The Essence Guide a simple little site dedicated to explaining the fundamentals of perfumery - fragrance families, notes and concentrations - deployed on an Infrastructure as a Service rather than a managed platform.
Why does The Essence Guide exist? Most perfume listings online seem to assume a knowledge level about perfume; if the newbie is presented with an item described as "woody amber, EDP 15%" there isn't a quick and easy explanation as to whether that might correspond with a light daytime fragrance or a serious powerhouse for a one-time evening affair. This site simplifies these complex subjects: The families' smells, definition of "notes", difference between EDT/EDP/parfum (strength and longevity).
Fragrances herein are divided by families because the simplest approach for a newbie to quickly narrow their search is this system of categorizing a fragrance. "Fresh and aquatic" fragrances are anchored in notes of citruses, ocean mist, and light woods, and tend to dissipate more lightly and briefly - ideal for daytime wear or warm weather. "Oriental and woody" fragrances are more inclined to be dominated by amber, sandalwood, and the spiciness of things like incense or cinnamon, generally wear "heavier," last longer into the evening.
Middle in character (lighter than oriental, longer than fresh) you have "green and earthy" notes often featuring elements like tea, vetiver and fig leaf.
"Floral and woody," which often present a combination like rose and pepper or rose and oud, may represent the strongest and long-lasting members of any family in the palette.
Concentration is the other important, but too frequently overlooked factor in fragrance selections - most sites only include the name of the product and its scent profile. An eau de toilette (EDT) is generally a less concentrated version (about 5-10% perfume oil) with an average wear time of three to four hours. An Eau de Parfum (EDP) typically has about 12-18% perfume concentration, which would result in an average fragrance longevity of six to eight hours or more on the skin.
A higher concentration does not mean "better," it implies a richer, longer lasting fragrance suitable for a special evening or occasion, not for a working day.
In addition to a fragrance's family, its classification for concentration aims to avoid the all too easy assumption that all scents wear equally well on our skin.
Here is an example of a small selection of samples, chosen to cover the majority of the major families of scent, each one a teaching moment that is unique unto itself.
A warm, golden scent that opens bright with citrus before settling into amber and sandalwood — a good fit for evenings and cooler weather.
A light, airy scent built around sea salt and cedar, with a soft musk underneath — easy to wear daily, especially in warmer months.
A green, slightly bitter opening from fig leaf, softened by vetiver and white tea — unisex, understated, good for daytime or the office.
A deep, smoky take on rose, sharpened with black pepper and grounded in oud — the strongest and longest-lasting scent in the range.
| Fragrance | Family | Concentration | Best for | Longevity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber Hour | Oriental | EDP · 15% | Evening, cool weather | 6–8 hrs |
| Salt Cedar | Fresh | EDT · 8% | Daytime, warm weather | 3–4 hrs |
| Fig & Vetiver | Green | EDP · 12% | Office, everyday wear | 5–6 hrs |
| Smoked Rose | Floral / Spicy | EDP · 18% | Evening, special occasions | 8+ hrs |
The code I've put on this page is MIT-licensed. It comes down to intent and audience. This is an educational site and learning project not a commercial product, so I didn't want the licensing to add much friction between people discovering and reusing the code. Anyone may view, copy, modify, and distribute MIT's software, provided the original copyright notice is maintained.
I considered copylefting it like the GPL, upon which this site runs and can stay open source, but copyleft is most useful for projects whose makers want anyone that develops from their software to maintain open-licensing too.
I just don't have "derivative products" with any real commercially-minded value in tiny learning pages like this. MIT helps me to be as clear as possible about this, and doesn't risk burdening my next or any future employer or partner with any particular licensing commitments should they decide to reuse even one minuscule function of this codebase.
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