When I first started reading perfume blogs I was confused by the many odd and mysterious acronyms frequently used… I knew I had to learn the language to join the club.

Simple, right? Well not exactly… but I can be an industrious student when my heart is in it! Here are some of the most common ones you most likely come across:

BN – Brand new. commonly used in perfume swaps.

CNG – Comme des Garcons. High end cult fragrance.

CSP – Comptoir Sud Pacifique. Niche fragrance line known for its tropical scents.

DS – Drugstrore

FBW – Full Bottle Worthy. Very highly recommended and worth it.

FM – Frederic Malle. Niche fragrance brand.

GWP – Gift with Purchase. Samples or miniatures included with regular purchase.

HE – High end.

HTF – Hard to Find. Good luck getting it, may involve travel or paying big bucks.

HG – Holy Grail. This is it. Perfection.

IMHO – In my humble opinion.

JHAG – Juliette Has a Gun. Popular niche perfume line.

lemming – The irrepressible urge to sample/purchase a product. Can be used as a noun or verb.

OJ -Ormonde Jayne. Popular perfume line.

PG – Parfumerie General. Cult niche fragrance brand with devoted believers.

SA – Sales assistant. A derogatory term used to describe salespersons less knowledgeable than us true fragrance aficionados.

Skanky –  Usually means a little off but in a good way. Sometimes can mean just nasty and disgusting.

SOTD – Scent of the day. The latest though not necessarily the greatest.

STC – Surrender to Chance. Online scent store.

Swap – Exchange of perfumes or samples between people on a forum.

Swaplifter – Someone who has received the goods agreed upon during a swap but fails to uphold their end of the exchange.

TDF – To die for.

TF – Tom Ford. Popular perfume brand.

TM – Tierry Mugler. Popular cult fragrance line.

TSV – Today’s Special Value.

YKIAGAM – Your kind is as good as mine. We are all entitled to our own tastes and opinions.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I’ve left off any that you know of!

Until the next time,