Perfume is not just one scent, most are made of many fragrances and these fragrances are split into what we call top, middle and base notes. But what exactly are top, middle and base notes, how do we identify them and how do we create a perfume with our desired notes? This week on the show, Karen will explain in detail and give you the tools you need to create that perfect scent. 

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Top, middle and base notes have one meaning for perfume makers and one meaning for perfume industry marketing. Karen breaks down the differences. 
• Top notes are the scents you notice first, mid notes are still present after a few hours, base notes are the scents you smell when the others have evaporated. 
• Perfume pyramids are used for marketing purposes to help sell the product, but they will not help you when you are trying to deconstruct the notes of a fragrance. 
• When you’re making a perfume, every single material is going to react with the others and create new scents. Practice helps you learn to understand how one scent reacts to another.  

 

BEST MOMENTS 

“Mid notes are the heart of the fragrance and are sometimes referred to as Heart Notes.”

“Base notes are the ones that help to fix the fragrance to the skin.”

“The way fragrance materials behave in a full composition is very different to how they behave alone.”

 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide: https://www.karengilbert.co.uk/podcast-getting-started-guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind: https://karengilbert.info/artisan-perfumery-mastermind

 

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way. 

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

 

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

 

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