Perfume Notes: Understanding the Olfactory Pyramid (Top, Heart, Base)
To fully understand the meaning of what notes are in perfumery, let us first speak of what the orchestration of a perfume is.
Perfume has something magical about it because it evokes poetry, dreams, and arouses emotions in the person who smells or wears it. Like in a poem or a symphony, it is the creator’s technical mastery that allows us to embark on a true olfactory journey.
The perfumer-creator “builds,” “composes” their perfume; they give it a structure by orchestrating physical elements in a process that is also scientific. It is the choice of notes, according to their physical and chemical characteristics, which once assembled give the perfume its full dimension.
The Olfactory Pyramid and Jean Carles
For educational purposes, the architecture of a perfume is visually represented in the form of an olfactory pyramid whose summit constitutes the top notes, the middle part, the heart notes, and the base, the base notes.
It is the perfumer Jean Carles (Roure/Givaudan) who established this classification. He was the first to create a method for learning raw materials to help apprentice perfumers. It is to him that we owe the concept of “top, heart, and base notes”.
Let us recall that the top-heart-base evolution is linked to the speed of evaporation of molecules. This does not mean that there is a strict pre-established order: in fact, all these notes will evaporate more or less at the same time in a joyful disorder! When a perfume is well constructed, from the start, one can smell the base notes (“the flight prepares its conclusion”).
1. Top Notes: The Smile and the Flight
At the summit of the pyramid, these are the ones that give the first impression of the perfume. It is the smile of the perfume. They are made up of fresh, volatile, and generally sparkling notes, which escape after the first scents of alcohol.
We also speak of “the flight of the perfume”. They escape within 5 to 15 minutes after opening the bottle. To go further, read our complete article: All about top notes.
Delacourte Paris perfumes have the particularity of always having very present and smiling top notes that invite discovery.
2. Heart Notes: The Curves and the Transition
These are the middle notes, which intervene after the flight. If they are well orchestrated, they give mellowness, comfort to the perfume, and the desire to continue smelling the evolution. These are the “curves” of the perfume.
They are of medium volatility and fly away about 15 to 20 minutes after opening. They are often floral or fruity. Discover the details here: All about heart notes.
3. Base Notes: The Soul and the Memory
These are the notes that escape after the heart notes; it is the densest and most intense part of the pyramid. They are also called signature notes, those that give the soul to the perfume.
They possess very significant tenacity (from 3 hours to several days on clothes). They are the ones that give the main message and the memory of the perfume (what remains on the blotter). To understand their crucial role, read: All about base notes.
