Extrait de Parfum Launches Jumped Sixfold Since 2020

By Amara Osei

Global extrait de parfum launches grew from fewer than 100 in 2020 to more than 600 in 2025, according to Mintel data. Brands from Chanel to Merit are betting the format — concentration from roughly 20 percent up to 60 percent, versus 15 to 20 percent for a typical eau de parfum — becomes fragrance's next growth engine.

The format is not new. Extrait was the main form of fragrance in the 1920s, at around 20 percent concentration, before eaux de parfum took over during the industry's global commercialization. The pandemic reversed that slide.

"Since the pandemic, the trend has clearly accelerated, and the major houses are reviving a prestigious concept of the extrait de parfum: that of a creation elevated to its highest level of ambition," said a report by Paris-based fragrance platform Nez, supported by Amouage.

What is driving the concentration race?

Performance now tops how consumers judge scent, said Valeria Acevedo, managing director of Nez.

"Ten years ago, the extrait was almost an anachronism. Today, performance has become one of the main ways people judge a fragrance: longevity and sillage are what they review, share and compare," Acevedo said. "After the success of niche perfumery, the whole industry went looking for perceived value, and the Middle East, where very high concentrations are the norm, has reset the benchmark. There's also a less obvious factor: regulation has restricted many traditional sources of power in fragrance, so perfumers can use concentration to rebuild intensity."

Fragrance consultant Paul Austin said extrait now signals more than strength. "Today, extrait carries a wider set of expectations: greater presence, a richer interpretation, access to something more exclusive and a deeper understanding of the craft," he said. "It becomes a vessel, literally and metaphorically, for a consumer who approaches perfumery differently — as something to explore, discuss, collect and make their own."

Who is launching what?

Brands that launched or expanded extraits this year include Victoria Beckham Beauty, Merit, Horace, Chanel, BDK Parfums, Amouage and Guerlain.

• Merit entered fragrance with extrait rather than eau de toilette. New Wave L'Extrait de Parfum costs $92 for 30 ml. "We wanted something that lasts for the consumer, and extrait gives you that, but also personalizes on your skin. It's more premium," said CEO Philippe Pinatel.
• Victoria Beckham cited longevity at the launch of Hotel Portofino, $320 for 50 ml. "The longevity of this fragrance is really important to me," she said. "This is the absolute best."
• Saujet, the namesake brand of Thomas Saujet, sells 60 percent concentrations. Its debut collection, Lumière d'Azur, is priced at $2,250 for 76 ml. "People are tired of fragrances not lasting," Saujet said.
• Horace, the Paris-based men's grooming brand, launched its first extraits — Vintage Vanilla, and Horace and Vetiver Primavera — at $155 each. "At some point, the only way to be even more powerful is to make an extrait where the concentration is higher," said cofounder Marc Briant-Terlet.

Are all extraits equal?

No, according to the Nez report, which warns some rely on marketing. "If a brand uses 20 percent concentration of fragrance oil in their perfume, but the fragrance oil is 50 percent solvent... the real concentration of odorous material in the finished perfume is 10 percent," the report said.

Acevedo flagged the pricing risk. "If the word 'extrait' becomes just a label, consumers will stop trusting it, and the whole category will lose its value," she said.

Will the growth last?

Mintel's associate principal analyst Carson Kitzmiller expects continued growth, driven by younger consumers: 40 percent of adults 18 to 24 know about extraits, versus 7 percent of those 55 and over.

"What we see overall in the U.S. fragrance market is that one of the top factors for purchase is about long-lasting fragrance. Extraits plays directly into that, so I believe it is a growth lever, or a growth opportunity for brands," Kitzmiller said.