Fragrance pyramid, when the heart combines with reason
Fragrance pyramid
It is safe to say that the fragrance pyramid is a kind of structure on which classic perfumes are based. It consists of three levels - notes, which differ in the degree of durability of the fragrance and the ingredients used. The combination of them creates a full, complete and rich bouquet enclosed in a flacon.
When the heart combines with reason
Personal fragrance preferences and longevity - these are the main factors that determine the choice of these and not other perfumes. Manufacturers and fragrance designers are outdoing themselves with innovative combinations to entice the nose of the recipient and sell their product. However, when choosing a perfume, it is advisable to wear it for a longer period of time on the skin and become accustomed to the aromas released one by one before making a final decision. The first impression does not always go hand in hand with the last.
Prelude
Head note - appears first and is also the first to oxidize and disappear. This is the earliest encounter with a fragrance just after the flacon is opened, sprayed or applied to the body. The head note, also known as the high note, includes scents that are intense in their aroma, but fresh and light at the same time, based on alcohol, which evaporates first from the composition. The persistence of the chords from the head note fades within an hour at the latest, although with the oxidation of alcohol, the fragrance begins to evolve after just a few minutes.
The head note can be green aromas, such as fresh grass, mint, cucumber or green tea; fruity, such as apple, watermelon, pineapple; citrus - lemon, orange, lime, tangerine, grapefruit or bergamot. Light herbal and spicy nuances may also be perceptible, including pepper, lemon balm, thyme, lemongrass, lavender or rosemary. Clean, aqueous, aldehyde-type accords also dominate the high note.
Exposition
The middle floor of the composition is the heart of the fragrance. Its persistence is longer than that of the high notes, and the perceptibility of the aromas appears after the latter has oxidized. The heart notes gradually blossom on the skin, fusing into one with its natural scent, to eventually disappear within a maximum of four hours, leaving room for the main, base ingredients of the perfume.
The heart notes comprise more than the top level of possible scents, while also constituting the dominant composition in the flacon. They mix with each other, in proportions known only to fragrance manufacturers. And so intermingled are woody accords, woods, aromas of leaves or conifers, floral - it could be rose, iris, magnolia, tuberose, jasmine, lilac, ylang ylang, geranium or lily of the valley; warm and spicy notes, such as cinnamon, anise, nutmeg or cloves. The heart note, although based mainly on floral scents, can also host sweet and juicy fruits, such as peach, plum, blueberry and black currant.
The heart of the composition, the proportions of the chords used and the dominant ingredients establish the fragrance group into which a particular brand and perfume line can be classified. Thus, the perceptible spicy scents of cinnamon, anise, cardamom or ginger indicate a hot, oriental character and the dominant orange blossom, jasmine, and rose, despite other captured chords, define the unambiguously floral nature of the perfume. Rosemary, juniper and sage are responsible for the herbal line.
A powdery, satiny perception of the perfume, associated with childhood and delicate femininity, is offered by violet, iris, musk and heliotrope.
Base
The lowest and deepest element of a fragrance composition are the base notes, which determine the character, longevity and direction of the bouquet. The base is usually composed of animalic, leather, ambergris, musk and civet accords; smoky, woody and earthy aromas, tobacco, such as cider, vetiver, resin, patchouli and sandalwood; gourmand, or sweet and creamy - vanilla, tonka bean, honey, coffee, cocoa, marzipan; balsamic, including myrrh, frankincense, labdanum.
The base chords play on the skin the longest, usually several hours, but sometimes even a few days.
Durability, and therefore the quality of the perfume, goes hand in hand with its high price. Luxury brands source natural and rare ingredients, such as ambergris extracted from the secretion of a sperm whale, and process them in a unique way, an expensive procedure, but a testament to perfumery craftsmanship.
The fragrance pyramid has been a classic structure for centuries, a structure and a signpost in the design of a bouquet, but with scientific and technological advances, manufacturers of perfume masterpieces increasingly support themselves with synthetic substitutes. Artificial chords have no compulsion to release in a specific order, and thus the fragrance line can maintain a constant and unchanging aroma throughout the time it is worn on the skin. The use of laboratory molecules in the creation of compositions has several indisputable advantages - the price of the product can be lower, there is greater availability of the ingredient without interfering with nature and, as has become remarkably popular in recent years - the perfume elements are strictly vegan. The scientific approach to the creation of fragrances can also open the door to new, naturally unheard of chords, and thus to a futuristic mosaic of scents.
