Reading a concentration

Concentration is often sold as a promise: more oil, a better perfume. It is only a description of how the perfume is built to be worn.

Eau de toilette is the lightest of the three we keep. It opens quickly and leaves a shorter trail. It is the one for heat, and for days when scent should stay close to the shirt.

Eau de parfum sits in the middle. The heart lasts through an evening without asking to be noticed across a room.

Extrait is the smallest wear with the longest memory. One press is enough. It does not project so much as it remains, on skin and later on cloth.

Choose by the hour you will be in, not by the percentage on the box.