The vocabulary

Fragrance notes, and what they layer with

A fragrance note is the name for one identifiable smell inside a perfume: bergamot, cedar, vanilla, musk. Perfumes are built from top notes (what you smell first, gone within the hour), heart notes (the character for the next few hours), and base notes (what lingers on skin and clothes). Notes are the vocabulary of layering, because you match and contrast notes, not brand names.

The six families that matter

For stacking, notes sort into six practical families: woody, citrus, gourmand, floral, amber, and musk. Each family behaves differently in a blend. Woody notes ground a stack. Citrus lifts it but fades fast. Gourmand notes sweeten and turn heads. Florals give a stack its heart. Amber adds warmth and glow. Musk makes a blend feel like skin rather than perfume.

How the families pair

Reliable pairings: woody with citrus, amber with floral, gourmand with fresh. Cautious ones: two gourmands on the same skin point, or two big white florals, which turn thick and loud. Start from what notes mean on a bottle, then let the pairing guides carry it: woody and citrus, amber and floral, gourmand and fresh.