Lashes in the Lush

BEAUTY TIPS, TRICKS & TALES FROM THE TROPICS

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Perfume 101:
The Anatomy of Perfume
through Top, Heart & Base Notes

Perfumes are amazing - but also amazingly complex. This is why it takes years to develop a fragrance and why perfumers, or ‘noses’ as they are called in the industry, are considered ingenious, skilful and accomplished artists. Composing  a perfume out of thousands of chemical building blocks in order to translate a specific style or feeling into a fragrance, is more an art than a science. Countless books are written on the history, psychology and art of perfume – all is equally interesting, but it is a lot of information to grasp. In order to understand the basics as to better understand perfume reviews and make well-informed choices on what fragrance suits you and why, I will regularly post a ‘Perfume 101’, each time explaining about a different subject related to perfume.  First topic: the anatomy of a perfume and how this influences how a fragrance is perceived over a timespan as short as minutes and hours.


A perfume doesn’t have the same scent over time; from the moment of application to the moment that it has vanished after a few hours, the scent that you perceive changes. To understand why and how a perfume changes, you need to understand two basic principles first:

(1) A perfume is composed of several  ‘notes’, that act as the descriptors of the scent 
(e.g. ‘vanilla’, ‘peony’, ‘amber’ etc.)

(2) These notes are categorized into three groups  based on their volatility, i.e. the times they can be sensed after the application of a perfume: Top or Head Notes, Middle or Heart Notes and Base Notes. 

Most notes are ascribed to one category only, however some notes can fall in two of those three categories, depending on their intensity and the interval in which they can be sensed.

The Perfume Pyramid, in which fragrance notes are categorized based on their volatility

TOP/HEAD NOTES – Fresh, Lightly Sweet & Short-lived


TimingWithin the first 2-10 minutes after application.

DescriptionTop or Head notes are perceived immediately upon application of a perfume and provide the first scent impression of a fragrance. In professional perfume vocabulary, this moment is described as the opening of a fragrance. Top notes are usually lighter, more volatile aromas that evaporate quickly. The scent of these notes are usually described as ‘Fresh’, ‘Fruity’ (in particular Citrus) or ‘Sharp’.

Typical Notes: 
Citrus (Lemon, Mandarin, Orange Zest, Bergamot);
Light fruits (Grapefruit, Berries, Peach, Melon);
Mildly fragrant flowers (Peonies, Lilies, Neroli);
Herbs (Rosemary, Sage, Lavender, Eucalyptus).

MIDDLE/HEART NOTES – Rich, Round & Longer Lasting


Timing: From 10 minutes to 1 hour  after application.

Description: Middle or Heart Notes make up the body of the blend, and are considered the heart of a fragrance. They usually take 10-30 minutes to fully develop on the skin and are the notes that classify the fragrance family (floral, oriental, chypre, etc) that a perfume can be categorized under.

Typical Notes:                 
Fragrant flowers (Jasmin, Gardenia, Orchid, Neroli, Orange Blossom, Bulgarian Rose); 
Green (Grass, Lemon Grass, Fennel);
Spices (Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Coriander, Clove, Nutmegg).

BASE NOTES – Deep, Dramatic & Long lasting


Timing: After 1 to 12 hours of application.
Typically, a fragrance lasts up to 4 hours, but this depends on the amount and nature of base notes and on a person's individual skin.

Description: Base notes provide the lasting impression and are the notes with the greatest molecular weight. These rich notes linger on the skin and act as fixatives to slow down evaporation of the lighter middle notes, to make the fragrance last longer.

Typical Notes
Wooded (Moss, Cedar, Rosewood, Sandalwood, Firewood, Teak Amber, Tobacco);
Balsamic (Musk, Vanilla, Patchouli, Incense, Leather,  Tonka Beans)

Traditional versus Linear Fragrances


When a fragrance is not composed of the traditional top, middle and base notes, this is described as a ‘linear’ fragrance. This implicates that a perfume is sensed the same way from beginning to end when wearing it. However, these type of fragrances are rare, and are likely to be a more modern, niche type of perfume. Whereas some people like the ‘what you see is what you get’ nature of linear fragrances, other critic them as ‘flat’ and boring because they don’t have the traditional gradual transition. For me personally it depends on the fragrance: if a fragrance is ‘just right’ at a certain moment and not too present or overwhelming, it can be pleasant if it doesn’t morph. If you are curious to try out a linear perfume, try one of the following: Angel by Thierry Mugler,  Aqua Allegoria series by Guerlain, Sublime Vanille by Creed, Eternity by Calvin Klein or Gucci Flora by Gucci Eau de Parfum. And if you want to compare the linear sensation of these perfumes with the evolving sensation under the influence of time and top/heart/base notes, try any perfume of Chanel – these  are very traditional, morphing fragrances that take time to develop and settle.

If you're interested to learn more, check out one of the following sources:
  • Fragrances of the World - Website
  • Now Smell This - Website
  • "Perfumes: The A-Z Guide" - Book by Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez.
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