Ever wonder what a fragrance note is? What exactly is the difference between a base note, a top note, and a plain ol’ fragrance note? 

Understanding fragrance notes doesn’t have to be complex, and we’re about to break it down for you. Understanding what the notes are in a fragrance will help you better determine which scent is right for you, which will match with your personal preference and personality.  Besides that, which is a pretty important part of selecting a new fragrance, you will feel more informed and comfortable explaining the notes to other people yourself.

Let’s start from the basics. A perfume has three types of notes, a top note, a middle note, and a base note.  A top note is the first scent you ‘experience’ when you first apply the fragrance.  Top notes include and can be referred as citrusy, summery, woody, spicy, or floral.

Then, the middle notes, which can also be called heart notes, are the scent results after the top note has faded a little.  This scent that you experience consists of the middle notes of the perfume.

Finally, you then have the base note, which are the scents that reveal itself as the perfume sits on your skin and warms up to your body temperature.  It can take up to an hour or so for this to occur.  So what is the true and actual scent of the perfume?  That would be the mix of the middle notes and base notes. 

So now you know what it means when we mention base notes, top notes, and the middle notes of a scent and we hope that this helps you when choosing a new scent for yourself. Take note(oh the irony), it does take up to an hour for that true scent of a fragrance to adjust on your body, so before making any quick decisions about scent, be patient and let some time (and your nose) do all the work.