What are fragrance notes?
Like music, smells are made up of different tones. Mastering fragrance notes is key for any fragrance enthusiast. Knowing your notes will help you find the perfect scent every time.
As fragrance specialists, we specialize in creating fragrances that make you smile. To help you find the perfect scent for you, here's our guide to understanding fragrance notes.
Fragrance notes are essentially the different levels of fragrance that make up the final fragrance. These fragrances are divided into three different elements: Top notes, Heart notes and Base notes.
The top, heart and base notes work together to create a beautiful fragrance. Without the combination of all three, a fragrance simply would not be appealing.
Top notes
The top notes of a perfume are sometimes referred to as opening notes or top notes because they are fragrance notes that are perceived immediately upon application. Top notes are the lightest of all notes. Due to their lightness, top notes are also the first to fade - but this does not detract from their importance.
Top notes represent the first impression. They may not be the longest-lasting element of a fragrance, but they are the first thing you smell when you try a new fragrance. Top notes are the first scents that draw you in and give you a first impression of the fragrance.
Heart notes
As the name suggests, middle notes form the heart of the fragrance. This fragrance level, also known as middle notes, forms the basis of every perfume and makes up about 40-80% of the final fragrance.
The heart notes appear just before the top notes fade and strongly influence the base notes that follow. Heart notes should not be taken lightly.
Base notes
When the top notes are completely gone, the base notes finally emerge. The base notes alone make up 10-25% of the final fragrance. However, the base notes also blend with the heart notes to deepen the complexity of the fragrance.
While the top notes provide the first impression, the base notes are associated with the decay of the fragrance, so the base notes provide the final, lasting impression.