Base Notes: The Soul of the Perfume, Lasting Power, and Sillage
Perfumes arouse emotions, tell a story, and take us on a true olfactory journey. However, one must know that they rely above all on the technical mastery of the perfumer-creator, who composes each perfume by giving it a structure, in a scientific manner.
Notes are part of the orchestration of the perfume. It is the choice of these notes, selected according to their physical and chemical properties, that will give the perfume all its splendor.
There are three types of notes in perfumery: top notes, heart notes, and base notes. Base notes are essential to the perfume. Their main characteristic is to evaporate slowly and to “fix” the perfume to make it last over time.
Base Notes in the Olfactory Pyramid
The architecture of a perfume can be represented in the form of a pyramid, called “the olfactory pyramid”, whose summit constitutes the top notes, the middle part is composed of heart notes, and the base of base notes. This diagram is often used by perfume brands to describe a fragrance.
In reality, the different notes interlock and respond to each other. This allows, when a perfume is well constructed, to smell the base notes from the beginning. In this case, it is said that “the flight prepares its conclusion” (cf. Testing a perfume).
Thus, the notes eventually all evaporate at the same time, in a rather disorderly manner. The representation of the olfactory pyramid allows the perfumer to prioritize and organize their fragrance, to make it harmonious. In this way, they can also balance the orchestration of a formula and make the evaporation of their fragrance continuous and gradual.
It is in this way that the perfume can deliver all its facets and that the fragrance will come to life (cf. Olfactory facets).
What is a Base Note?
Base notes are those that escape after the heart notes. It is the densest and most intense part of the olfactory pyramid. They are also called “signature notes”, because they are the ones that give the perfume all its soul.
They possess very significant tenacity, which may vary according to the olfactory family of the fragrance (oriental base notes will have, for example, more tenacity than base notes in a fresh water).
Located at the base of the olfactory pyramid, base notes transmit the main message of the perfume. They are made up of deep notes that “give the memory of the perfume” (these are the scents that will last the longest on the blotter – strip of paper – used to test a perfume).
Depending on the support on which they are diffused, base notes will not have the same effect, and will sometimes be sublimated on the skin.
The Base Note: The Soul of the Perfume
The base note, of very intense tenacity, will remain in the memory of the person wearing it. It represents the soul of the perfume. It is the note that will be remembered, and which leaves an olfactory imprint in the memory of the person wearing it and those around them.
If well orchestrated, base notes will give character and a lot of depth to the perfume.
They are the ones that will determine if the perfume really pleases.
Base notes last from two hours to several days. There is no precise rule, and everything will depend on the orchestration of the perfume and the talent of the perfumer. Certain families, such as chypre, oriental, leather perfumes, or the category of white flower, powdery, or musky perfumes, generally have remarkable lasting power.
On the other hand, Eaux de Cologne, Eaux fraîches (Fresh Waters), airy floral perfumes, or aromatic fragrances, last less long.
The Origin of Base Notes
Jean Carles, a perfumer at the Roure company (today called Givaudan), is the creator of Ma Griffe by Carven and Miss Dior. He is also the founder and first director of the Roure Perfumery School in the 1940s.
This famous perfumer was the first to create a method for learning raw materials to help apprentice perfumers master this art, and it is to him that we owe the concept of “top, heart, and base notes”, which today allows understanding the construction of a perfume.
Base Notes and Raw Materials
The perfumer Jean Carles thus classified all natural and synthetic raw materials according to these three notes. Thus, many natural raw materials and synthetic products allow creating base notes. This is notably the case for the following materials:
- Woody notes (cf. The woody facet)
- Oriental or amber notes (cf. Oriental or amber family)
- The gourmand facet
- The spicy facet with warm spices
- Natural animal notes like indole, or ambergris as well as molecules with an “animal” effect.
- Musky notes
- Miscellaneous notes like iris (cf. Floral notes)
- Leather notes (cf. The leather facet)
- Synthetic technical notes like cashmeran or ambroxan
Natural Materials and Synthetic Products
Furthermore, one should know that perfumes can be made up of natural raw materials, or synthetic materials. The more natural materials the perfume contains, the more alive and evolving it will be over time.
A perfume orchestrated solely with a majority of synthetic products would be, for its part, linear (cf. How to preserve your perfume?). The ideal is to have a larger percentage of natural notes, which will give the fragrance all its soul.
Materials resulting from synthesis bring stability, technicality, but also power and hold to perfumes. The perfumer will resort to them when nature is not able to deliver the notes they need, such as lily of the valley, violet, or certain dried fruits, which are impossible to process naturally.
The Base Note and Choosing a Perfume
It is very important to take your time to choose a perfume, and this is particularly true regarding the base note, which will be present for a certain duration. For example, if you choose a perfume in a store, take the time to step outside the perfumery for a moment, to let the perfume evolve on your skin, or to sleep wearing the fragrance.
Your sensation upon waking will be very revealing. This will allow you to determine if the perfume, which can be very pleasant to smell at first, does not prove too heady if worn for a long time (cf. Testing a perfume).
Moreover, if the fragrance is well received by your family and friends, and they compliment you, it will surely mean that you have found your olfactory signature.
Conclusion
Base notes therefore represent the crucial notes of a perfume. It is important to give yourself time to discover them and to try, if possible, the fragrance on the skin to validate the alchemy between the fragrance and the epidermis.
Base notes are not discovered immediately, and reveal themselves like a meeting with a somewhat shy and mysterious person, who will need time before revealing their true nature, finally letting you succumb to their charm.
