Heidi Norton
Choosing a perfume can be a difficult task, especially with the vast array of fragrances available. One way to find the perfect scent is to select a perfume by its notes. Perfumes are composed of three notes that correspond to different scents, from the most fleeting to the most lasting. Top notes are the scents that escape from the bottle as soon as it is opened and can be particularly volatile, fading over time. Middle and base notes appear over time, so it is important to wait a few hours to ensure you are truly drawn to a fragrance. Notes can include woody, floral, hesperide, chypre, fougère, and leather.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of notes in a perfume | 3 |
| Description of notes | Top notes, middle notes, and base notes |
| Top notes | The scents that escape from the bottle as soon as the perfume is opened |
| Top notes | The first scents are volatile and fade over time |
| Middle notes | Appear a few hours after spraying |
| Base notes | Appear a few hours after spraying |
| Woody notes | Sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, and vetiver |
| Chypre notes | Rose, bergamot, patchouli, cistus, jasmine, and oakmoss |
| Floral notes | Rose, violet, iris, and jasmine |
| Hesperide notes | Grapefruit, green mandarin, and lemon |
| Fougère notes | Lavender, geranium, coumarin, and oak leaf |
| Leather notes | Flowers, hay, and tobacco |
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What You'll Learn
- Top notes: Scents that escape from the bottle as soon as it is opened
- Middle notes: Wait a few hours for these to appear before making a decision
- Base notes: These are the most lasting notes of a perfume
- Woody notes: Sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, and vetiver give body to the perfume
- Floral notes: Recreate a bouquet or express a single floral note, like rose or jasmine
Top notes: Scents that escape from the bottle as soon as it is opened
Top notes are the initial scents that you smell when you first spray or apply perfume. They are the lightest and most volatile notes, and they evaporate quickly, lingering for only about 5 to 15 minutes. Top notes are crucial in shaping a fragrance's story and giving off an initial scent before transitioning smoothly into the next part of the fragrance.
Common top notes include fresh and citrus scents such as lemon, orange, bergamot, and grapefruit. These notes provide a burst of freshness and sweetness, with lemon and bergamot also offering a bitter sharpness. Floral notes are also prevalent among top notes, adding a natural feel to the fragrance. Light floral scents like lavender, rose, and jasmine are often used.
Fruity scents are another popular choice for top notes, with jasmine providing a fruity and white floral scent, and ylang-ylang adding a tropical touch. Some fragrances may also feature spicy top notes, such as cinnamon, to add warmth and depth to the initial impression of the perfume.
When selecting a perfume, it's important to consider not only the top notes but also the middle and base notes to gain a complete understanding of the scent's evolution and complexity. However, top notes play a significant role in setting the first impression and tone for the fragrance, making them an essential aspect of the perfume selection process.
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Middle notes: Wait a few hours for these to appear before making a decision
When selecting a perfume, it's important to consider the middle notes, also known as heart notes, as they are the "soul" of the fragrance. Middle notes add depth and character to the perfume, bridging the gap between the freshness of the top notes and the richness of the base notes. These notes typically reveal themselves about 15 minutes after being applied to the skin and can last for up to two hours. Therefore, it's essential to wait a few hours for the middle notes to appear before making a decision about a perfume.
Middle notes are considered the most influential on the mind and body of those who smell them. They are often derived from trees and flowering plants, which have a significant visual influence on our emotions. When choosing a perfume, selecting the right middle notes is crucial not only for how you want the fragrance to smell but also for how you want it to make you feel.
To truly experience the middle notes of a perfume, it is recommended to spray a sample onto the skin and wait for at least an hour or more. This allows you to observe how the fragrance evolves as the layers of notes unfold. The top notes of a perfume are usually bright and fleeting, lasting only a few minutes to an hour, so waiting for them to evaporate is essential to fully appreciate the heart of the fragrance.
Some common essential oils used as middle notes include lavender, clary sage, tea tree, and rosemary. These middle notes can be blended with other notes to create unique and captivating fragrances that evoke emotions and memories. The art of perfumery involves carefully selecting and blending these ingredients to create complex and captivating scents that evolve over time on the skin.
When choosing a perfume, it's worth considering your favourite scents, such as lavender, musk, bergamot, or patchouli, and seeking out fragrances that include those notes. By understanding the role of middle notes and how they interact with the other layers of a fragrance, you can make a more informed decision about which perfume to select.
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Base notes: These are the most lasting notes of a perfume
When selecting a perfume, it is important to consider not only the top notes but also the middle and base notes to get a complete understanding of the scent. Base notes are the foundation of a perfume and are very rich, heavy, and long-lasting. They kick in about 30 to 45 minutes after application and can last for several hours, sometimes even an entire day. The scent of the base notes lingers the longest and is the one you remember the most.
Base notes are located at the base of the olfactory pyramid, which is often used by perfume brands to describe a fragrance. They are the densest and most intense part of the pyramid and are also called signature notes because they give the perfume its soul. They are made up of deep notes that give the memory of the perfume. The bottom notes will not have the same effect on different surfaces and will sometimes be sublimated on the skin.
Base notes are essential to the perfume as they evaporate slowly and fix the perfume so that it lasts longer. They are the final layer in the aromatic structure of a perfume, providing depth and solidity to the fragrance. They work together with the middle notes to create the scent. Popular base notes include vanilla, amber, musk, patchouli, moss, and woody notes like sandalwood and cedarwood.
