The art of essential oil blending is a delicate and thoughtful process that I often compare to the individual layers added to a painting. Just as each brush stroke on a canvas gradually builds on the layer of paint underneath to create a harmonious result, crafting essential oil blends applies the same principle. In the world of perfumery and essential oil blending, the three commonly recognized “paint” layers are known as fragrance notes, which encompass top notes, middle notes, and base notes. At the foundation of these blended layers, you will find base notes.
Also referred to as the fixative note, dry out note, or bottom of the aroma, base notes are the rich scents that linger the longest in an essential oil blend. Typically, base notes make up between 5% and 20% of a blend. Although this percentage may sound small, base notes truly make the age-old saying “a little goes a long way” live up to its name.
Most base notes such as ylang ylang and vetiver are rather tenacious and embody the deep, lasting aroma of a fragrance. On the other hand, base notes such as amyris and copaiba balsam offer minimal aroma on their own but act as a “glue” for the more volatile top and middle notes that allow the scent to last longer.
The long-lasting integrity of base notes is attributed to these oils containing heavier scent molecules, which take longer to evaporate. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why the scent of perfume seems to shapeshift (or scentshift in this case) throughout the day, fragrance notes are your answer!
In order to create a well-balanced and lasting fragrance, base notes are a crucial addition to any essential oil blend. To save you the tedious legwork of perusing our vast selection of essential oil offerings to identify each base note, we’ve created a comprehensive list to help make crafting the foundation of your DIY fragrances a breeze.
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