A perfume with no top notes

[jkhuysmans]

Obviously, when crafting your own perfume, you can do whatever you want. But are there disadvantages to having no ingredients that are categorized as top notes? I am making a perfume whose concept is dirty-soapy, indolic flowers, musks and some calone. I'm quite happy with how my middle and base accords are interacting but struggling to come up with anything, looking at a list of top notes, that would complement the composition. Definitely open to suggestions. The only disadvantage I can detect so far is, when sprayed, I actually get a hint of the alcohol itself as a top note before the middle accord hits. And the nagging feeling that something seems missing. Has anyone encountered and broken through this compositional problem before?

 

[mnitabach]

Obviously, when crafting your own perfume, you can do whatever you want. But are there disadvantages to having no ingredients that are categorized as top notes? I am making a perfume whose concept is dirty-soapy, indolic flowers, musks and some calone. I'm quite happy with how my middle and base accords are interacting but struggling to come up with anything, looking at a list of top notes, that would complement the composition. Definitely open to suggestions. The only disadvantage I can detect so far is, when sprayed, I actually get a hint of the alcohol itself as a top note before the middle accord hits. And the nagging feeling that something seems missing. Has anyone encountered and broken through this compositional problem before?

When in doubt, bergamot!

 

[cacio]

I don't see any downside to not having top notes-it's good to go straight to the main point. Top notes would be called for if you want to disguise the main point-such as-pretend that the the perfume is fresh, clean, and proper before the dirtiness hits.

Btw, it sounds like a very interesting perfume. Minus the calone, the notes remind me of the old My Sin, which alternated between fresh out of the shower and not having showered in a week.

cacio

 

[Casper_grassy]

It’s all in the formulas construction. If it’s strong enough to go full on at the start you’ll be fine, just keep in mind it’ll probably lean more linear.

Someone posted a partial gc of “Megamare” from Orto Parisi and it had something like over 40% Ambroxan and Ambrocenide, to even find a top note to cover/mask that would be harder than making a formula lol.

 

[RomanB]

Top notes are essential for quick sales in physical shops because many buyers don’t want until middle notes will be fully pronounced. It is completely fine for a perfume to have mostly middle and base notes.

 

[pkiler]

Topnotes can be absolutely essential for bottom heavy scents, to lift them and get them into the air.
Many times, scents with little or no topnotes *can* just be dead fragrances, not seem to last well, because they just don't get off the skin.

 

[Kacper Kafel]

How about a galbanum? It fits with the concept of what you're doing. You can also add some super volatile , "boozy" notes like melon esters or acetal.

 

[Thioacetone]

Topnotes can be absolutely essential for bottom heavy scents, to lift them and get them into the air.
Many times, scents with little or no topnotes *can* just be dead fragrances, not seem to last well, because they just don't get off the skin.

Is there a scientific explanation for this?
Not doubting you, just curious.
I mean, one could consider ethanol a top note - a very short lived one?

 

[RSG]

Ethanol is a top note and also very short-lived. It is partly why it is such a good medium for perfume. There are many other short top notes. One, in particular, is ethyl acetate. I see it having a noticeable lifting effect until it is gone.

Materials do influence each other and change volatility. Often these are small effects and non-linear and even non-intuitive. Often the best-performing modern perfumes are combinations like these where the whole is greater than the smaller sums to get there. Still, it's not much of a mystery. Benzoin can deaden things, musks can block receptors, hedione can lift, iso e can lift and smooth etc., things which have high strength have high performance. An accord of 1% theaspirene, 1% galbanum decatriene, 1% folione, 10% maceal will be felt and smielled and propelled off your skin the entire time.

There are some mysteries like all things being equal and taking into account atomic weight and molecular makeup why are things like galaxolide, hedione and some muguet materials overrepresented in gcms? Truthfully science does not completely understand the relationship between vapour pressure, molecular weight, chemical formula, molecular shape, LOG P and interactive effects, raoults-law etc.

If all of this were so easy you wouldn't have to apply correction factors to every line of a gcms and still not get quite the same formula you started with. This is where creativity and art come into play.

 

[patrizio]

Ethanol is a top note and also very short-lived. It is partly why it is such a good medium for perfume. There are many other short top notes. One, in particular, is ethyl acetate. I see it having a noticeable lifting effect until it is gone.

Materials do influence each other and change volatility. Often these are small effects and non-linear and even non-intuitive. Often the best-performing modern perfumes are combinations like these where the whole is greater than the smaller sums to get there. Still, it's not much of a mystery. Benzoin can deaden things, musks can block receptors, hedione can lift, iso e can lift and smooth etc., things which have high strength have high performance. An accord of 1% theaspirene, 1% galbanum decatriene, 1% folione, 10% maceal will be felt and smielled and propelled off your skin the entire time.

There are some mysteries like all things being equal and taking into account atomic weight and molecular makeup why are things like galaxolide, hedione and some muguet materials overrepresented in gcms? Truthfully science does not completely understand the relationship between vapour pressure, molecular weight, chemical formula, molecular shape, LOG P and interactive effects, raoults-law etc.

If all of this were so easy you wouldn't have to apply correction factors to every line of a gcms and still not get quite the same formula you started with. This is where creativity and art come into play.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT drove me nuts for a long long time. Not being able to predict scientifically by vapour pressure, molecular weight, viscosity, molecuar shape and so on , the volatility and the effect that it would have created a certain molecule. Every time I was about to understand it (or pretend to understand) I found the exact opposite. I learned that every case is different and if you don t use the ingredient, you will never know...more or less.
Realizing this was disappointing and made me feel like I would never fully understand perfumery and felt overwhelmed imaging the amount of experiments I needed to acquire a little of insight about this amazing world.