Scent Word of the Week: Note

Words Related to Scent

Note: What Does it Mean in Perfumery?

The word note, when used in the context of perfumery, is a noun, and relates to last week’s scent word of the week, accessory. Perhaps, I should have written this week’s scent word first, but better late than never, here it is!

A note in perfumery is an individual oil/scent which is classified according to various factors. Perfumery notes can be top, middle, or base, in addition to accessory notes (which I described last week). Factors which affect an oil/scent’s classification include:

• Longevity: How long does the aroma last?

• Timing: When do you first smell the aroma?

• Weight: how heavy or light is the aroma?

Some oils/scents may overlap categories. In addition, a different extract of the same plant may be classified differently, due to a change in the factors mentioned above.

Examples of perfumery notes include:

• Top: Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) essential oil, lemon (Citrus limon) essential oil

• Middle: Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil, rose (Rosa spp.) absolute

• Base: Sandalwood (Santalum album) essential oil, fir balsam (Abies balsamea) absolute.

Top, middle, and base notes are sometimes called, head, heart, and soul notes respectively. Top notes evaporate first, followed by middle notes, and base notes last the longest.

A finished fragrance may also lean towards top, middle, or base notes. For example, my fragrance Audrey on Air is top note heavy whereas Brown-eyed Brooks is base note heavy.

What are your favorite type of notes in a fragrance? Drop me your thoughts in the comments below.

“Perfume is like music that you wear.”

Mathilde Thomas