Choosing a perfume is always a personal experience. It's about skin, memories, emotions, but also context and personality. In a store, exchanging ideas, trying on different scents, and discussing them allows you to naturally refine your preferences. Online, the process is more challenging: you can neither smell nor test the fragrance.
That is why, beyond the classic filters, Maison Diaphane has chosen to offer search tools based on the olfactory experience itself, in order to help everyone to navigate more accurately in their discovery.
On most websites, sorting options are generally limited to a few criteria: bestsellers, alphabetical order, price, or brand. These sorting options are useful for organizing a catalog, comparing budgets, or finding a specific product, but they provide no indication of what the perfume will actually smell like or how it will feel on a daily basis.
When it comes to perfume, these are precisely the elements that matter: the olfactory universe, the structure of the fragrance, its longevity, its diffusion, and how it evolves on the skin. To complement these classic categories and bring the online experience closer to that of shopping in a store, Maison Diaphane offers filters based on how the perfume is perceived and used.
1) Filter by olfactory family: identify your sensory world
The olfactory family corresponds to the main "color" of the perfume, its dominant atmosphere. It is what allows us to group creations according to their main facets and to provide clear reference points within the diversity of the offering.
At Maison Diaphane, eight olfactory families are offered in the filters:
Amber : warm, enveloping fragrances, often built around resins, vanilla and balsamic notes, associated with a feeling of comfort and depth.
Aromatic : fresh and invigorating compositions, marked by herbs, green or camphor notes, evoking nature and the feeling of purity.
Woody : structured, dry or creamy fragrances, built around different wood essences, offering an impression of elegance, stability and character.
Floral : creations centered on flowers, sometimes delicate, sometimes opulent, expressing sweetness, romance or intensity depending on their construction.
Fougère : a family historically linked to classic perfumery, blending freshness, lavender, aromatic notes and deeper bases, often associated with timeless elegance.
Gourmande : fragrances evoking sweet, milky or pastry notes, providing a feeling of immediate pleasure and comfort.
Citrusy : compositions dominated by citrus fruits, luminous, fresh and sparkling, ideal for a feeling of vitality and lightness.
Oriental : rich and sensual perfumes, built around spices, resins and warm notes, often associated with a strong personality and great emotional intensity.
Using the olfactory family filter allows you to either stay in a world you know and already appreciate, or to explore new creations while maintaining a certain sensory coherence.
It's a way to navigate more serenely, starting from one's deepest tastes rather than a simple perfume name.
2) Filter by concentration: understanding the structure and longevity of the perfume
Concentration refers to the proportion of perfume concentrate present in the formula. It directly influences the longevity of the fragrance, as well as its depth, texture, and how it evolves on the skin over time.
Four main concentration categories are offered in the filters:
Cologne : very fresh and light, it prioritizes the immediate and invigorating sensation, with a shorter lasting power, ideal for generous and repeated applications.
Eau de toilette : a balance between freshness and structure, with moderate diffusion and lasting power suitable for everyday wear.
Eau de parfum : more concentrated, it offers a more pronounced evolution and a longer persistence, often chosen as the main perfume.
Perfume extract : highly concentrated, it is worn in small touches, with exceptional depth and longevity, often perceived as a more intimate and intense version of perfume.
This filter allows you to adapt your choice to the season, the time of day, but also to your personal relationship with the act of applying perfume and how you want to experience your perfume over time.
3) Filter by sillage: choose how your perfume is perceived
Sillage refers to how a fragrance diffuses around the wearer. It's not just a matter of intensity, but also of its relationship to space and other people.
Some perfumes remain close to the skin, almost discreet, while others leave a more pronounced imprint on the environment. This criterion is essential because a perfume is not worn in the same way depending on the context: workday, social life, more intimate moments, special events.
At Maison Diaphane, four levels of sillage allow you to refine this choice:
Discreet sillage : fragrance close to the skin, subtle, ideal for professional environments or for those who like restraint.
Moderate sillage : noticeable but measured presence, balanced, easy to wear every day.
Sillage present : assertive diffusion, fragrance that is noticed by those nearby, a confident olfactory signature.
Intense sillage : an enveloping, very expressive fragrance that leaves a lasting imprint in the space, often chosen for special moments or as a signature fragrance.
Choosing a perfume based on its sillage is therefore defining how one wishes to exist olfactorily in one's environment.
4) Combining filters: refining your olfactory journey
The value of these filters lies not in their isolated use, but in their combination. By combining olfactory family, concentration, and sillage, it becomes possible to create a much more precise and personal fragrance.
This approach allows one to move from a broad exploration to a more targeted selection, taking into account both one's tastes, lifestyle and wearing habits.
The choice then becomes more coherent, more reassuring, and closer to what one would naturally do during an exchange in a store.
Ready to begin your exploration?
Discover our selection of niche perfumes and use the filters to build your own olfactory journey.
At Maison Diaphane, we believe that every fragrance is an encounter. That's why we carefully select rare, independent houses, each imbued with meaning and emotion. Whether you're searching for your signature scent or curious to discover new creations, our team will guide you with passion, either in our boutique in Angers or through our online selection. Let your senses speak…
And don't forget: "Close your eyes, breathe, welcome to Maison Diaphane ."