In the description of every perfume you will see three groups of notes: top, heart and base. This is not just a list of ingredients but a map of how the scent will develop on your skin through the day.
The fragrance pyramid
Perfumers describe a fragrance as a pyramid with three levels. Each level evaporates at a different speed, which is why a perfume changes over the hours.
Top notes
This is the first impression you get right after spraying. They are usually light and fresh: citrus, bergamot, lavender, pink pepper, cardamom. They disappear the fastest, usually within 15 to 30 minutes.
Heart notes
Also called the heart of the perfume. They appear when the top notes fade and define the main character of the fragrance. This is often where you find flowers such as rose, jasmine and iris, or spices such as cinnamon and saffron. The heart lasts for several hours.
Base notes
This is the foundation that lasts the longest, sometimes until the end of the day and even on your clothes the next day. Here are the heavier ingredients: woods, vanilla, amber, musk, patchouli, oud and leather.
How to use this
- If you like the fresh opening of a scent but then get tired of it, you probably do not like its base.
- If you want a long lasting scent, look for ones with a rich base: vanilla, oud, amber or leather.
- If you love a certain note, for example vanilla, look for it in the descriptions of other fragrances. You will probably like them too.
That is why every product at SwiftScent shows the fragrance profile split into three parts. For example, Boss Bottled Elixir starts with cardamom and frankincense, moves into a heart of patchouli and vetiver and finishes with cedar and labdanum.
Read more: How to test a perfume properly and The best fragrances for autumn and winter