Perfume trends come and go, much like clothing trends. One season may be the time for citrusy, woodsy scents as next season may take on a spicier, musky scent. Whatever trend may be current or on the horizon, there are ways to tell which notes are in a specific perfume. Notes refer to the individual fragrances in a perfume or other scented product. They are broken down into three categories: the head note, the heart note and the base note. The head note is the strongest and, due to perfume's alcohol content, it evaporates rather quickly. The heart note is the middle fragrance that lingers a bit longer before evaporation, and the base note is left afterward. The base note tends to stick around for the rest of the day without evaporating.
Step 1
Memorize individual scents. Our brains can recognize scents that we have come across in our lives, even after just one whiff. Smelling the different types of scents will store the information in your brain for later use. Try smelling a musky scent and then a citrus scent then later smell them again, blindly. Do not allow yourself prior knowledge of what you are going to sniff first, then see if you can properly identify them.
Step 2
Describe each scent that you test. Think of the scent as a person, place or thing. Think about how it would look, taste or act. This will help you identify that one particular scent. If the scent is rancid, then describe it as such. Similarly, if the scent is like chocolate cake, describe that.
Step 3
Study the different scent categories. This will help you classify the scents you have memorized. Woodsy, green, floral, citrus, oriental and spicy are a few of the categories that perfume makers use when making their products.
Step 4
Appreciate the scents you are smelling. Appreciation will help you link scents to a specific memory or thought, making it easier to detect in a perfume. For example, vanilla notes may remind you of grandma's house during the holidays, making this scent easier to detect.
Tips and Warnings
- Never try to determine notes once the perfume is on your skin. Your personal body chemistry will alter the scent somewhat and make identifying the notes a little more difficult. Use scent sticks instead.
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