You use different perfume brands but ever wondered about the pyramid, fragrance volatility, and life cycle? Although fragrance is an invisible part of your personality, it has a long-lasting effect on people around you. Besides your attitude and nature, your perfume determines what people think of you, how they see you, and how they feel when they are around you. Hence, it is crucial to know the significance of the notes in a perfume. And what a fragrance consists of as well as the ingredients that go into making it. If you are one of those who are much enthusiastic in knowing all these things then look no further. Through this article, we have explained all these parameters and terms to you in a simple manner.
Related: Best Perfumes for Men in UAE
What is a Fragrance Made Up Of?
In the perfume industry, people refer to a fragrance as a complex mixture of raw materials. These raw materials are extracts from either natural sources or synthetic raw materials. There are many perfumes that are made by extracting scented soil from natural ingredients. Generally, these natural ingredients include fruits, plants, woods and sometimes animal secretions. Resources such as alcohol can also be used during the manufacturing process. On the other hand, fragrances that don’t produce essential oils or those that don’t occur in nature utilize synthetic materials or chemicals to get emulated. Most of the popular and not so easily available fragrances are made from synthetic chemicals and materials.
Perfume Pyramid
A perfume pyramid, olfactory or fragrance is a concept that is used to visualise the life-cycle of a fragrance. The different notes are classified for creating a clear distinction between each phase. The notes are categorized into three groups and is penned down from the most to least volatile.
1. Head/Top Notes
The first notes that you perceive after applying a perfume are the head notes (also known as top notes). In other words, it is the initial and lighter smell of the fragrance. Head notes make the first impression since they introduce the wearer to the fragrance. On applying the perfume to your skin, the head notes immediately hit your nose. As a matter of fact, head notes consist of the most volatile compounds. Hence, they evaporate rapidly. Although, head notes last only for a short time for around 15 minutes to 2 hours, they are sharp and strong. Typically, head notes vary from light floral scents, fruity scents, citrus, powdery scents, spices like cinnamon, aquatics and marines.
2. Heart/Middle Notes
Once the head notes start to fade and evaporate completely, that is when the heart notes tend to emerge. Heart note is also referred to as middle note and it showcases the main element of the fragrance. After you spray the perfume, the heart note can last for around 3-5 hours. Heart notes are transitory and linger till the base notes become noticeable. Generally, heart notes are designed to hide base notes. The reason behind this is that base notes are unpleasant at the start and require some time to mature. Most often, heart notes include green scents like grass or stone and heavier floral scents like jasmine. Additionally, fruity scents along with spice scents like clove and cinnamon also make up the heart notes.
3. Base Notes
The foundation of a fragrance is its base notes. The aroma of base notes is long-lasting regardless of the fact that they are the last to develop. Although these notes become more noticeable later during the day, the base notes of the scent are bolder. Generally, they form accords with the heart notes and last for long hours. The base notes are responsible for providing longevity to a fragrance and determine the duration i.e. how long they will last on the skin. Usually, base notes last from 5-10 hours. Some of the common base notes include musk, sandalwood, moss, vanilla, vetiver, leather, tobacco, tar, and smoke.
All the notes i.e. the head, heart and base notes are stacked on top of each other like layers. These serve to indicate the chronology of the fragrance’s life cycle. Although, they take the form of a triangle they are casually referred to as a pyramid.
Fragrance Volatility
After the perfume pyramid, you have got to read and understand the fragrance volatility and life cycle. Certain types of compounds possess similar properties and hence their volatility can be classified together. This provides a better idea of what you can expect from certain fragrances from different families. Ensure you read through the following important section to know more about fragrance volatility and evaporation rates and don’t skip the image below.
Have you ever noticed that your perfume doesn’t smell the same throughout the day? For instance, if you spritz any perfume in the morning, the fragrance you smell is unique from what you smell in the afternoon and evening. Now, you’re wondering how and why? Well, the answer to your question is that you can’t smell all the fragrance notes of the perfume at one particular time. The different compounds that are used to devise the fragrance notes possess different levels of volatility. Sometimes, these are referred to as coefficients. This occurs due to the skin’s heat and also depending upon the manner in which a fragrance dries and evaporates off.
Fragrance Life Cycle
Yes, the compounds in a fragrance don’t evaporate at the same time. In fact, they evaporate at different speeds. So, as this occurs, the fragrance reveals different notes to the one wearing the perfume and also to the ones in your surrounding. The first notes of the perfume that you smell are considered to be the most volatile as they fade away quickly. Once these fragrance notes evaporate or fade away, the other fragrance notes seep through and replace these notes. This process continues since the notes diffuse and this occurs until you reach the last layer of notes that firmly or closely linger for hours. A fragrance life-cycle is what this is referred to as.
As the name says, a fragrance life-cycle is none other than the way in which a fragrance cycles through its life. In other words, it is the sequence or progression of notes until the perfume expires entirely. Well, there are certain fragrances that cycle through their notes in a straight forward manner. On the contrary, certain fragrances can be really complex since their fragrance notes tend to overlap with each other to form different accords. Often, life-cycles of perfumes are analyzed subjectively. Also, some perfume enthusiasts prefer complex journeys of fragrance notes. Whereas the others prefer a simple and linear journey or evolution of notes.
What size perfume bottle should you purchase?
Well, perfumes come in different bottle sizes, the most common being 50ml, 75ml and 100ml. However, you get perfumes with larger volumes too. Now, which size to choose depends upon your preference and budget. To make this simpler for you, consider purchasing a 75ml perfume bottle. Doing this will save you from feeling bad as its not too small nor too big. If you loved it, then cool enough. You can use it and order out another one, this time may be 100ml since you’re sure about the fragrance and how you feel after spraying it.
Every Compliment Matters, Gentlemen
Hope you enjoyed reading about the perfume pyramid, fragrance volatility and life cycle explained to you. Science has proved that a man can select a fragrance that suits the scent of his body automatically. Before you purchase a perfume, always check for the top notes, middle notes and base notes and then make your decision. It should suit your personality. Here are the 20 best brands of men’s perfumes and we have penned down all the notes to make it easier to choose. Consider going through this in-depth guide that will show you how to apply perfume the right way, where to apply it and so on. Fragrance forms an impression of you, the right one makes people remember you. Moreover, wearing perfume is a way of expressing yourself. Don’t forget, the first impression is the last impression.
