EDP, EDT or Parfum? What the letters on the bottle mean
The letters after a perfume's name tell you how much fragrance oil is inside. Here's what that means for how long it lasts, how it wears and what you pay.
Pick up almost any bottle on our shelves and you'll see a short code after the name: EDT, EDP, Parfum. It isn't decoration. It tells you how much perfume oil is dissolved in the alcohol, and that changes how the scent wears on you, how long it stays and what you pay for it.
The short version
| On the label | Perfume oil, typically | How long it usually lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Parfum / Extrait | 20–30% | 8 hours or more |
| Eau de Parfum (EDP) | 15–20% | 6–8 hours |
| Eau de Toilette (EDT) | 5–15% | 3–5 hours |
| Eau de Cologne (EDC) | 2–5% | About 2 hours |
Treat these as typical ranges, not rules. Every house sets its own recipe, and your skin, the weather and the notes themselves all play a part. A citrus scent fades faster than a woody one at any strength.
Eau de Toilette: light and easy
An EDT is the bottle you can reach for without thinking. It opens bright and settles quickly, which makes it a good match for daytime, the office and warm weather. Versace Bright Crystal is a classic example: pomegranate, yuzu and peony, soft enough to wear every day.
If you want an EDT to carry into the evening, plan on a second spray in the afternoon.
Eau de Parfum: the everyday favorite
Most of the bestsellers on our shelves are EDPs. More oil means the heart and base of the scent stay with you for most of the day, and the trail it leaves behind is fuller. Versace Dylan Blue for her and Prada L'Homme Intense for him both show it well: still there after lunch, without shouting.
Parfum and Extrait: rich and close
The most concentrated form. A parfum usually sits closer to the skin than an EDP but lasts the longest, and one or two sprays are enough. It costs more per ounce, though not always per bottle: the Jo Milano Game of Spades Rouge Extrait comes as a full 3.4 oz bottle at an everyday price.
Same name, different bottle
Many perfumes come in more than one strength, and the versions aren't simply louder or quieter copies. The EDP of a scent often has more vanilla, amber or woods in the base, while the EDT leans fresher and brighter. If you love one version, read the notes before assuming the other will smell the same.
Which one should you choose?
- For hot days, the gym bag or the office: an EDT.
- For one bottle that does everything: an EDP.
- For evenings, cold weather or a scent that lasts all night: a parfum or extrait.
Good to know. Size changes the price too. A 3.4 oz bottle usually costs less per ounce than a 1.7 oz one. When a perfume comes in more than one size, we show the price per ounce under each size and mark the best value.
Still not sure which suits you? Our scent quiz takes a minute or two and suggests perfumes from our shelves.
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