A FRAGRANCE PYRAMID WHAT IS?
A FRAGRANCE PYRAMID?
What is...
To relay the entirety of a scent and its character, perfumers frequently use a fragrance pyramid. IFRA UK’s Eliza Douglas explains more
Eliza Douglas, Membership Liaison Secretary, IFRA UK and Perfumer, Art of Fragrance
A fragrance pyramid is a visual representation of the odour character and structure of a scent. The ‘top notes’ are at the apex and give the initial fragrance impression. They consist of the most volatile components of the scent, and are sometimes fleeting in nature, but play a very important role in a fragrance. Top notes may include:
• Citrus materials or accords: Lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime, mandarin, tangerine, bergamot.
• Green: Galbanum, hyacinth, green melon, foliage leaves, grass, tomato leaf.
• Fruity: Berries, melon, apple, pineapple, pomegranate, cassis.
• Herbal: Rosemary, thyme, lavender, sage, eucalyptus.
• Marine: Sea, watery or air accords. • Aldehydic: Sparkling notes, waxy notes. The next layer of the fragrance is made up of the ‘middle notes’, sometimes referred to as the ‘heart’ or ‘coeur’.
This is often perceived as the true character of the fragrance. The middle notes give the fragrance its body and are perceived after the top notes disappear, and before the dry down or bottom notes appear. Middle notes may include:
• Floral materials or accords: Rose, jasmine, gardenia, tuberose, honeysuckle, muguet, heliotrope.
• Heavier fruits: Strawberry, raspberry, mango. • Heavier citrus notes like lemongrass. • Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, clove, saffron.
• Gourmand: Chocolate, milky, coffee. The last layer is known as the ‘base notes’ or dry down. These are the foundation or most residual portion of a fragrance and are left behind after the fragrance’s more volatile components fade.
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The bottom notes are responsible for a fragrance’s tenacity and longevity. They are composed of ingredients with low volatility. Base notes may include materials like:
• Wood notes: Sandalwood, cedarwood, patchouli, vetiver.
• Mosses: Oakmoss, tree moss. • Amber: Cistus labdanum, benzoin, myrrh, olibanum.
• Warm edibles: Caramel, tonka, vanilla. • Synthetic animal notes: Leather, castoreum and musk.
NOTES ON COMPOSITION To understand the pyramid more fully, it is important to explain some of the more intricate areas of fragrance creation in terms of function of the fragrance ingredients.
The ingredients are not just chosen for odour character, they are also carefully selected for longevity in use, stability in the product and how they interact with each other.
A top note material may be selected to blend with another material but also to affect the other material’s ability to lift out of the fragrance. Top notes can help the fragrance in its entirety to lift out of the bottle or off the skin in a uniform and pleasant way, ensuring the fragrance is well balanced and doesn’t suddenly change from one odour character in a jarring way.
The base notes will also help contain the top and middle notes ensuring the overall fragrance character lasts and does not disappear too quickly. Each fragrance ingredient has an effect on the others, which creates the complexity of a scent that is both unique and beautiful from start to finish, while at the same time working in the application it is designed for.
So why use a fragrance pyramid? It really helps the industry describe the entirety of a scent and its character.
However not all fragrances are ‘equilateral’ in nature! There are many different ways to build a perfume. Depending on the brief, a fragrance could be created as a ‘traditional’ scent, for example a floral bouquet, that starts with citrus and aldehydes,
followed by floral notes with a sweet, warm dry down. A scent might be created to represent one particular note or material, for example just peach, or the impression of a place or a mood.
Perfumers all have different working methods, approaching materials and accords from many different angles which results in the amazing array of fragrances we enjoy
December 2020 43
Fragrance ingredients are not only chosen for their scent but for longevity, stability and how they interact with each other
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