Fragrance is enjoyed by your senses, just like music. And as music is made up of notes, so are fragrances.
Top Notes – When you first smell a fragrance, you get a big whiff of the top notes. These are often lighter and might go away quickly- or stick around. A lot of fragrances are designed with strong top notes to attract you with a great first impression.
Middle Notes – As the top notes start to fade, the middle (or heart notes) will start to appear. This is the main portion of a fragrance’s span.
Base notes – These are the richer, heavier scents that appear further into the development of a fragrance (usually more than 30 minutes). The staying power of base notes can last many hours.
To further the musical analogy, the topnotes are like the prelude/overture, while the middle and base notes are the main piece of music.