Top, Heart, Base: Notes Explained

Every fragrance is built in three layers that reveal themselves over time rather than all at once. Top notes are what you smell in the first few minutes — usually citrus, light spice, or something green. They're designed to evaporate fast and make a first impression.

Heart notes take over next, usually florals, spices or fruit, and they're really the character of the scent — what most people mean when they describe how something smells.

Base notes are the slowest to appear and the last to leave. Woods, musks, amber, resins — these are what you (and everyone near you) still smell six hours later.