A. Perfume is divided into three groups according to its rate of evaporation, meaning how quickly fragrance evaporates from the skin’s surface. From fastest to slowest, these are top notes, middle notes, and base notes. Base notes are sometimes called “last notes” in Japan, but these terms do not mean that the notes smell in sequence, beginning with the top notes and ending with the last notes. They all smell at the same time; it is easier to think of the terms as the order in which they leave the skin, according to how readily they evaporate.
Differences Between Top, Middle, and Last Notes, and Approximate Timings
Top notes (head notes): The first impression that stands out immediately after application. A general guide is about 5–15 minutes.
Middle notes (heart notes): The fragrance that unfolds as the perfume’s center. A general guide is about 2–4 hours.
Last notes (base notes/drydown): The fragrance that gives depth and a lingering impression, and tends to remain until the end. A general guide is about 4–6 hours or longer.
The three stages do not, however, switch over according to a timetable. Duration varies with the combination and concentration of fragrance materials, the amount applied, skin condition, temperature, humidity, and other factors. When testing perfume, rather than deciding immediately after application, check again after 15 minutes, 2 hours, and 4–6 hours to get a better sense of its development from top to base. For a fuller explanation of the mechanism, see evaporation rate and how scents emerge; for the terminology, see the difference between perfume notes and accords.
For example, in a perfume composed of grapefruit, rose, and sandalwood, these scents do not wait their turn, with grapefruit smelling first, followed by rose and then sandalwood. All the scents are present from the beginning, but grapefruit, which evaporates quickly, smells strongest at first. Picture its molecules moving quickly, with many escaping from the skin. After a certain amount of time, the grapefruit scent molecules disappear from the skin. Rose, with the next-fastest evaporation rate, slower than grapefruit, then becomes easier to perceive strongly. Sandalwood, which evaporates relatively slowly, remains on the skin until the end.
Thinking about it, I feel that I do not often see overseas blogs and websites use the kind of description common in Japan: “The top smells of this, the middle becomes that, and finally….” In fact, “last notes” is a term used mainly in Japan; elsewhere, base notes is the more common expression.
I suspect this may be because “top, middle, and base notes” are, after all, a way to explain the evaporation rates of the materials used, while in reality all the scents appear and recede as the fragrance shifts from moment to moment. As with the expression above, I do not often see the phrase “the fragrance changes.” Rather than “changes,” how about “the fragrance unfolds” or “the essence of the fragrance reveals itself”?
A fragrance pyramid makes a perfume’s top, middle, and base notes easier to understand. Development from top to middle to last notes does not arise only when several scents are combined; it also exists within a single essential oil.
Much of the skill of making perfume lies in using these differences in timing, […], to create interesting and beautiful effects at every stage.
Tania Sanchez
A Closer Look at Each Group of Notes
Top Notes
These are the parts that evaporate from the skin in the first few minutes, including materials that are generally volatile and tend to stand out immediately after application. They occupy the tip of the fragrance pyramid. These are the scents we tend to perceive as light: citrus and fruit scents such as bitter orange, bergamot, and tangerine, and aromatic scents such as basil and lavender. They are also called head notes.
Middle Notes
These unfold over 2–4 hours after the top notes. Because this is the part the perfumer most wants to express, they are also called heart notes. They occupy the middle of the fragrance pyramid and include florals such as rose and jasmine, along with green and fruity scents such as galbanum and blackcurrant.
Last Notes
Also called the drydown or base notes, last notes tend to remain longer than top and middle notes and give perfume depth and a lingering impression. They may generally be perceptible for 4–6 hours or longer, but their duration depends not only on the volatility of the materials, but also on the formula, concentration, amount applied, skin condition, temperature, humidity, and other factors. Examples include woody materials such as sandalwood and cedarwood, vanilla and benzoin in the amber family, and musk. The same material can, however, play different roles depending on the blend.
For the relationship between longevity and concentration, see fragrance concentration and perfume longevity; for practical testing steps, see how to test perfume properly over time.
Quotations from Perfumers and Industry Figures on Top, Middle, and Last Notes
Although perfume appears to expand over time in this way, it remains a unified whole because, apart from a few of its most fleeting elements, which quickly disappear while the main theme develops, almost all its components contribute to the olfactory form the perfumer sought to realize. This is precisely the principal difference between perfume and music.
Edmond Roudnitska
Ultimately, if a perfume smelled the same from the top notes to the end, it would not be interesting. As it evaporates, it should evoke different images and emotions. But the change must not be dramatic. If the top notes smell completely different when worn on the body, or fail to blend well with the skin, the effect becomes unpleasant. Art in the perfume industry is all about refinement and structure.
Sophia Grojsman
The top notes are the perfume’s smile, its first impression, the takeoff of the aircraft that is the perfume. The heart notes are a turning point in the fragrance, an important transition. If this is well balanced, it gives the perfume softness and a sense of reassurance, heightening anticipation of the final scent. The base notes that remain at the end are also called signature notes; they give the perfume its soul. They are also the part that gives us the memory of that perfume’s scent.
Sylvaine Delacourte
