Definition
A concentrate is the full formula of a perfume, its naturals and aroma chemicals weighed and blended without any alcohol. Composition houses deliver fragrances in this form, and the trade often simply calls it the oil. The longer form fragrance concentrate is also common.
The word oil trips readers up. When a small house says it receives a new perfume still in the form of oil, it sounds as though the perfume was finished and then turned into oil. The order runs the other way.
Detail and Context of Use
Four stages follow each other, always in this order:
- Composition. The perfumer writes the formula and refines it through successive trials.
- Concentrate. The materials are weighed and blended to the formula, and the batch is checked by analysis and by nose against a reference sample.
- Dilution. The concentrate is dissolved in denatured ethanol, with a little water in some formulas.
- Maceration. The blend rests in a tank before being chilled, filtered and bottled.
The share of concentrate in the alcohol is what separates an eau de toilette from an eau de parfum or an extrait. Sealed in a drum, the concentrate meets almost no air and keeps well, while diluted perfume ages faster. Workshops therefore dilute only what they expect to sell in the coming months.
Concentrate and Concentration
The concentrate is the material. Its proportion in the finished product has an entry of its own.
Sources
- Anne-Sophie Hojlo, interview with Cristina Castellanos of Iberchem on the production process of a perfume, Nez, September 28, 2020
- Fragonard, “La Fabrique des Fleurs,” Fragonard factories website
- France compétences, RNCP21667 certification record, technical assistant in the aromatic and cosmetic industries
- Eduscol, French Ministry of Education, case study of a perfume production line
- Linda Pilkington, founder of Ormonde Jayne, interview with Osmetheca, September 1, 2026