Perfume - notes |
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P'erfume Notes - Perfumery takes some of its language from music, and the composition of a perfume is seen as a combination of notes. The broad structure of most modern perfumes is based on three layers of notes, referred to respectively as top notes, middle notes and lower notes. The top note, sometimes called the head note, head or outgoing note, is the part of the perfume which is most apparent immediately it is applied to the skin. It consists of light, volatile fragrances, designed by the perfumer to give a good, and sometimes striking, initial impression. It may last only for a few minutes. The middle note, also called the medium note or heart, is the main section of the perfume, which becomes dominant after the top note has faded away. It usually consists of floral, spicy or woody components which determine the basic character of the perfume. It is composed of ingredients made to last longer than the top notes (it is part of the skill of the perfumer to prepare his ingredients with an appropriate lasting power) and in a quality perfume it should be apparent for 4 hours or more. The lower note, also called low note, base note, back note, depth note, body, body note and dry away, consists of underlying, long-lasting fragrances which provide the perfume with its fixatives and give it depth. It becomes most discernible as the middle note beein*, to fade, and in a quality perfume it should last for a few more hours or even for a day or two. It usually consists of animalic, woody, resinous or crystalline components. In describing a perfume, the term note is also used for individual fragrances which influence the total effect (e.g. 'a sweet note provided by tuberose'). Many words are conventionally used in perfumery to describe individual fragrance notes. They include: amber, balsamic, camphoraceous, citrus, coniferous, dry, earthy, floral, fougere, fruity, green, hayfield (hay-like), herbaceous, heavy, leather, light, metallic, minly, mossy, narcotic, powdery, smoky, spicy, sweet, tobacco and woody. New notes are still devised, e.g. the oceanic note in 'Dune', introduced in 1991.
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