Reading a perfume: top, heart and base

Why your fragrance smells different after an hour, and how to choose one that lasts until evening.

Journal Notes

Every fragrance unfolds in three acts. The top notes are what you smell first: citrus, light spices, green leaves. They are bright and fleeting, usually gone within twenty minutes.

The heart notes appear as the top fades. This is the character of the perfume — florals, fruits, softer spices — and it stays for several hours.

Finally the base notes: woods, resins, musks and vanilla. They are the slowest to evaporate and carry the scent into the evening, and onto your scarf the next morning.

Choosing well

Never judge a perfume on the blotter alone. Wear it for a day; the dry-down is what you will live with. Our product pages show the full pyramid and how long each composition lasts on skin.

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