Perfume notes are ingredients that go into making up a fragrance. They are typically categorized as: top notes (citrus, lavender), heart notes (cinnamon, jasmine) and base notes (vanilla, musk).
The carefully selected blend of notes and ingredients blend together to make the perfume accord, the basic character of a fragrance. Experienced perfumers carefully choose notes to craft perfumes that smell pleasant while evoking an experiential aspect.
These notes are classified within a fragrance pyramid, with the notes at the top of the pyramid showing higher versatility (faster evaporation) and notes at the bottom of the pyramid showing lower versatility (slower evaporation).
What Are Top Notes?
Also called ‘headnotes,’ top notes form the top layer of a fragrance. To put it in different terms, top notes are what you smell first after spraying a perfume, playing a role in setting first impressions and shaping a fragrance’s story.
Top notes typically evaporate quickly, staying for the first 5 - 15 minutes before disappearing, and have lighter or smaller molecules. Their purpose is to provide an initial fragrance that will transition into the next part.
Many citrus scents are common top notes, including lemon, orange and bergamot. Lighter floral notes also serve as top notes, such as lavender and rose. Anise and basil are other more savory top notes.
What are Heart Notes?
Much like its name implies, heart notes, or ‘middle notes,’ make up the ‘heart’ of a fragrance, with their function serving to retain some of the aroma of the top notes while also introducing new scents to deepen the fragrance experience. They also serve as a buffer for the base notes, which may not have the most pleasant smell on their own.
Heart notes typically make up about 70% of a fragrance, giving them a longer-lasting experience than top notes. They will typically appear as the top notes begin to fade and remain for the entire life of a fragrance.
Many full-bodied and aromatic floral oils are heart notes, including neroli, jasmine, geranium and ylang-ylang. Other heart notes include pine, lemongrass, black pepper, cardamom and cinnamon.
What Are Base Notes?
In partnership with heart notes, base notes form the foundation of a fragrance while also boosting the lighter notes, adding depth. These scents are very rich and long-lasting, settling in after about 30 minutes and then working in harmony with middle notes to craft a fragrance’s scent. These notes settle into your skin and linger for hours after application.
Some popular base notes include sweet and savory scents such as vanilla, musk, amber and moss as well as woody scents like cedar and sandalwood.
