Fragrance Notes - What Are They?

Confused by all those perfume and aftershave descriptions going on about “notes”? If you thought notes were all about music – you’re wrong! They can also be used to describe different kinds of scents. The different notes in a perfume or aftershave come together to create the harmonious “chord” of a fragrance. Different notes are released at different times to create the nasal experience more commonly known as “smell”.

Top Notes: This is what you will smell immediately when you take your first whiff of a fragrance. Obviously these are very important as they give you that first impression of whether something actually smells nice or not. These top notes consist of very small, light molecules that evaporate quickly. Top notes are also often described as head notes.

Middle Notes: As the initial fragrance of the top notes dissipates, the middle notes become apparent. This is often the main scent or body you will discern of a perfume and aftershave when you are wearing it. Middle notes are also often referred to as heart notes.

Base Notes: As the middle notes fade, the base notes will become more apparent. It is the base and middle notes that form the underlying “theme” of a fragrance. Base notes create a solid base for a scent giving it depth. These notes are traditionally rich and deep in nature, developing only after the perfume or aftershave has been worn for some time.

These are the things that manufacturers of perfume will refer to when describing their scents. They may dress it up with concepts or a story surrounding it, but the above components and criteria are what everyone uses to create a perfume description. This is useful to know if you are trying to decide which fragrance you might like from written descriptions!