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Making Scents
By Linda | October 29, 2008
When we think of perfume, flowery and fruity scents come immediately to mind, but did you know that the aromas of tar, tobacco and even sweat are also common scent elements in many of the world’s finest and most popular fragrances?
The scent profile of a perfume is made up of components called “notes”. Typically, each perfume is made up of three notes: the Top or Head Note, the Middle or Heart Note, and the Base Note. These notes unfold sequentially over time, with the immediate impression of the top note leading to the deeper middle notes, and the base notes gradually appearing as the final stage. These notes are created carefully with knowledge of the evaporation process of the perfume.
- Top notes: The scents that are perceived immediately on application of a perfume. Top notes consist of small, light molecules that evaporate quickly. They form a person’s initial impression of a perfume.
- Middle notes: The scent of a perfume that emerges just prior to when the top notes dissipate. The middle note compounds form the “heart” or main body of a perfume and act to mask the often unpleasant initial impression of base notes, which become more pleasant with time.
- Base notes: The scent of a perfume that appears close to the departure of the middle notes. The base and middle notes together are the main theme of a perfume. Base notes bring depth and solidity to a perfume. Compounds of this class of scents are typically rich and “deep” and are usually not perceived until 30 minutes after application.
The perfume industry has developed its own language to describe the miriad of smells that can make up a perfume formula. Some of the more surprising scent elements found in fragrances are:
- Perspiration (Sweat)
- Tobacco
- Ozone
- Musk (Animal)
- Leather
- Bark
- Tar
- Moss
- Fecal (Poop)
To read more about the history and composition of perfume CLICK HERE
To read about your taste buds and how they work CLICK HERE
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