21/03/2026
WHAT ARE "NOTES" IN FRAGRANCE?
In simplest terms, these are different layers of scents you smell at different times after you spray/apply a perfume.
They are categorized into three:
Top notes - scents you smell quickly; they are the initial impression of the fragrance as they diffuse quickly, but last about 5 to 30 mins (e.g., citrus)
Middle or heart notes - last 4 to 6 hrs (e.g., floral, aromatic)
Base notes - can last 10 to 12 hrs (e.g., vanilla, woody)
QUESTION: If the perfume you buy lasts 4 hrs, does that mean it is of lesser quality than those that last longer?
The answer is NO. There are really good perfumes that last about 4 hours; it just means your perfume has dominant components belonging to the middle notes category.
That also means that if you want a perfume that lasts 10 to 12 hours, you can have that by choosing one with dominant base notes.
"But I love this perfume but it only lasts 4 hours and I want the scent to linger longer than that."
Well, just re-apply/spray after 4 hours.
Lastly, when it comes to perfume longevity, it isn't just because of the fragrance concentration; you also have to consider which "note" category the dominant scent components fall under.🙂
