Tincture
An aromatic preparation made by soaking a source material in alcohol so that soluble scent compounds enter the liquid.
In perfumery, tincturing means leaving aromatic material in alcohol to extract soluble scent compounds. The alcohol remains part of the resulting preparation. Fragonard describes this kind of infusion for dry materials such as vanilla pods; it differs from processes that remove the extraction solvent to obtain a concentrated material.
Examples also appear in finished perfume descriptions. Papillon identifies ambergris tincture in Tobacco Rose and Spell 125, while Aftelier’s Fragrant Companion Kit lists jasmine and ambergris tinctures. Those examples describe particular materials and products, rather than a fixed strength shared by all tinctures.
The source material, preparation and dilution matter when comparing tinctures. If the term appears in a fragrance’s notes, it offers a clue to the material used. To judge the perfume, sample the finished composition and notice how that material works with the rest of the scent.