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longest lasting notes (florals?) vs shortest lasting notes (citrus?)

post #1 of 3
12/25/09 at 8:17am
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  • jcw
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Hi,

I was just hoping to get some feedback on which notes tend to be the longest and shortest when it comes to longevity. From my exploration it seems as though florals give pretty good lasting power, whereas citrus (on me at least) can be gone in 20 minutes.

As much as I like citrus, the 20 minutes and it's gone has really put me off.

Anyone else have opinions on this? anyone have any kind of list of most fleeting notes/genres to longest lasting?

J
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post #2 of 3
12/25/09 at 8:53am
You're exactly right, jcw. Citrus notes are the lightest and the shortest lived and certain very heavy molecules, including spice and musk notes can last for days. Florals tend to be somewhere in the middle, although iris (orris root) is very long lived. And the jasmine in A La Nuit, for instance, lasts for days on fabric. You may know that perfumes are traditionally composed with top, heart and base notes, and if you look at the note pyramids listed for many scents in the Basenotes Directory, you'll get a rough idea of what chords will hang around for more than the first hour, as you say. Some members include attention to how long-lasting and coherent perfumes are as they dry down. Some perfumes have spectacular openings and boring drydowns; some perfumes open with strident topnotes and settle into something beautifully wearable. Heavy orientals like Serge Lutens' Muscs Koublai Khan and Cuir Mauresque last forever. Which according to some is a mixed blessing.
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post #3 of 3
12/25/09 at 6:59pm
There's a thread in Male Fragrance forum nearby 'Acqua di Parma Colonia - anything similar' where you might pick up some good citrus / eau de cologne recommendations. It seems to me one part of the perfumer's art with regard to EDC styles is prolonging that sense of a citrus wake up call with floral touches like neroli, rose and others - lavender and mint also come into play. It's a fact that Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte, one of the classics in the citrus genre, is also possibly the most lived. For the long hot summers here I just keep a spare AdP Colonia at the office in case I have to get out for meetings etc.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › longest lasting notes (florals?) vs shortest lasting notes (citrus?)