Definition
The heart note is the second stage of a fragrance's development on skin. In the classical olfactive pyramid, the three layers are: top notes (fast-evaporating, 15-30 minutes), heart notes (30 minutes to 4 hours), and base notes (the lasting dry-down). Heart notes contain the materials most responsible for the fragrance's stated character: a "rose fragrance" reveals its rose heart after the citrus top has dissolved (Société Française des Parfumeurs, accessed 2026-05-27).
Typical heart note materials include floral absolutes (jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, iris), spices (cinnamon, cardamom, pepper), aromatic herbs (lavender, geranium, clary sage), and green notes.
In composition
The olfactive pyramid (top / heart / base) is a useful conceptual model but not an absolute law of composition: many modern niche perfumes are structured as "linear" or "abstract" compositions where the classical pyramid hierarchy is de-emphasized. Jean-Claude Ellena, for example, is known for architectures without a traditional strong base, where the heart extends throughout the wear.
The heart is the phase that most often determines a fragrance's classification within an olfactive family: a chypre heart (oakmoss, rose, jasmine) identifies the family regardless of top and base variations (Fragrantica, accessed 2026-05-27).