Perfume notes are the individual components that form a unified, pleasing perfume.
These notes are categorized as top, heart, and base notes, which have different volatilities and durations. Top notes are the scents you detect first after spraying a perfume, usually consisting of lighter and smaller molecules, such as citrus and light floral notes. Heart notes, making up around 70% of the total scent, usually last longer than top notes, and include full-bodied, aromatic floral oils, cinnamon, and pepper. Base notes form the foundation of the fragrance, are very rich, heavy, and long-lasting, and include vanilla, amber, musk, patchouli, moss, and woody notes.
Every note adds a certain quality to the fragrance, and some common fragrance note categories include fresh, floral, spice, fruits, woods, and musk. These notes are typically used in specific note categories, for instance, fresh and floral scents are almost always top notes, while woody and musky scents appear toward the bottom of the note pyramid.
