Parfum (eau de parfum) Historically genderless, and used to describe both men’s and women’s fragrances. The best term used to describe a fragrance. Parfum contains 15 – 20 percent pure perfume essence and lasts for about five to eight hours.
Parfum is described in a musical metaphor, as having three sets of notes, making the harmonious scent accord. The notes unfold over time, with the immediate impression of the top note leading to the deeper middle notes, and the base notes gradually appearing as the final stage. These notes are created carefully with knowledge of the evaporation process of the perfume.
- Top notes: Also called the head notes. The top or basic note is the initial, lighter smell of the fragrance that hits the nose first. The top note lasts around 15 minutes – 2 hours. Typical top and middle notes are various floral scents, fruity scents, marine/aquatic notes, and spices such as cinnamon. Examples of these notes include citruses, powdery scents and light florals.
- Middle notes: Also referred to as heart notes. The medium notes showcase the main elements of the fragrance. These notes develop after the top note clears – around 30 minutes and can last 3-5 hours after being sprayed. Heart notes most often include heavier floral scents. The middle and base notes are the extra layers of scents which give the fragrance its distinctive smell.
- Base notes: The scent of a perfume that appears close to the departure of the middle notes. The base and middle notes together are the main theme of a perfume. The last to develop and helps fix the fragrance to the skin. This is where you will smell the bolder notes of the scent, which become more noticeable when the fragrance has been on the skin for a while. Base notes lay the foundation for the fragrance and will determine how long the fragrance lasts on your skin. Base notes tend to last from 5 to 10 hours. Typical base notes are sandalwood, vetiver, vanilla, tar, leather, smoke, tobacco, and musk. As the notes dry up, the scent will change, allowing for the scents to evolve and be more interesting.
The scents in the top and middle notes are influenced by the base notes; conversely, the scents of the base notes will be altered by the types of fragrance materials used as middle notes. Manufacturers who publish perfume notes typically do so with the fragrance components presented as a fragrance pyramid, using imaginative and abstract terms for the components listed.
Typically, the mark of a low-quality fragrance is if it remains monotone throughout its life