The Fragrance Lifecycle

The Fragrance Lifecycle

Fragrances almost always contain three “notes”: a top note, medium note and a base note. When you’re wearing a fragrance it goes through three stages of evaporation. Top notes evaporate first, then the medium notes and then the base notes, so you should take this into consideration when choosing a scent.

• Top notes: The initial, lighter set of smells that linger on the skin soon after application. Depending on the type of fragrance you use, these smells can last from 15 minutes to two hours.
• Medium notes: The “main” elements of the fragrance that usually include heavier scents like spices or florals. This stage lasts 3–5 hours.
• Base notes: These scents develop last and are the boldest scents in the equation. These can be detected all day and are the last to evaporate, lasting 5–10 hours.

As the layers of notes evaporate the scent will change. While this may sound strange, this evolution is actually what makes a scent interesting and attractive. The higher quality fragrance you buy, the more you will notice these changes.

There is an enormous amount of scent types, and the way they blend with your particular skin can vary. It’s best to determine what scents you are initially attracted to and then test them out on your skin. The fragrance color wheel above can give you a good idea of what kinds of scents are available on the market.