the Bespoke Signature Perfume starts at ₹1,499.

Are SOSA fragrances safe and IFRA-compliant?

Yes. Every SOSA fragrance is IFRA-compliant, free of parabens and phthalates, and built on a pharmaceutical-grade perfumer's alcohol base that is cleaner than industrial carriers. We use perfumery-grade aromatics from the same houses that supply French and Swiss luxury labels, alongside real naturals such as Bulgarian rose absolute, Kashmiri saffron, Indian sandalwood and jasmine sambac, and Cambodian oud. As with any fragrance, do a patch test on the inner forearm and wait 24 hours if your skin is sensitive. Our alcohol-free attars and solid perfumes are an even gentler option for reactive skin.

Which fragrance terms matter most for buying perfume in India?

For Indian buyers the four terms that matter most are concentration, longevity, projection and sillage, plus base notes. Concentration (EDT vs EDP vs extrait) and a strong base tell you whether a scent will survive the heat; longevity tells you how many hours it lasts; projection and sillage tell you how loud it is and how big a trail it leaves, both of which tend to grow in our heat. Knowing dry-down stops you from buying a perfume on its fleeting opening. Together these terms let you predict how a fragrance will behave through a hot, humid Indian day before you spend a rupee.

Related reading

• Perfume 101: The Complete Beginner's Guide (India)
• Fragrance Notes & the Scent Pyramid Explained
• Sillage vs Projection vs Longevity: What's the Difference?
• EDT vs EDP vs Parfum vs Attar: A Simple Guide
• What Is an Attar? A Complete Guide (India)
• Why Expensive Perfumes Disappear on Indian Skin
• How to Make Perfume Last Longer in India
• Perfume Dupes in India: An Honest Guide