Do you know how to analyze a composition? And what is a solo note in a perfume? Discover the olfactory pyramid to find the 3 notes of perfumes and the 7 families of perfumes.
In this article you will discover:
- How to make an olfactory pyramid?
- What is the basis of perfumes?
- What are the olfactory notes?
The olfactory pyramid is a classification in perfumery that divides ingredients according to their sound and persistence into top, heart and base notes.
What is the olfactory pyramid?
Have you ever noticed how your light citrus perfume starts to take on woody and amber notes after a few hours? It's all about the olfactory pyramid. For convenience, perfumers have created a generally accepted olfactory pyramid. The classic scheme of a perfume is a combination of the initial top notes, middle notes and main base notes. Why "notes"? The most common answer is the association of perfumery with music. After all, the intoxicating composition of a perfume gradually unfolds before us like a piece of music.
Example of an olfactory pyramid
If you want to better understand what exactly the olfactory pyramid means, read the descriptions of the notes of the most popular perfumes in France. If you recognize some of them, you may remember the smell of these perfumes when you read them. Their vibrant composition leaves an imprint on your memory forever.
Life is beautiful
“Life is beautiful!” by Lancôme is “a fragrance of joy, smiles and freedom. A fragrance that makes this life more beautiful!”
The analysis of its composition is as follows:
- Top notes – Blackcurrant and Pear.
- Heart notes – Iris, Jasmine and Orange Blossom.
- Base notes – Praline, Vanilla, Patchouli and Tonka Bean.
The little black dress
This fragrance, created in 2012 by perfumer Thierry Wasser, is inspired by the unique style of Parisian women.
Its composition is as follows:
- Top notes – Cherry, Almond, Red Berries and Bergamot.
- Heart Notes – Licorice, Rose, Tea and Taif Rose.
- Base notes – Vanilla, Anise, Tonka Bean, Patchouli and Iris.
UNDER THE SILENCE OF THE ROSE by philippine COURTIÈRE
A new fragrance from our brand La petit Madeleine. We focus on cooperating only with local suppliers and on the highest quality ingredients. What makes this fragrance unique is its short supply chain and the intoxicating scent of rose, combined with blackcurrant.
Its composition is as follows:
- Top notes – Blackcurrant.
- Heart notes – Delicate rose.
- Base notes – Blond woods.
What are the 3 notes of a perfume?
As you already know, the 3 notes we are talking about are the top, middle and base notes of the perfume.
The top or opening notes open immediately and last for 5-10 minutes. The fragrance of the top notes is lively – it sets the stage for the main sound of the fragrance.
Top note examples:
- Rosewood
- Lemon
- Lavender
- Bergamot
- Orange
- Coriander
- Tarragon
- Noble laurel
- Lemon Petitgrain
The central or "heart" notes of the perfume open within half an hour and can last from 1.5 to 2 hours. The nature of the perfume can be very different: woody or fruity, chypre or spicy, oriental or fougere, amber or musky. Aromatic substances are chosen for the heart that have a relatively slow evaporation rate. As they blend, they accentuate and shade each other. Heart notes are often a combination of floral scents complemented by fruity, oriental or woody notes. Sometimes artificially synthesized scents form the basis of a perfume, allowing for unique combinations that are not found in nature.
Examples of heart notes in a perfume:
- Basil
- Verbena
- Thyme
- Juniper
- Eyelet
- Neroli
- Bulgarian Rose
- Ylang
- Geranium
- Galbanum
Base notes are the longest-lasting part of the perfume. They start with the heart notes and reach their distinctive sound after 3 hours. In particularly long-lasting perfumes, the base notes can last up to 6-8 hours. Some perfumes can stay on your clothes for several days – this is usually the case with perfumes from the Oriental group.
Examples of perfume base notes:
- Orange blossom absolute
- Clary sage
- Jasmine Absolute
- Cedar wood
- Sandalwood
- Artificial musk
- Vetiver
- Patchouli
- Celery
Each olfactory note of a perfume gives the composition its unique touch. But to release the full potential of each ingredient and balance the composition, perfumers create complex recipes.