When selecting a perfume, it is important to identify the key notes that you can smell. Base notes are the scents that you can smell once the middle notes have evaporated. They are the longest-lasting notes and can last for up to 24 hours. They provide depth and warmth to the perfume. Woody fragrances with deeper woody notes such as sandalwood or cedar are perfect for evening wear or colder seasons.
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Woody notes: Sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, and vetiver give body to the perfume
Woody fragrances are derived from wood materials such as trees, roots, resins, moss, and some leaves and grasses with earthy qualities. Woody perfumes tend to be rich and warm, often forming the base of a scent due to their aromatic weight. They are commonly paired with aromatic, citrus, or floral top notes.
Sandalwood, for example, has a unique depth and the ability to linger and last, acting as an excellent fixative for other notes. It is commonly found in fragrances such as Caswell-Massey's Woodgrain Sandalwood, Czech & Speake's No.88, Vétiver Vert, Cuba, Perfecto Fino, Frankincense, and Myrrh.
Cedar, or cedarwood, is perhaps the most significant of the woods due to its ancient use in perfumery and is one of the most commonly used notes in fragrance. Its scent comes from the extracted oil of coniferous trees native to the Mediterranean region, the Himalayan Mountains, the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, and Virginia in the US. It can be found in Czech & Speake's Spanish Cedar and Smoky Perfecto Fino fragrances.
Patchouli is an essential oil in the earthy fragrance family, which also includes oakmoss and vetiver. These fragrances can be extremely grounding, with a smell that closely imitates nature.
Vetiver, an essential oil derived from the root of a grass variety, is known for its warm, earthy, and woody aroma. It is commonly used in perfumery, especially in combination with other woody notes. As mentioned, it is a key note in Czech & Speake's Vétiver Vert fragrance, along with a warm and earthy base of sandalwood.
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Floral notes: Recreate a bouquet or express a single floral note, like rose or jasmine
Floral notes are a popular choice for perfumes, with rose and jasmine being two of the most well-known and commonly used flowers.
Rose has long been associated with love, beauty, and sensuality, and its scent is believed to have therapeutic qualities. In aromatherapy, rose is known as the "women's oil" and is used to address PMT and menopausal problems. It is also thought to have anti-depressant qualities and to act as a nerve soother and a gentle aphrodisiac. There are two main types of rose used in perfumery: Rosa Damascena and Rosa Centifolia, which are sourced from Bulgaria, Morocco, or Turkey. The more expensive Rose Otto or Essential Oil is produced through hydro distillation and requires around 4500 kg of petals to produce just 1 kg of oil. Rose Absolute is a more affordable alternative, requiring between 700 and 900 kg of petals per kg of oil. However, a challenge with using natural rose in commercial fragrances is the presence of Methyl Eugenol, a restricted component. Low Methyl Eugenol rose is available but is typically out of reach for many fragrance producers due to high costs and minimum order quantities. To create a rose fragrance, traces of Damascone and Rose Oxide can be added, along with natural rose absolute for depth. Geranium oil and Guaicwood, which have rosy undertones, can also be used. For a classic rose fragrance, Guerlain Nahema and Paris by YSL are popular choices.
Jasmine is another beloved floral note in perfumery, with about 80% of fragrances created in the first half of the last century containing natural jasmine raw materials. The most important species of jasmine used in perfumery is white jasmine, also known as common jasmine. An important variety of jasmine is jasmine sambac, which is often used to perfume green tea. The discovery of hedione significantly impacted the fragrance industry, allowing for more realistic and stronger jasmine accords. Methyl jasmonate, a plant hormone regulating growth and development, is also commonly used in jasmine fragrances. Synthetic odorants with jasmine notes include lactones, which are structurally similar to natural jasmolactone, and ketones like fleuramone. For those seeking a modern alternative, gelson (IFF) offers a strong yet fresh scent.
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Frequently asked questions
Choosing a perfume based on its notes is a great way to select a scent that reflects your personality and tastes. Perfumes are composed of top, middle, and base notes. Top notes are the scents that escape from the bottle as soon as it is opened or sprayed and can be particularly volatile, fading over time. To ensure you're truly drawn to a fragrance, it's best to wait a few hours for the middle and base notes to appear.
There are many different notes that can be used in perfumes, and they can be combined to create unique scents. Some common notes include floral, hesperide, woody, and leather. Floral notes can recreate a bouquet or express a single floral note, with rose, violet, iris, and jasmine being the basic floral scents in perfumery. Hesperide notes are citrus accords made from citrus fruits such as grapefruit, green mandarin, and lemon. Woody notes, such as sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, and vetiver, help to bind the base notes and give body to the perfume. Leather notes recreate the characteristic scent of leather and are often combined with notes of flowers, hay, and tobacco to create a unique, seductive scent.
A great way to discover which notes you like is to try out different perfumes and see which scents you are drawn to. You can also take a scent quiz to help you narrow down your preferences.
Once you know which notes you prefer, you can use a perfume finder or virtual fragrance advisor to help you find perfumes with those notes. These tools will suggest new fragrances to try based on your preferences.
Before deciding on a fragrance, it's important to remember that the notes of a perfume can vary from person to person. Spray the perfume on your wrist and wait a little while to see how it interacts with your body chemistry before deciding if you like it or not.
