The trail of scent a wearer leaves in the air while moving, distinct from how far a fragrance projects or how long it lasts.
Sillage is French for a boat’s wake: the CNRTL’s TLFi defines it as the trail of foam a vessel leaves on the surface of the water, and records sillage parfumé, a perfumed trail. The Office québécois de la langue française, in its terminology for perfumed products, defines sillage as what remains in the air after a perfumed person has passed.
Sillage is neither projection nor longevity. The perfume house Marc-Antoine Barrois separates projection, the radius of scent around a person standing still, from sillage, the trail left in movement, and both from longevity, how long a scent remains perceptible on the skin; a fragrance may project heavily but leave no trail. A stronger concentration does not guarantee one either: an extrait, with more perfume oil and less alcohol, often sits closer to the skin, because alcohol helps molecules lift into the air.
In job listings
Sillage is seldom named in listings. It belongs to the vocabulary of the fragrance specialists and beauty advisors whose listings ask them to share product knowledge and recommend fragrances to suit each client, alongside the concentrations explained under eau de parfum. See current fragrance specialist roles.
