Eau de Toilette vs. Eau de Parfum: How to Choose Your Ultimate Formula

To accurately determine the many differences between eau de parfum and eau de toilette, I caught up with fragrance and beauty expert Funmi Monet who, in addition to being a licensed therapist, has built a large social media following (350,000+ on TikTok) on tips, tricks, and recommendations for the fragrance enthusiast and novice alike. In fact, she is affectionately known on the app as “your fave fragrance auntie.” She shared that one of the main differences between eau de parfum and eau de toilette is the perfume oil concentration.

“Eau de toilette generally has a perfume oil concentration between 8% and 12% while eau de parfum can have a perfume oil concentration between 12% to 18%,” Monet says. According to her, the oil concentration of an eau de parfum or eau toilette shouldn’t sway a fragrance novice one way or the other, as a higher concentration doesn’t necessarily mean the former is ‘better.’ She contributes this to the unique composition of fragrances that possess different elements. This, in turn, “makes each level of intensity relevant to the experience of the wearer.”