Fragrance Composition Can Be Likened to Music
 Creating a perfume can be easily compared to composing music. Perfumes contain "notes" that linger to last and move you to feel something... much like music. In fact the given "notes" and "the fragrance pyramid" were first conceived as educational tools, presented by master perfumer Jean Carles, in the first half of the 20th century, in order to communicate to the public how a fragrance unfolds on a person's skin.
In the intervening decades "notes" became layman parlance for when describing a fragrance and you would find them in any saleswoman's pitch; rather than actual ingredients they refer to the individual "smells" (real or evoked) that are combined to deliver a sonorous composite. The impression is given by the whole, but the individual parts can peek from inside out.Â
The fragrance pyramid is structured in three parts: top, middle and base.
Let's explore them one by one by clicking on the slides!Â
Starting with the Head Notes
 The "top notes" are the ones that draw you in when you first spray or dab a perfume from the bottle. They can also be referred to as the "head" of the scent. The reason they're the first to evolve has to do with the molecular weight and volatility of the ingredients that account for them; usually highly volatile essences such as citruses or synthetic fruity scents as well as certain spices are accountable for the exhilarating, refreshing effect of a fragrance's top notes during the first fifteen minutes.
Although technically perfumers using the Carles method of composition compose these last, after deciding on the base and heart notes, they're the first to make an impression to the buyer. This fact has drawn the perfumers' attention to them and nowadays fragrances put great emphasis on the first impression, dazzling and surprising, knowing that it's what catches the short attention span of the modern consumer!Â
Continuing with the Heart Notes
The "heart" of the fragrance is usually where the main message is conveyed. Middle notes or heart notes make up the body of the blend; the ingredients and effects which decide the "style" and character of a given perfume. Rising after the fifteen minute hallmark and maturing on average in the next hour, these aromas, in the words of the Penhaligons experts, "sometimes blend with the lighter head notes to usher in the complex base notes to come.
They can include different ingredients including flowers, spices, woods, resins and grasses".
A perfumer usually thinks about the base or bottom notes of a fragrance first when trying to "structure" the formula. These are big molecule ingredients with low volatility (some like musks can persist on skin and clothes for days and weeks on end!) which ensure not only tenacity of a given fragrance on the skin, but they also sway the rest of the composition a certain way to achieve the desired effect.
Patchouli for example makes roses seem to unfurl endlessly, while civet makes florals richer and even more sensuous!Â
Base notes usually emerge after the two hour benchmark, so be patient when sampling perfumes at the store. Be sure to wait out, you may be surprised.Â
Nowadays some fragrances are nevertheless cleverly constructed to smell almost the same from start to finish, benefiting of improved techniques and replications conceived in the lab, which allow a beloved "note" to seemingly go on for ever. You may hear them referred to as "linear scents"because they do not waver. If you're familiar with Eternity by Calvin Klein or Alien by Thierry Mugler, these are good examples of linear fragrances.Â
Want to learn more? Explore the following introductory articles & slideshows to get the best guidance on fragrance on the Net.
Fragrance Families & Examples for Each
Fragrance Styles: from aldehydic to floriental and back
The Right Way to Wear Fragrance
How to Make your Fragrance Last Longer on You
How Are Perfume Ingredients Produced?
Essential Perfume Sampling Tips
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 Creating a perfume can be easily compared to composing music. Perfumes contain "notes" that linger to last and move you to feel something... much like music. In fact the given "notes" and "the fragrance pyramid" were first conceived as educational tools, presented by master perfumer Jean Carles, in the first half of the 20th century, in order to communicate to the public how a fragrance unfolds on a person's skin.
In the intervening decades "notes" became layman parlance for when describing a fragrance and you would find them in any saleswoman's pitch; rather than actual ingredients they refer to the individual "smells" (real or evoked) that are combined to deliver a sonorous composite. The impression is given by the whole, but the individual parts can peek from inside out.Â
The fragrance pyramid is structured in three parts: top, middle and base.
Let's explore them one by one by clicking on the slides!Â
Starting with the Head Notes
 The "top notes" are the ones that draw you in when you first spray or dab a perfume from the bottle. They can also be referred to as the "head" of the scent. The reason they're the first to evolve has to do with the molecular weight and volatility of the ingredients that account for them; usually highly volatile essences such as citruses or synthetic fruity scents as well as certain spices are accountable for the exhilarating, refreshing effect of a fragrance's top notes during the first fifteen minutes.
Although technically perfumers using the Carles method of composition compose these last, after deciding on the base and heart notes, they're the first to make an impression to the buyer. This fact has drawn the perfumers' attention to them and nowadays fragrances put great emphasis on the first impression, dazzling and surprising, knowing that it's what catches the short attention span of the modern consumer!Â
Continuing with the Heart Notes
The "heart" of the fragrance is usually where the main message is conveyed. Middle notes or heart notes make up the body of the blend; the ingredients and effects which decide the "style" and character of a given perfume. Rising after the fifteen minute hallmark and maturing on average in the next hour, these aromas, in the words of the Penhaligons experts, "sometimes blend with the lighter head notes to usher in the complex base notes to come.
They can include different ingredients including flowers, spices, woods, resins and grasses".
A perfumer usually thinks about the base or bottom notes of a fragrance first when trying to "structure" the formula. These are big molecule ingredients with low volatility (some like musks can persist on skin and clothes for days and weeks on end!) which ensure not only tenacity of a given fragrance on the skin, but they also sway the rest of the composition a certain way to achieve the desired effect.
Patchouli for example makes roses seem to unfurl endlessly, while civet makes florals richer and even more sensuous!Â
Base notes usually emerge after the two hour benchmark, so be patient when sampling perfumes at the store. Be sure to wait out, you may be surprised.Â
Nowadays some fragrances are nevertheless cleverly constructed to smell almost the same from start to finish, benefiting of improved techniques and replications conceived in the lab, which allow a beloved "note" to seemingly go on for ever. You may hear them referred to as "linear scents"because they do not waver. If you're familiar with Eternity by Calvin Klein or Alien by Thierry Mugler, these are good examples of linear fragrances.Â
Want to learn more? Explore the following introductory articles & slideshows to get the best guidance on fragrance on the Net.
Fragrance Families & Examples for Each
Fragrance Styles: from aldehydic to floriental and back
The Right Way to Wear Fragrance
How to Make your Fragrance Last Longer on You
How Are Perfume Ingredients Produced?
Essential Perfume Sampling Tips
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