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Feb 11

Ingredients of Note

Perfumes are compositions, using fragrant material as the instruments. Perfumers are just like composers, choosing specific ingredients to hit particular notes at different times. The way the ingredients unfold adds drama to the experience.

A perfume’s ingredients can be grouped into “notes” categorized as Top, Middle and Base. These groups of ingredients are enhanced at different times in the perfume experience, bound to one another, but with solo performances throughout. Quality perfumes are crafted with this unfolding experience in mind, and how the ingredients interact in the air, on the skin and with one another.

When perfume is applied, lively Top Notes hit first, and finish first. Top Notes burst right out of the bottle due to how tiny their molecules are. These small, light molecules add an instant pleasure, but are really just the opening act. Classic examples of Top Notes are found in the Citrus Family, from both rind and blossom. The rinds of the fruit on Limes, Lemons, and Bergamots, for example, produce their essential oils, which are highly valued for their initial burst of happiness they provide. When you peel an orange, and a bit of spray is released from the unfolding rind—you are seeing a burst of its Essential Oil. Top Notes can also be known as head notes, and are carefully selected due to the first impression they give. They play an important role in nabbing attention. Take for example another popular Top Note, Neroli. Scientists have observed increased serotonin production in the brains of people introduced to the scent of Neroli. It’s extracted from the blossom of a Bitter Orange tree common to the Mediterranean, and highly prized for the pleasing rays of sunshine it lends a perfume.

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