Absolue
Reference

Le Parfum

Concentration, evaporation, family — the three real structures every composition in the ledger is built from.

I · Concentration II · Evaporation III · Familles
FOLIO I

Concentration

% aromatic compound, real ranges

Extrait, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne, eau fraîche — five tiers, defined only by how much aromatic compound is dissolved in the alcohol base. The wear-hours are what that percentage buys, not a separate marketing claim.

Extrait de Parfum Extrait 20–30% 6–10h
Eau de Parfum EDP 15–20% 4–6h
Eau de Toilette EDT 5–15% 2–3h
Eau de Cologne EDC 2–4% 1–2h
Eau Fraîche Fraîche 1–3% 1h
FOLIO II

Evaporation

A real 0–10 hour timeline

Top, heart and base notes are named for their real evaporation rate, governed by the raw material's molecular weight — not for a decorative "layer" in a diagram.

Top notesNotes de tête
Heart notesNotes de cœur
Base notesNotes de fond
0h 2h 4h 6h 8h 10h
Top notes: Light, volatile molecules — citrus oils, aldehydes, light herbs. Gone within the first two hours on most skin. Heart notes: The body of the scent — florals, spices, stone fruit. Emerges as the top notes clear and carries the composition through the afternoon. Base notes: Heavy, low-volatility molecules — woods, musks, resins, amber. What is left on the skin — or the fabric — the next morning.
FOLIO III

Familles

The seven classic families

The older Osmothèque-era classification this house was trained on — each family a real accord structure with its own history, not an arbitrary label.

Chypre Bergamot over oakmoss and labdanum — named for Cyprus, where François Coty first built the accord in 1917. Fougère Lavender, coumarin, oakmoss — "fern-like," after the 1882 scent that invented the accord without a fern anywhere in it. Cuir Leather — birch tar and smoked, animalic notes built to recall tanned hide, a family older than the industrial perfumery that classified it. Ambré Oriental/amber — vanilla, resins, and labdanum built warm and heavy, the family most associated with evening wear. Floral The largest family by volume produced — a single dominant bloom or a bouquet built from several. Hespéridé Citrus — the oldest family in the trade, and the most fleeting: citrus top notes rarely survive past the first hour. Boisé Woody — sandalwood, cedar, vetiver, the base-note family that gives most other families something to stand on.