Most of us have heard the term ‘Fragrance Pyramid’ at one time or another.
If you’re just beginning your journey into the world of fragrance, this may be a new term for you.
Or maybe you’ve seen it, but never really looked into it.
The Fragrance Pyramid is a way of explaining, or visualizing, how the notes within a fragrance will develop over time. It shows the way the notes, or ingredients, are grouped together and the way you will typically experience them.
The Fragrance Pyramid is made up of Top notes, Heart or Mid notes, and Base notes.
Top notes are the ingredients that you identify first, lasting around 5-15 minutes or so. This is your first impression of a fragrance. These ingredients tend to be the most volatile, being lighter and fresher, and fade away, or evaporate, the fastest. These ingredients tend to be citruses, fresh fruits, or herbs.
Heart notes form the main essence of the scent, lasting around 20-60 minutes. Often called the soul of the fragrance, it is the main personality of the scent, usually made up of flowers, rich fruits, and spices. It helps the top notes to linger, and smooths the transition into the base notes.
Base notes are primarily fixative ingredients that help the scent to linger on the skin. This layer is usually made up of heavier, richer, notes like woods, Ambers, Musks, and sometimes Gourmand, or edible, ingredients. This layer evaporates slowly, lasting the longest on the skin, around 5-6 hours or longer.
Once a fragrance is sprayed on, it dries. With the help of our body heat, the ingredients begin to evaporate, releasing the essences within each layer.
This Fragrance Pyramid is not an exact science, but it does depend on the perfumer's knowledge of how the ingredients in each layer will interact with each other and develop together, as well as the types of ingredients and whether they are more synthetic or natural.
Both synthetic and natural ingredients can develop nicely, or badly…..don’t let either stop you from experiencing a scent.
Some fragrances feel like there is no elegant blend between each layer, and some fragrances feel as though each layer overlaps and responds to the next, almost as if a symphony were being composed.
Some scents feel as though the base were blending with the top and drying down together, and some feel as though you are experiencing each note individually.
All scents will be different for different people. The way scents dry on, or react to, skin can vary for many reasons. This is a big reason why it is always recommended to try an unfamiliar scent on the skin. Just because it has notes you know you love, does not mean you will love it on you, and vice versa.
Stop into Parfumerie Nasreen and experience something new. We are always happy to walk you through the process, or help you pick new scents to try based on your journey so far.
