Intro
This page will give you the rundown on perfume. Terms, notes, purchasing advice, etc.
I am also still learning and don't fancy myself an expert. But I do have a lot of practical experience and might be able to help you if you're new to this smelly hobby.
Eventually, I hope to add some fancy shit like historical perfume info. But for now this is it! Feel free to email me with any questions you may have, though it might take me a second to get back to you.
Important Terms
These are some common terms you might run into, I'll define them for you:
- Frag - A shortform of the word "fragrance". Used to denote a perfume or smell generally.
- Note - One scent aspect of a fragrance. Can refer to an actual singular chemical used in the fragrance, or an aesthetic quality (single fragrance chemicals can contain multiple notes). Mainly refers to "things I smell" or "things added to the perfume".
- Accord - A combination of notes. Usually used by perfumers to denote a house combination of notes. Can be used informally when a frag containing many parts comes together to smell like one thing.
- Silage - The spatial strength of a perfume. Refers to the distance at which you can smell the perfume. A lot of silage means you can smell it from far away. Colloquially also called a "scent bubble".
- Longevity - How long a perfume lasts.
- Perfume Oil - The scented portion of any fragrance, even alcohol based fragrances.
- Fragrance Oil - Usually, a premixed perfume oil sold by large suppliers. Can have a negative connotation in the community.
- Death Note - Not the smash hit anime, instead refers to a note that one just cannot handle in any iteration.
- Decant/Decanter - A decant is a little bit of a perfume that someone (or you) has put in a new container. Decanters are folks who make a habit or business of doing this for folks.
Sizing Terms
These are common terms you'll find referring to sizing, especially of indie perfumes.
- Dram - About 1/8 of an oz, or around 3.6ml
- Slink - These are the perfume vials you're probably most familiar with. Skinny vials often with wand lids. Around 0.75-1ml
- Imp - A word used predominantly in indie perfumery, popularized by BPAL. Usually the same as a slink.
- Full Size - You're probably thinking, Goo, I know what a full size is. But there's a lot of range here. Many houses sell 4ml, 6ml, 10ml, or 12ml sizes. These are usually all called "Full size".
- Sniffie - Mostly used by decanter, Ajevie, but has spread to more common use. Refers to an empty bottle that contains some residue that you can sniff.
These terms are less relevant to me, but important to know as a perfume hobbyist. They refer to different formats you'll find perfume in.
- Parfum (Also called Extrait) - Refers to a fragrance made with perfumer's alcohol and a perfume oil content of 20-40%
- EDP (Eau De Parfum) - Refers to a fragrance made with perfumer's alcohol and a perfume oil content of 10-20%
- Oil Perfume - Refers to a fragrance made with a carrier oil (like sweet almond or fractionated coconut oil) and varying levels of Perfume Oil concentration. The most common format for indie perfumes, and usually more affordable.
- EDT (Eau De Toilette) - Refers to a fragrance made with perfumer's alcohol and a perfume oil content of 5-15%
- Eau De Cologne - Refers to a fragrance made with perfumer's alcohol and a perfume oil content of 2-4%
- Eau Fraiche - Refers to a fragrance made with perfumer's alcohol and a perfume oil content of 1-3%
How to get started with indie perfumes
Indie perfumes can seem strange and confusing when you're first getting into them. Even besides all the strange new terms, there's so many options and less security when purchasing. Here, I'll give you my tips and tricks and recommendations for how to find what you're looking for.
Where do I even look?
When you're getting into indies, it can be hard to know where to go for best results. Here are some options and how I feel about them.
- Etsy - Etsy is a good starting point, and I think where most of us begin our journeys. A few of the well known houses sell on Etsy, as well as small gems that other folks might not know of. However, Etsy perfumers are often selling Fragrance Oils. Fragrance Oils can smell just as nice as classicaly crafted perfumes, however some folks might pick up on a candley or plastickey sense, especially from poorly blended examples. I believe Fragrance Oils can be just as enjoyable and just as artful as more standard perfumes, and I have no issue with purchasing them. But if you're wanting to be classic or are sensitive to that sort of thing, keep it in mind. Reputable perfumers will mention what they use to craft their perfumes. But if it's a small shop with few reviews and no specification, especially if the prices are a little too right, it's probably FOs.
- Reddit - I just mentioned reviews and perhaps you're thinking, Goo where do I find reviews that aren't yours? My favorite answer is Reddit. Reddit has been a great boon to me in my perfume journey. Specifically the IndieMakeupandMore subreddit, lovingly referred to as IMAM by users. IMAM has the most robust collection of indie reviews outside of specified forums, and also posts weekly destash listings/product requests where folks sell their extra or unwanted frags. I highly suggest dipping your toes in via the swaps. The swaps on IMAM are very well regarded and trustworthy and you can try a lot of cool stuff for very affordable prices. And it's fun to be in community with folks!
- BPAL - BPAL gets their own section here, because they are THE powerhouse of the indie perfuming community. They have been around since the 90s and well regarded the whole time. Their catalog is vast and labyrinthine, but many folks swear by their incensey and moody blends. BPAL also has their own forum that has devout users and reviews of literally every BPAL ever released (which is an intense number).
- Ajevie - Ajevie is my favorite decanter and a fan favorite in the community. They have working relationships with a ton of the current houses and provides samples, full sizes, partials, and preorders. They also have an RTS system, where you can have frag mail mailed to them and bundled with your Ajevie order into one easy package. This is especially useful for international (that is, outside of the US) folks like myself, who are often floored by shipping costs from USian houses. There are quite a few houses where the shipping to Ajevie and then Ajevie's shipping to you is cheaper than the house shipping. I love to use Ajevie for gifts, so I can send folks samples from a bunch of houses for them to try. Definitely give it a look.
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