If you spray a perfume and smell it again three hours later, what you get is almost a different scent. That is not the fault of the bottle; that is how a scent is built.
A scent is usually read in three layers based on how volatile its components are. The top notes evaporate fastest and so arrive first. The heart is the body of the scent, appearing as the top layer fades. The base is made up of the heaviest components and stays longest on skin or in a room.
Three layers and the materials you will recognise
- Top: citrus notes, mint, green notes, and light spices such as pepper. Usually clear only for the first few minutes to half an hour.
- Heart: flowers, herbs, warm spices, fruit. This is the layer that decides the character of a scent.
- Base: wood, tree resins, resinous materials, heavy sweet notes and leather notes. This layer holds the scent in place.
In a candle the three layers behave differently
With perfume, the three layers unfold over time on skin. With a candle, all three layers are heated at once in the melt pool, so what you smell is a cross-section of the whole formula. This explains why a candle smells different unlit and lit, and why a formula that is beautiful on a test strip is not necessarily beautiful in a jar.
At ZUNGZA we always test a formula in the actual vessel it will be used in, because a cinnamon bark vessel adds its own smell as well. This is how we work in our workshop.
Why the description on the label does not always match
A description of the three layers on a label is a suggestion tool, not an ingredient list. Partly because formulas are usually kept private, and partly because how you perceive it depends on your skin, the temperature, the humidity and the other smells in the room. The right way to use a description is to predict the scent family from it, and then still test.
A few questions you often send us
Why can I not hear the base notes
It may be because you are smelling too closely and too continuously, so your nose has adapted to it. Leave the room for a few minutes and come back, or try again an hour later.
Which scents last longest in a room
Usually scents with a base of wood, tree resin and heavy sweet notes. Scents leaning towards citrus and green notes are pleasant at the opening but disperse faster.
Should I choose a perfume by its top notes
We lean towards no, because the top notes occupy only a very short part. The practical way is to test on skin, go and do something else, and decide after two or three hours.