Gift me an hour alone in the department store and you'll find me sniffing and spritzing every bottle in my vicinity. As it's a playground for scent lovers, being let loose on the myriad of new and classic perfumes, toilettes and extraits is akin to Christmas morning. And as a fragrance-obsessed beauty editor, it never gets old. This is why, when I spotted more and more of this type of scent popping up, I was intrigued. Let's talk about extraits.
So, what is an extrait?
Extrait, quite simply, means "extract" in French and refers specifically to the very concentrated oil extracted from the raw materials used to make perfume. Now, though, the term is usually used to refer to a fragrance with a high oil concentration.
"For context, an eau de parfum is around 20% to 25% oil concentration and an eau de toilette is around 10%," Alex Verier, perfumer and founder of fragrance brand Foras explained to me. "An extrait, on the other hand, is a fragrance concentration above 40%. It's bolder, more intense."
Are extraits more concentrated and stronger-smelling?
It makes sense, then, that an extrait would be louder and have increased longevity when compared to an eau de parfum. But that's not always the case.
"It's not as simple to say that a higher [oil] concentration will result in a longer wear time and stronger scent," Josh Carter, a co-founder of fine fragrance platform Fiole and fragrance expert trained under Roja Dove, says. "There are several factors that can affect a fragrance's performance. The main one is how the ingredients [in the fragrance] behave. Bergamot, for instance, is very volatile. While it has incredible projection, it evaporates very quickly, even at 100% concentration. Oud, though, has a softer and more intimate scent but can continue to emit scented molecules for a very long time."
Rather than think of extraits as the brash, overpowering cousin to elegant eau de parfums and delicate eau de toilettes, think of them as a third variation, a way to play with the way fragrance smells by tinkering with the concentrations. Some are even suitable for everyday wear, it just depends on the notes that come through strongest. An oud or leather-heavy extrait may be best suited to evening wear or events while one formulated with citrus notes could transition between hot summer days and nights very well.
How do you pick an extrait?
As with all fragrances—highly concentrated or otherwise—my best advice is to smell it in person. First, by spritzing it onto a blotter, noting the time, and smelling it at 15- or 30-minute intervals for a couple of hours. As the scent develops, you'll discover the heart and base notes and find out if you like them once the top notes have sloughed off. Next, pop some on your skin. The way it intermingles with your natural scent will be a good marker of whether or not you should go for it. It seems arduous, but in my humble opinion, there's not much worse than a full bottle of perfume sitting on the side going to waste, simply because the way it dried down was so different from the way it smelled at first spray.
The best extraits:
1. Byredo Casablanca Lily Extrait De Parfum
2. Byredo Tobacco Mandarin Extrait De Parfum
3. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait de Parfum
4. Maison Francis Kurkdijan Amyris Femme Extrait De Parfum
5. New Notes Talco Extrait De Parfum
6. New Notes Queen of the Sea Extrait De Parfum
7. Maison Crivelli Tubereuse Astrale Extrait De Parfum
8. Guerlain L'art & La Matière Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21
9. La Bouche Rouge Rose L'extrait De Parfum
1. Byredo Casablanca Lily Extrait De Parfum
The names of Byredo fragrances are always sumptuous and indulgent. Mojave Ghost, Blanche, Rose of No Man's Land, and Animalique, to name a select few. And when it comes to extraits, the trend continues. Casablanca Lily, an unctuous blend of plum and gardenia with Indian tuberose and rosewood, is a concentrated scent, perfect for hazy, sensual evenings. Think floral and sweet without being juvenile, it's the epitome of quiet, yet undeniable, luxury. IMO, this is one of the brand's most underrated fragrances.
2. Byredo Tobacco Mandarin Extrait De Parfum
Spiced fragrance lovers, unite. Byredo's Tobacco Mandarin extrait de parfum has top notes of tart mandarin, fresh coriander, and warm cumin, with a leather, tobacco heart giving smoky, smoothness to the middle. Oud and creamy sandalwood form the base and the overall effect is a bold, rich scent that'll nestle into clothes and seep into the skin. The best practice is to spritz once and assess.
3. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait de Parfum
The chance of encountering perfumer Francis Kurkdijan's Baccarat Rouge 540 grows ever larger by the day, its popularity snowballing. The extrait, though, is more unusual, a deeper, richer, smoother scent than the eau de parfum. Like its less concentrated sibling, though, the extrait brings together saffron and bitter almond, jasmine, cedar, and musk.
4. Maison Francis Kurkdijan Amyris Femme Extrait De Parfum
If powdery, floral, sweet-but-not-sugary scents are your thing, this Maison Francis Kurkdijan extrait will tick every box. This luminous and energetic scent is rich in white flowers like jasmine and iris with zippy vibrancy from the mandarin blossom and pear.
5. New Notes Talco Extrait De Parfum
Another one for the powder soft scents is this New Notes extrait, which combines all things romantic and femme: Damask and Moroccan rose, ylang-ylang, tonka bean, musk, iris , amber, and talc.
6. New Notes Queen of the Sea Extrait De Parfum
Think Positano in the summer; an azure sea lapping at an Italian idyll, the promise of an afternoon sleep and freshly caught supper on the horizon—this is what this extrait reminds me of. With top notes of seawater, lemon, pink grapefruit, and neroli, it's underpinned by sensual rose, magnolia, and patchouli.
7. Maison Crivelli Tubereuse Astrale Extrait De Parfum
Jammy. Sticky. Sweet. Creamy. These four words might summon thoughts of puddings rather than fragrances to mind, but they are a spot-on description for this juicy, floral extrait.
8. Guerlain L'art & La Matière Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21
In my humble opinion, this Guerlain extrait is one of the best that the French house offers. It's heavy on the vanilla (it's cold-soaked for 21 days for extra oomph) and smells almost smoky sweet with additional notes of spices and amber. Yes, it's insanely pricy, but it's so special and worth every penny if you can spare the extra cash.
9. La Bouche Rouge Rose L'extrait De Parfum
This potent rose scent is about as close to smelling like a rose garden as it gets. Plus, it's derived from 92% natural ingredients and housed in upcycled packaging made from recovering and revaluing surplus raw materials.
This post originally appeared on Who What Wear UK.
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