To Scent or Not To Scent (Part 3)

The Trinity of Perfume

In perfumery, notes are used to describe the scents that are sensed upon application. And here are the three types of notes.

They are the top notes (also known as head notes), the middle notes (heart) and the base notes.

Top Notes

The top notes are perceived immediately upon application of a perfume. These top notes consist of small and light molecules that evaporate very fast. Scents belonging to this group are described as 'fresh', 'assertive' or 'sharp'. It is the top notes that will capture the intended buyer's attention.

Commonly used scents in this group are ginger and citrus scents.

Middle Notes

The middle notes emerge when the top notes dissipate. The middle notes form the body of the perfume. Their role is to mask the often unpleasant initial impression of the base notes, which will become more pleasant as time passes by. The middle notes can kick into action anywhere from two minutes to 1 hour after application of the perfume.

Commonly used scents are lavender and rose scents.

Base Notes

The base notes appear when the middle notes dissipate. The function of the base notes is to bring depth and solidity to a perfume. The base notes are often made up of fixatives. They appear during the 'dry-down' period of a perfume.

Commonly used scents are musk scents.

Basic Types of Perfume

Alcohol is usually used as a liquid base for perfume. Basically the ratio of alcohol added to scented perfume concentrates will determine what the final concoction will be labeled as.

1. Parfum

This is also called 'extract' or 'extrait' and is totally undiluted. It contains the highest concentration of perfume oil which is between 15% to 30%! It can last for approximately six hours or longer and one drop is all it takes!

2. Eau de Parfum (EDP)

This consists of 7% to 15% of perfume concentrates. This is the most popular and common form of perfume.

3. Eau de Toilette (EDT)

This has around 1% to 6% of perfume concentrates. This is a lightly scented perfume which was supposed to used as a refreshing body splash to help people wake up in the morning! (Wake up INDEED!)

4. Eau de Cologne (EDC)

This has around 3% to 5% of perfume concentrates. This is mostly used after a bath.

5. After shave

This has the lowest perfume oil concentration of about 0.5% to 2%. This is used by men as a salve after shaving.

Interesting links:
Perfume Manufacturing
Perfume Glossary
Perfume Basics