The fragrance pyramid: what are top, heart and base notes?

What is the fragrance pyramid?

A fragrance isn’t one fixed smell. It’s a set of ingredients that evaporate at different speeds, which is why the scent changes on your skin over time. To explain this change, perfumers use the idea of the “fragrance pyramid”, which has three layers: top, heart and base.

Three layers that unfold in turn

Top notes: the first thing you smell after the spray. The ingredients are light and evaporate quickly, usually lasting a few minutes. They give you the first impression, and are often fresh or bright.

Heart notes: these appear once the top notes settle, and they are the true character of the fragrance. They last longer, from around half an hour to an hour or more, and create the main impression you will come to associate with the scent.

Base notes: the heaviest ingredients and the slowest to evaporate. They stay on your skin and clothes for hours after the first two layers have faded, and give the fragrance its depth and its final trace.

These timings are only approximate; they vary with the formula, your skin type and the weather.

Why does the scent change on your skin?

Because the light molecules evaporate first and the heavy ones later. The warmth and dryness of your skin affect how fast this happens, so the same fragrance can smell slightly different from one person to another. The final stage, when a fragrance settles into its last form, is called the dry-down.

Why not judge a fragrance from the first spray?

Because what you smell in the first few seconds is only the top notes, the shortest-lived layer. Give the fragrance half an hour to an hour on your skin to settle, then decide. You might like the top notes and not the heart, or the other way round.

Does every fragrance have three clear layers?

Not always. Some modern compositions are more “linear”, changing little from the first spray to the end. The pyramid is a tool for explaining and understanding, not a strict rule that applies to every bottle.

A practical tip for testing

• Don’t smell more than three fragrances at a time; the nose tires quickly and loses its ability to tell them apart.
• Note your impression at three points: after the first few minutes, after an hour, and after several hours.
• Test on your skin, not only on a paper strip; your skin is what shows the real fragrance.

Examples of what sits in each layer

Compositions vary a great deal, but these general examples help you picture it:

• Top: citrus, light herbs and fresh fruit.
• Heart: flowers, spices and some aromatic herbs.
• Base: woods, amber, musk, vanilla and resins.

This explains why some fragrances feel fresh at first, then warm and deep at the end.

How to use the pyramid when you choose

If you love freshness at the start, pay attention to the top notes. If you want a trace that stays with you, look to the base. And if you want a fragrance that represents you all day, judge the heart, because it’s the part you will live with longest.

Read next: how to choose your fragrance first time