Fragrances are confusing. Sure, smelling something is pretty straightforward - but that's just the very first hurdle when shopping for a new scented candle. Understanding how fragrance notes work in general, event in-person fragrances browsing can quickly devolve into wafting coffee beans for help as you smell one candle from another.
Experts break down fragrances notes into 3 categories:
Top Notes: You’ll notice them as an energetic first impression! Sometimes these are called the opening notes or head notes. Harvey-Taylor, founder and CEO of Pacifica, says that a top note can "define the entire fragrance," since they're the very first scent you recognize upon application — a memorable feat. These are the first to fade and pave the way for middle/heart notes to sing. They’re generally citrus or oxygen scents- think lemon, orange, bergamot, pepper or mint.
Middle Notes: Often called the heart notes because they provide the personality of the fragrance. The heart or middle note "is the fragrance," according to Harvey-Taylor. "The middle note lasts longer than the top note and is most interesting when it plays the peacemaker, when it balances the tension between the top note and the base note. That is when the heart is magic," she explains. "It is the true structure of the scent and is the second defining moment. It lingers on top of the base note while it pulls in the top, until it finally fades." Think of notes that are fruity, floral or spice.
Base Notes: The ones that linger the longest. "Bottom notes are the base of the fragrance on top of which the heart and top are constructed," finishes Gillotin. "To simplify our fragrance descriptions we often work with the idea of a pyramid, allowing you to visualize the components of the fragrance: The top, heart, and bottom broken down in this shape can assist in creating an accessible way to better understand the components of a fragrance." These notes provide the full body of the scent and are generally drawn from woods such as cedarwood, or nature; amber, musk and exotic scents; vetiver, vanilla and patchouli.
Do Specific Fragrance Notes Last Longer?
Although now you know to pay special attention to the base note of any candle you buy, you might be wondering about the staying power of certain fragrance notes in particular — as in, do delicate florals poof into the wind quicker than hearty, musky scents?
Gillotin says there are notes that will last longer than others, such as ylang ylang outlasting bergamot, which in turn can outlast lemon and grapefruit. However, the perfumer adds that "you should not concentrate on one or two notes, but on the harmony of the fragrance. A fragrance plays with the mood and should make you feel happy or sexy along with a range of other emotions. The fragrance needs a feel-good aspect that inspires you personally."
According to Chaz, your go-to scent's staying power is more about the fragrance concentration than whichever flower or fruit was used. It is all depends on the percent levels of each note. Generally, middle notes make up about 50-75% of the blend, top notes make up about 20-40% of the blend, and base notes make up about 5-10%.
With LSC candles, we generally mention main notes from each tier that can help you in making a good choice in picking the right candle for your mood.
For example, looking at the candle below (Island Spice); we have orange as the top note, bergamot, cinnamon and jasmine as middle notes and vanilla as the base. Hence you get the first impression of an orange scented candle. Then when burning the candle you will get more of a cinnamon and jasmine scent with some powerful throw of vanilla note here and there.
