Understanding Essential Oils: The Art of Scents
Essential oils are small wonders of nature – not only do they smell delightful, but they also influence our mood and well-being. To optimally utilize their diversity, a classification according to scent notes is helpful. This originally comes from perfume making and also provides valuable guidance in aromatherapy.
Three Scent Notes – A Harmonious Composition
Perfumers categorize essential oils based on the duration of their scent. The key is how long an aroma remains perceivable. This gives rise to the classic division into top notes, middle notes, and base notes – a system that translates wonderfully to scent blends, massage oils, or room fragrances.
Top Notes – The First Impression
Essential oils from the top note unfold their aroma immediately after application and accompany us for about 30 minutes to 2 hours. They have a stimulating, refreshing, and awakening effect. Typical representatives are lemon, orange, or lemongrass – perfect for getting going in the morning or boosting concentration.
Middle Notes – The Emotional Scents
The scents of the middle notes take some time to fully develop – about half an hour. In return, they last longer, up to 4 hours. These oils mainly address the emotions: they can calm, balance, delight, and even inspire. Classics here are rose oil, lavender, or jasmine.
Base Notes – The Supporting Strength
Base notes form the foundation of every fragrance composition. They develop their full aroma only after one to two hours, but then last for many hours. Their scent conveys tranquility, security, and endurance. They are extracted from particularly long-lasting plant parts such as bark, roots, resin, or wood. Popular examples are Siam benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, vanilla, or cedarwood.
Scents are Nature – and Nature is Diversity
Since essential oils are pure natural substances, they do not always behave strictly according to a set pattern. Some plants combine properties from several scent groups. This results in harmonious transitions between top, middle, and base notes – perfect for creative scent mixtures and individual applications.