Fragrance 101: The Fragrance Pyramid (Part 3)

In the previous Fragrance 101 post, the different ingredients used in fragrance design and creation were discussed.  These ingredients will have different evaporation rates that are crucial in creating a perfectly performing fragrance.

The evaporation rate is also key in creating the olfactive pyramid or a fragrance triangle. The fragrance pyramid is the structure of the fragrance very much similar to a house’s structure – walls, roof, foundation and pillars. Fragrance structure progresses into three parts – the top, the middle or heart and the base or bottom notes.  Fragrance ingredients are placed from the top to bottom in descending order of evaporation rates.

The TOP NOTE gives the initial impression of the fragrance. Top note ingredients are volatile and diffuse quickly. This part of a fragrance provides the impact and appeal. The hedonics hook is very important at this stage as it promotes product trial.

However, you have to sample the fragrance first before making any final decision. There are instances that the fragrance changes in direction as the less volatile compounds become more pronounced. This brings us to the next part.

The BODY or MIDDLE of a fragrance is a complex blend of less volatile ingredients. This is normally when you and the people around you enjoy the fragrance the most. It establishes what the fragrance really smells like. It more or less represents the entire fragrance and helps consumer loyalty to the product.

However, we want our fragrances to last long. And this is when the next part of the pyramid is important. The DRY DOWN or BASE notes of a fragrance include fixatives and other notes that diffuse very slowly. These notes support the more volatile notes of the body and top, and balance the fragrance.

You can rebalance the fragrance to contain more of the top and less of the base in order to create more impact and freshness. But it will not last long. This type of fragrance is perfect for tropical countries, like the Philippines, where we want our fragrance to be strong in terms of appeal and impact.

On the other hand, you can also create a heavier base and make it last very long, but it will not be as fresh and strong. This type of fragrance perfectly addresses the preferences of the Middle Eastern market.

What's Next in Fragrance 101...
In the next Fragrance 101 post, we will be tackling fragrance description and families.


Previous Post

Fragrance 101: What Is A Fragrance (Part 1)

Fragrance 101: Ingredients Used In Making Fragrances (Part 2)

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Fragrance 101 is a series of posts that will introduce the readers and fragrance fans into the magical world of fragrances. The author will impart his knowledge on what a fragrance is, how to understand fragrance descriptions and the different fragrance families used in describing the fragrances in this blog.