Top, Heart and Base: A Simple Guide to Fragrance Notes
Why a candle smells different after an hour than when you first light it — and how to read the notes on a label.
By Avnika Creations
Product pages love to list "notes": bergamot, jasmine, sandalwood. They're not marketing poetry — they describe how a fragrance is built, and once you understand them, choosing a candle becomes much easier.
The fragrance pyramid
Top notes are the first impression: light, bright and quick — citrus, bergamot, green leaves, light herbs. Heart notes (or middle notes) are the character of the fragrance — florals like mogra, rose and lavender, and spices like cardamom. Base notes are the foundation that lingers — woods like sandalwood and oud, musk, amber, vanilla.
How this works in a candle
A perfume on skin moves from top to base over hours. In a candle the notes blend more evenly, but you'll still notice it: the cold jar smells brighter, while the room after an hour feels warmer and deeper as the base notes build up.
Using notes to choose
- Love fresh and clean? Look for citrus, lemongrass, eucalyptus and mint in the top and heart — like our Lemongrass Morning Jar.
- Love floral? Look for mogra, jasmine, rajnigandha or rose in the heart — try the Mogra & Jasmine collection.
- Love warm and cosy? Look for vanilla, tonka, amber and woods in the base.
- Love rich and dramatic? Look for oud, leather, incense — see Woody & Oud.
A tip for gifting
If you don't know someone's taste, choose a fragrance where the heart is a familiar flower and the base is soft musk or sandalwood. It's pleasant to almost everyone. Read more in our guide to choosing a candle as a gift.
