Heart Notes
Also known as: Middle Notes
The central scent character of a fragrance, also called middle notes. Heart notes connect the opening with the later scent and can overlap with both.
Heart notes describe the central part of a perfume’s character. Flowers and spices often appear here, but the group can include other scent directions. The term describes a role in the composition rather than a fixed time window.
Chanel’s Coco Eau de Parfum provides a concrete example: its description moves from Sicilian mandarin into jasmine, ylang ylang and orange blossom, with patchouli, benzoin and tonka in the trail. That gives a sampler flowers to compare with the citrus opening and warmer later character.
Middle notes are not a separate formula that switches on after every top note disappears. The fragrance is one blend. When sampling, notice which impressions become more prominent and whether you like the transition. Two fragrances with similar openings may develop in different directions, so return to each sample before choosing between them.