Eau de toilette vs eau de parfum vs parfum
Reviewed by Lucy Grant, co-owner and fragrance reviewer — 24 September 2026
What is the difference between eau de toilette and parfum?
The difference is how much fragrance oil is mixed in. Floris and Ulta both put parfum at 20–30%, eau de parfum at 15–20% and eau de toilette at 5–15%.
- The label will not tell you. Ingredient lists name the fragrance but do not show how much is in the bottle.
- Stronger is said to last longer. Floris gives eau de parfum 6–8 hours on skin and eau de toilette 4–6.
- Not always the same formula. Tom Ford lists different materials for three of eight scents sold in two strengths.
Add each bottle with its strength in Sentia and see which ones you actually wear.
The strengths
What sellers say each name means
The names describe how concentrated the fragrance oil is. Two sellers that rank on the first page for this question publish ranges, and on the four strengths both list, their percentages match.
| Name | Oil | Floris: lasts | Ulta: lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parfum | 20–30% | Longest lasting | 8–12 hours or more |
| Eau de parfum (EDP) | 15–20% | 6–8 hours | 6–8 hours |
| Eau de toilette (EDT) | 5–15% | 4–6 hours | Not stated |
| Eau de cologne (EDC) | 2–5% | Lightest, shortest | Not stated |
| Eau fraîche | About 1–3% (Ulta only) | Not listed | Fades through the day |
From Floris London (November 2024) and Ulta Beauty, both read 17 September 2026.
You cannot check the percentage on your own bottle
Take Aventus. Creed’s ingredient line names the fragrance with the single word “parfum”, between alcohol and limonene, with no quantities anywhere, as the Aventus guide shows. So the ranges above describe the category. They cannot tell you how much oil a particular bottle holds.
The ranges also touch at 15%. On the published figures alone, a strong eau de toilette and a light eau de parfum could hold the same amount.
Same name
Is the parfum just a stronger eau de parfum?
Not always. Sentia’s catalogue holds eight Tom Ford scents in both a parfum and an eau de parfum or eau de toilette, with the house’s note list for each version. We compared the lists side by side.
Same list at both strengths
- Oud Wood
- Grey Vetiver
- Costa Azzurra
- Black Orchid
- Ombré Leather
Four identical, and Ombré Leather differs only in writing “accord” after black leather.
Different materials
- Soleil Blanc
- Fucking Fabulous
- Neroli Portofino
Each parfum names materials its eau de parfum does not, and drops some that it does.
| Scent | Only in the parfum | Only in the lighter one |
|---|---|---|
| Ombré LeatherWording only | Black Leather | Black leather accord |
| Soleil BlancDifferent materials | Jasmine grandiflorum, vanilla absolute | Bergamot, benzoin extract |
| Fucking FabulousDifferent materials | Tonka roasted absolute, fir balsam absolute | Almond bitter oil, tonka resinoid |
| Neroli PortofinoDifferent materials | Petitgrain bigarade, clary sage, jasmine imperial absolute, Sylkolide | Winter yellow mandarin, orange flower, lavender |
Even an identical list is not proof of an identical formula. Tom Ford’s own page says Oud Wood Parfum “reveals astounding new facets” of Oud Wood, although it publishes the same six notes for both.
One house is a small sample, and we are not suggesting every brand works this way. The point is narrower: when you try a stronger version of a scent you like, treat it as a new fragrance to test, not the same one turned up.
Wear time
How long each one lasts
The hours in the table are sellers’ claims rather than tests. What changes during those hours is a question about notes: an engineering review from 2021 puts the top of a fragrance at up to half an hour on skin and the base past four hours. The perfume notes guide has the full picture.
Which strength earns its place?
If you own a scent in two strengths, your own habits settle which one earns its place. Add both with their strength and what you paid, log what you wear, and Sentia shows what each wear really costs.
Questions
Still wondering
- Is eau de parfum stronger than eau de toilette?
- By the ranges sellers publish, yes: 15–20% fragrance oil against 5–15%. The two ranges meet at 15%, and no label shows the real figure, so a particular eau de toilette is not guaranteed to be weaker than a particular eau de parfum.
- Does parfum last longer than eau de parfum?
- Sellers say so. Ulta gives parfum 8–12 hours or more and eau de parfum 6–8 hours. These are general claims, not measurements of any one bottle, and the same fragrance can also change between strengths.
- Is a cologne always the weakest strength?
- Not when the word is part of the name. Floris and Ulta put eau de cologne at 2–5%, but Creed's Aventus Cologne is a separate fragrance with its own note list, including mandarin, ginger and a salty marine accord that Aventus does not list.