The olfactory pyramid of a fragrance

We often hear about fragrances with top, middle and base notes.

What does that mean?

 

Not everyone knows what it means and how to recognise the three categories. Let us explain what we mean by olfactory notes when we refer to a fragrance. There are precisely three groups of olfactory notes subdivided on the basis of the volatility of the essential oils that make up the fragrance. In fact, the succession of one group of notes after another determines the temporal development of the fragrance according to the olfactory pyramid:

- the top notes are the first to be perceived but also the first to disappear, followed by
- the heart notes and lastly
- the base notes (or base).

The three categories constitute what we commonly know as the 'olfactory pyramid' and serve to identify all the fragrances that characterise and, at the same time, allow us to distinguish one fragrance from another.

The top notes

At the top of the pyramid, the top notes (as the word itself implies) are the first to be perceived by our sense of smell. They are the most volatile olfactory notes: light, fresh and with a delicate persistence, they fade within about 15 minutes. The top olfactory notes are the calling card of a perfume. Once dissolved, they give way to the more persistent notes.

This first class includes citrus notes such as lemon, mandarin, bergamot, and aquatic notes such as lavender and eucalyptus.

The heart notes

The peculiarity of this olfactory class lies in the duration of the fragrances, which are perceived over a much longer time span than the top notes. The heart notes emerge later than the top notes, they last from about two to four hours and express the most powerful notes of a fragrance, those that create the so-called 'trail' of a perfume. The notes in this class determine what is classified as the 'wake' of a perfume, in other words its focus or heart.

More enveloping fragrances such as floral and fruity fragrances such as rose, violet, jasmine and peach, apricot or pear belong to this second class.

The base notes

Moving down to the base of our pyramid, we find those notes that characterise the personality of the perfume. The olfactory base notes express raw materials of great persistence that diffuse slowly and may last for more than 24 hours, and sometimes for a few days, but are not perceived immediately after application. The first scent may be perceived after half an hour, as they are 'hidden' by the intensity of the top notes. The base notes reflect the essence of the fragrance itself.

Woody notes (such as cedar or sandalwood), leather notes, musky and amber notes and oriental notes of cinnamon, vanilla and patchouli belong to this third class.

The olfactory pyramid serves, therefore, to easily understand and describe the time course of fragrances, the opening of an aroma, its duration or disappearance. By following this simple classification system, it becomes easier to recognise olfactory notes.

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