What are Fragrance Notes? Top, Heart and Base Perfume Notes Explained

Fragrances offer more than a pleasant scent; they’re deliberately layered formulas designed to be an experience in and of themselves. These layers are known as perfume notes.

Understanding perfume notes allows you to better identify with your fragrance and find a scent that embodies your personal expression. If you’ve ever applied a YSL fragrance, you’ll know that each bottle usually features at least three distinguishable scents that settle, fade and dissipate hours after being applied.

In this guide, we’ll take you through top, heart, and base notes in perfume – and guide you through the common scent families in YSL’s iconic formulas.

Perfume notes explained

Perfume notes – also known as olfactory notes – are the individual scent layers that come together to create a complete fragrance.

Each perfume is made up of three note types: top notes, heart notes, and base notes. These unfold in stages – starting with light, fresh scents, moving into warmer aromas, and finishing with rich, lingering base notes. This structure allows the fragrance to evolve throughout the day and adapt to the wearer’s skin. Each note will have a different aroma and duration depending on the ingredients and oils in the perfume’s formula.

Having notes in perfume explained can help you discover the best fragrance for you, so read on – we’re exploring the different types below.

What are top notes in perfume?

Top notes are formulated to be that initial captivating note you enjoy in your perfume. First impressions are, after all, important!

Designed to be alluring yet refreshing, this uppermost scent layer is made from lighter oils to evoke freshness – with common aromas of citrus (green mandarin, lemon, and bergamot) and light florals (lavender, rose petals, and orange blossom).

Top notes have the shortest duration of all the perfume notes, typically lasting five to 15 minutes. Their potency will pleasantly fade to support the next scent profile.

What are heart notes in perfume?

Heart notes are the second or middle perfume note, the obvious ‘heart’ of the fragrance. Heart notes introduce a deeper scent layer into the fragrance and may carry traces of the top note within their new aroma.

Where top notes in perfume are subtler and lighter, the heart note is where a perfume’s warmth lies. Rich – and, often, luxurious – heart notes can include aromas such as coffee, jasmine, geranium, sage, cardamom, and cinnamon.

Heart notes can stay on skin for up to several hours, acting as a bridge between the first and the final perfume note.

What are base notes in perfume?

Base notes are the final, longest-lasting scent layer, forming the foundation of the perfume’s formula. They may be hinted at earlier in the fragrance journey but become fully pronounced once the heart perfume note has faded.

Base notes are heavier than the previous two perfume notes, carrying a robust, smooth profile that imbues the scent with lingering warmth. Headier aromas of cedarwood, sandalwood, vanilla, and musk are common base notes, giving fragrances their rich depth.

The longevity of base notes will vary between an EDP and EDT, but they have been known to cling to the skin for up to six hours.

How to choose a scent by perfume notes

Perfume notes belong to several different olfactory families: floral, fresh, fruity, amber, and woody. These scent families are woven throughout YSL’s women’s perfume and men’s perfume, giving each layer its own unique complexity. Below, we’ll guide you through each of these olfactory families so you can find out which perfume notes you resonate most with.

Floral perfume notes

Often forming the top or heart layers of a fragrance, floral perfume notes convey romance, elegance, and femininity. Floral notes can be fresh and sweet, offering an entrancing start to any perfume.

Infused with a bouquet of datura flowers and elegant white peonies, Mon Paris Eau de Parfum reflects the sensual femininity of floral perfume notes, while deepening to a white musk base.

Black Opium Eau de Parfum Glitter follows a similar trajectory: opening with an alluring blend of luminous white flowers and sweet marshmallow musk, before unveiling Black Opium’s signature roasted coffee accord.

Fresh perfume notes

Fresh perfume notes usually have citrus- or water-based ingredients like mandarin, orange blossom, or sea spray. They’re commonly formulated as top notes, giving fragrances a crisp, energetic start.

Fresh fragrances tend to have a lighter scent profile, like the Libre Eau de Toilette – which envelopes the wearer in orange blossom, lavender and white tea accord. Along with other YSL Libre perfumes, this type of scent is bright and bold – perfectly balanced to carry you through every season.

Embodying the fresh family is the Y Eau De Toilette. Known as the fragrance of self-accomplishment, this perfume delivers a crisp, verdant bite of geranium bourbon; intimate, intensely sexy, and highly refreshing.

Fruity perfume notes

A balance of freshness and sweetness is key for fragrances that feature fruits. Our range of fruit fragrances combine citrus and berry scents with deeper perfume notes of wood and uplifting florals for a complex, layered experience.

Inspired by warm Mediterranean summers, the Libre L'Eau Nue Parfum de Peau is a citrus fragrance that blends juicy green mandarin and pulpy bergamot with radiant orange blossoms. The result? A delicate summer fragrance that transitions seamlessly from day to night wear.

For a fruity-amber fusion, we recommend the Black Opium Eau de Parfum Over Red, which offers an alluring cherry twist on the Black Opium coffee-floral accord.

Amber perfume notes

Amber perfume notes release a variety of warm scents that round out the heart and base notes of perfume – think spice, cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla.

Black Opium Eau de Parfum is a classic example of amber fragrance notes – combining dark, bitter coffee with luminescent florals and sensual vanilla.

Meanwhile, Libre Le Parfum learns into warm, spicy perfume notes: opening with a fusion of saffron and honey, before unveiling a lavender heart and rich base notes of vanilla. An ideal fragrance for the coldest of nights – and the most special occasions.

Woody perfume notes

Woody scents are timeless and rich, and usually form base perfume notes such as cedar, patchouli, white musk, and chypre. This scent family is a staple of men’s fragrances, as well as many unisex formulas.

The Y Eau de Parfum Intense opens with a burst of juniper berries before settling into an aromatic blend of lavender and geranium. But it’s the woody base of patchouli that gives this fragrance its lasting sophistication.

For a daring woody-amber scent, we suggest the La Nuit de L'Homme Eau de Parfum. This deeply masculine scent takes a spicy accord of cardamom and tonka bean and enriches it with classic woody perfume notes of sandalwood, patchouli, and leather.

To extend the longevity of your favourite perfume notes, explore our advice on how to apply perfume to make it last longer.