Top notes, base notes, dry down… when you shop for a new fragrance, do you know what you’re looking for? Don’t feel guilty, we get it! Fragrance terms can be a bit confusing, and we’re not just talking about the ingredients. Whether you’re a novice or a fragrance nerd (hands raised here at ZENTS HQ!), these are the fragrance terms you should know:

Notes

You’ve heard the term, but what IS a fragrance note, exactly? Notes are the individual scents that come together to make up a specific aroma. For example, our aroma ORE features distinct notes of orris and ylang ylang blended with notes of bay laurel, black pepper and clove. These notes are then divided into categories, or layers, based on when they become recognizable on the skin…

Top Notes

A top note is a fragrance term that describes those first scents you pick up on immediately after you spray or dab on skin. They are the notes you detect before any others and are often listed first on the bottle. While they seem dominant at first sniff, these fresh and bright top notes soon begin to evaporate giving the fragrance’s lower layers their own time to shine!

Heart Notes

Heart notes represent the middle notes within a fragrance, which emerge a few minutes after applying. This is actually the fragrance’s largest layer, making up over half of the total formula. Heart notes ensure a smooth journey from the perfume’s top to bottom layers, so they contain versatile scents that blend well with others.

Base Notes

Base notes, or bottom notes, are those that linger after the fragrance dries. They add depth to the fragrance, but wouldn’t generally stand on their own. Notes like ORE’s black pepper and clove are often used as base notes, balancing the brighter, more vibrant scents in the fragrance.

Dry Down

In fragrance terms, dry down represents those last, lingering base notes—and how they react with your skin. You’ll know you’ve found a really great fragrance when you love the scent of it on your skin an hour later—that is, after those base notes have reacted with your individual body chemistry.

Phthalate-Free

Used to make fragrances last longer, phthalates are industrial chemicals that can wreak havoc on the body. Instead, makers of clean fragrances (like us!) will empower you to make your scent last longer naturally, keeping formulas phthalate-free.

Attar

Meaning “to smell sweet,” Attar is a super concentrated, long lasting version of a particular aroma, inspired by the ancient anointment rituals. ZENTS’ attars utilize fragrance oil and fractionated coconut oil as their base and come in airline compliant 10ml roll-on glass containers so you can take your favorites on the go. Lean into attar’s ceremonial past by applying it as a ritual while you repeat positive affirmations or recite words of gratitude.

Eau de Toilette

French for “cologne,” eau de toilette is widely recognized as an umbrella term for all fragrances, whether they are labeled as perfumes or colognes. In contrast with attar, these are lighter concentrations of fragrance, mixed with water to produce a desired strength.

Were any of these fragrance terms new to you? Shop our aromas to see (and smell!) them in action.