Anyone who knows anything about perfumery materials knows that low volatility, high persistence products, such as vetiver, oakmoss, patchouli, and others, smell unpleasant when applied directly to the skin, but become superior as they evaporate. This requires the use of modifiers with intermediate volatility and persistence, which serve to modify the unpleasant top note of the base products. The modifiers here are the middle notes of the perfume.
Finally, the very volatile top notes, which lack persistence, contribute to giving the perfume a very pleasant smell when the bottle is opened.
What perfume note remains?
If you are the kind of person who values the longevity of perfumes above all else, this section will be of particular interest to you. Perfume lovers choose perfumes with "fixatives", substances composed of heavy products and which create the final notes of the perfume, ensuring its necessary longevity. As fixatives, one can use substances of animal origin (ambergris, musk, beaver tail, etc.) or plant origin (sandalwood, oak moss, vetiver, sage, etc.) as well as synthetic products (artificial musk, vanillin, ionones, salicylates, coumarin, etc.). These are the ingredients of the olfactory pyramid that are called base or base notes. These perfume notes can remain on your clothes for days. For your information, our eau de parfum are vegan.
By themselves, natural fixatives have a pungent and distinctive smell. But in a composition, if you choose a precise dosage, these ingredients give the perfume both staying power and exciting mystery and sophistication. For example, substances of animal origin have the ability to round off the scent, ennoble it and give the perfume temperament and refinement.
How are perfumes classified?
Every perfume has something to say about the personality or mood of the wearer. Perfumes are as individual as they are personal. For convenience, various classifications have been developed to distinguish groups of perfumes based on their dominant notes. You may have heard of the 7 families of perfumes. This is one of the most common classifications in perfumery.
What are the 7 perfume families?
There are a huge number of different perfume classifications based on a variety of grounds – including the basic sound. One of the most popular (and also the simplest) is the classification of perfumes into 7 families, created by French perfumers in the 19th century.
So, the 7 families of perfumes in perfumery:
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- Floral – The dominant scent in this group of fragrances is the smell of a flower. These can be violet, jasmine, peony, lilac, ylang-ylang, rose, lily of the valley, neroli (orange blossom extract), iris, tuberose, orange blossom and other flowers.
- Citrus – this category is associated with the Hesperides, who in mythology were the guardians of the orchard of golden apples, that is, oranges. This group includes Mediterranean fragrances (bergamot, orange, grapefruit, lemon, mandarin) and exotic fragrances (lime, yuzu). This category is synonymous with freshness and lightness. Citrus fruits are at the head of the olfactory pyramid and the first to release their scent when the perfume is opened.
- Ferns – The source of the family name is Royal Fern. The scent of these perfumes is fresh and bitter, and its main notes are oakmoss, coumarin and woody tones.
- Chypre – The first Chypre, created by François Coty in 1917, brought together a bouquet of scents: patchouli, oakmoss, incense gum and bergamot. These notes became the founding notes of the chypre family.
- Woody – This family is dominated by oils of sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, oud, vetiver, myrtle and other woods.
- Oriental (Oriental, Amber) – The aromas in this family represent the exoticism of the Orient and have a thick, hard, heavy and seductive scent. These include patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, lavender, sage, iris, orange blossom, jasmine, amber, musk, various balms and resins.
- Leather – The fragrances in this family smell like animals, horse saddles and expensive jackets. The main notes are tobacco, suede, birch and leather.
In recent years, it has also become common to distinguish between:
- Gourmand – These are fragrances in which you can smell the culinary scents of sweets – waffles, biscuits, pralines, nougat and so on
- Oud – A family of fragrances in which a note of the mysterious oil of the oud tree predominates.
Why do you need to understand families?
Mainly to understand your preferences and guide you in choosing a new fragrance. Searching for the abstract "sweet" or "unusual" can confuse even a very experienced consultant, but naming the family you want will help you more accurately describe the fragrance you are looking for.
The olfactory pyramid is just a navigator, but you choose your own direction.
Having a theory makes it easier to navigate the world of perfumery and find the perfume composition that will suit you best. Now you can easily explain the perfume you are looking for to a consultant. And you can tell your friends about your perfume experience in a more elegant way.
You know everything about the olfactory pyramid .
To go further, you can consult the olfactory pyramids of our perfumes .
You can also read this article: Eau de parfum and eau de toilette: what is the difference and which one to choose?