It started with one question we kept getting asked: why isn’t Blossom’s Eau de Parfum a 30% or 35% Extrait, if that sounds so much stronger?
The honest answer is a bit longer than “because it’s cheaper” or “because that’s the legal limit” — neither of which is true. So here is the real story.
Where this started
Blossom Perfumery began during the pandemic, out of curiosity about how inspired fragrances were made and whether they could be made properly — not cut corners, not copy-paste ingredient lists, but formulated, tested and documented the way a real cosmetic product should be. What started as one person figuring this out has grown into a small team, still hands-on with every batch.
That background matters here, because our approach to concentration was never about chasing a bigger number on a product page. It was about getting the formula right.
Why we settled on around 20%
Eau de Parfum strength, at around 20% fragrance concentration, gives us the balance we want: enough concentrate for real longevity and projection, enough room for the alcohol to carry the fragrance and let it open properly, and a formula that develops the way we intend from the first spray through to the drydown.
We’ve written a longer, more technical breakdown of why a higher percentage doesn’t automatically mean a stronger or longer-lasting perfume — covering longevity, projection, IFRA restrictions and UK cosmetic safety requirements — for anyone who wants the full picture. Here, we wanted to focus on what that number means for us specifically, and what sits behind it.
Our process
Every Blossom fragrance is built around custom fragrance oils sourced from French and Grasse suppliers, then left to macerate for six to eight weeks before bottling. That resting period lets the raw materials properly marry — it’s a slower way of doing things than rushing a batch straight from mixing to shelf, but it’s part of why we think our fragrances develop the way they should on skin.
None of that shows up in a concentration percentage. It shows up in how the perfume actually wears.
Safety and compliance, properly done
Every Blossom fragrance is registered with the UK’s Submit Cosmetic Product Notification (SCPN) system, and our formulas go through independent safety assessments before they’re sold — not as an afterthought, but as part of how each fragrance is developed. We think this matters more than any number printed on a bottle, and it’s the reason we’re comfortable being transparent about our concentration in the first place: a brand that won’t tell you what’s in the bottle usually has more to hide than the percentage.
What our customers say
We can talk about maceration times and concentration levels, but the number that matters most to us is the one we don’t control: customer reviews. At the time of writing, Blossom Perfumery has more than 6,500 reviews on Shopper Approved, with an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 and 20% five-star. That’s the real test of whether 20% works — not the percentage itself, but whether people keep reaching for the bottle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn’t Blossom make a higher-concentration Extrait?
It’s not off the table, but it isn’t the direction we’ve chosen so far. Our Eau de Parfum formulas are built and tested around 20%, and changing that isn’t as simple as adding more oil — it changes the whole formula, from projection to ingredient safety limits. If we ever do it, it’ll be a properly developed product in its own right, not the same fragrance with more concentrate poured in.
Is 20% considered a strong perfume?
Yes. Eau de Parfum strength at around 20% sits well within the range that gives strong everyday longevity and projection when the fragrance is properly formulated — which is the part that actually determines performance, not the number alone.
Does Blossom test its fragrances before selling them?
Yes. Every fragrance goes through independent safety assessment and is registered on the UK’s SCPN system before it’s made available to customers, alongside our own product development testing.
Where do Blossom’s fragrance oils come from?
We use custom fragrance oils sourced from French and Grasse suppliers, macerated for six to eight weeks before bottling.
More is not always better
There’s nothing wrong with a fragrance brand choosing a higher concentration — plenty of good perfumes are built that way. There’s also nothing lacking about a well-made Eau de Parfum at 20%, if the formula behind it is right.
We’d rather be the second kind of brand: one that can explain exactly why we made the choice we did, rather than simply pointing at a bigger number.
Explore our Eau de Parfum collection and see what 20% actually smells like.
