What Do Top, Heart and Base Notes Actually Mean?
If you've ever looked at a perfume, candle or reed diffuser description and wondered what “top notes”, “heart notes” and “base notes” actually mean, you're certainly not alone.
We use these terms all the time when describing fragrance, but they're not always explained particularly well.
Put simply, they help describe the structure and character of a fragrance, from the notes you're likely to notice first to those that give it depth and richness.
Top notes
Top notes are often described as the first impression of a fragrance.
They're usually the brighter, lighter notes that you notice first. Citrus fruits such as lemon, bergamot and grapefruit are commonly found here, along with fresh and aromatic notes.
Think about opening a new candle or wax melt and taking that very first sniff. The notes that immediately jump out at you are often those described as the top notes.
Heart notes
The heart, or middle notes help give a fragrance its main character.
This is where you'll often find florals, fruits, herbs and spices, depending on the fragrance.
They sit between the initial freshness of the top notes and the deeper base, bringing the different elements of the fragrance together.
If the top notes are the introduction, you could think of the heart as the main story.
Base notes
Base notes provide depth, warmth and richness.
Woods, amber-style notes, resins, musk and other deeper materials are often found here. They're the notes that underpin the rest of the fragrance and help give it its overall character.
If you love fragrances described as warm, woody, rich or comforting, it's quite often the base notes you're particularly drawn to.
What does this mean for home fragrance?
You'll see top, heart and base notes used to describe everything from fine fragrance to candles, wax melts and reed diffusers.
There is one useful thing to remember, though: a home fragrance doesn't necessarily behave in exactly the same way as perfume worn on the skin.
A candle changes as the wax warms and the fragrance is released into the room. A reed diffuser releases fragrance gradually through its reeds. A wax melt is warmed in yet another way.
So the fragrance notes are a really useful guide to the character and structure of the scent, rather than a promise that you'll experience three perfectly separate stages in a particular order.
Finding the fragrances you love
Once you start looking at fragrance notes, you'll probably begin to spot patterns in the scents you choose.
If your favourites regularly contain bergamot, lemon or grapefruit, you may naturally gravitate towards fresher citrus fragrances.
If you keep spotting sandalwood, patchouli, amber or musk, you probably enjoy something warmer and deeper.
And if rose, jasmine, lavender or neroli appear again and again, florals may well be your thing.
Next time you find a fragrance you absolutely love, have a look at its notes. You might be surprised how often the same ones appear in your other favourites
