Hi All! Newbie here with a (dumb) question about topnotes

Some suggest that fragrance sales are driven by impulse buying, an idea I tend to agree with. Top notes are the selling point for most people it seems so they are purposely designed to draw attention. Few people have the patience to experience the whole life of a scent on their skin so make split decisions over a few whiffs of perfume.

Hello Eve and welcome to the show that never ends. I don't have an answer to your question as to why top notes are there but it does seem to me that you're getting the best of a bad situation here. Most 'noters with complaints about a particular scent usually have a problem with the basenotes which, as you've already observed, last much, much longer. Your problematic elements are fleeting at best and then all is well.

I have no idea how many others have posted about not liking this or that topnote but you wouldn't be the first to voice this kind of complaint so it's not really all that uncommon to read about it. Oh, almost forgot, no such thing as a dumb question in here. You may see some rather silly statements from time to time but questions are what the place is all about so damn the torpedoes and ask away.

Eve

(and any other BNers please correct me) I was under the impression that the three "flights" to a fragrance were there to provide smooth transitions. In other words, most basenotes are unappealing initially, needing some time to mellow out, so heart notes (middle notes) are introduced to provide a transition, a segue. Thus, I was under the identical impression that the headnotes (top notes) did the same thing for the middle notes. Being ephemeral (10 minutes is pretty good, actually, some last 10 seconds) the top notes are supposed to be immediately appealing (or not in some cases) and provides the "first impression." Then again, some fragrances have only one or two flights, some seem to change many times, and some I've experienced go back and forth.

Welcome to BN, you might as well take off your coat and make yourself comfortable!

It varies too much to generalize. I avoid top notes as much as reasonably possible, because even if I like them, they can cause you to have problems appreciating the drydown. I spray on the chest and then just blow on that area until it seems dry.

Hi I am also a newbie here. I am Therese. Will all I can suggest is that try to search on google and it will serve you lots of result and you can choice from all of them thats the easiest and most convenient way.

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The classic answer is that the combination of head, heart and base notes gives a long lasting fragrance. Often the notes are chosen to be similar, so there won't be easily noticed transititons. But in the huge world of fragrance, some also make the different layers intentionally different to make them interesting in a different way. You may want to look for fragrances that are described as "linear." That is, they smell pretty much the same from first to last.

I've also read that most people buy fragrances after only a few seconds of sniffing and it's the top notes that sell the fragrance. That's why the more common problem is liking the first sniff out of the bottle and disliking it after wearing it awhile.

The solution to all these problems is, put some on your wrist or arm in the store, go have lunch. Sniff from time to time. And only decide whether it's worth buying after you've seen the whole story.

This is my impression as well.

In classical perfumery, the overall character (or personality) of a fragrance is a subtle interaction of all three layers.
That is so say, that although the top notes, as identifiable quantities, may not be long-lasting, their effect on the heart and base notes is. An oakmossy drydown, for example is quite different tempered by a bergamot top note composition than by a aldehydic one.

The art/ science of perfumery is far more complex than I can grasp; my explanation comes from what little I have read. I am sure there are far more roles and "reasons" for topnotes' existence, nomenclature,etc...

But, basically:

Top notes leave their marks throughout a fragrances life, as do basenotes affect the opening of a composition.

Top notes are as compositional elements as vital as any others and should not be unnecessarily considered phrasal. They are simply the smallest elements in the mix and lift off into the air first...

That said, older perfumes, and some of the ones you may be trying, used top notes as integral elements, and consumers were very aware--say fifty years ago,--that their fragrances wouldn't smell their best until the initial phase of "harshness" wore off, and that it was simply par for the course..This is one reason I love older perfumes! Experiencing the unfolding of a fragrance, and sometimes even enduring odd initial phases holds some magic, anticipation and mystery for me!

Sadly,IMO,recently, the perfume consumer's desire for instant gratification has played a part in the obliteration of traditional, complex perfumery, i.e. the use of note stages. And lighter elements are calculatedly pleasing, usually to the detriment of the basenotes/ duration of the fragrance.

Linear fragrances, as a genre of perfumery, still contain a mixture of lighter elements and heavier ones which will dance differently on the skin and nose, but appear pretty consistent. These can be impressive, and quite hard to pull off!

I agree with Hilaire - the topnotes often do more than just proclaim their own presence, they are connected in varying degress to all that follows, or at least through the middle game. Also, the alcohol may contribute to your dislike of the topnote phase; although I like most topnotes very much myself, I often find that I have to wait several minutes after application to avoid the ethanol's annoying sweet harshness before I can finally enjoy the perfume.