Base notes form the foundation of a fragrance. They provide longevity, depth, and stability, allowing the brighter top notes and expressive heart to evolve fully on the skin. These materials slow evaporation and anchor the composition, shaping the character that remains long after the initial impression fades.

Roots and tubers contribute earthy texture and weight to the lower register of fragrances, providing aromatic density and persistence. Key perfumery materials include:

• Angelica Root (Angelica archangelica) – earthy, musky, green facets (α‑pinene, β‑pinene, limonene; essential oil, CO₂ extract)
• Calamus (Acorus calamus) – woody, slightly sweet, medicinal (beta‑asarone, acorone; essential oil, CO₂ extract)
• Ginger (Zingiber officinale) – sharp, green-spicy, warm-resinous (zingiberene, α‑zingiberene; essential oil, CO₂ extract)
• Orris Root (Iris germanica / Iris pallida) – powdery, floral-woody, soft (irones, myristic acid derivatives; orris butter / CO₂ extract)
• Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) – smoky, earthy, green facets (khusimol, vetiselinenol, α‑vetivone; essential oil, CO₂ extract)

Woods provide structure, depth, and persistence in perfumery. They contribute tenacity on skin and form the backbone of many compositions, supporting lighter top and heart notes. Many woods sit on the cusp of heart and base (i.e. Rosewood). Key woods include:

• Agarwood (Oud) (Aquilaria spp.) – deep, resinous, animalic, smoky-sweet (agarospirol, jinkoh-eremol, oudol; hydro-/steam-distilled infected heartwood)
• Cedarwood Atlas (Cedrus atlantica) – dry, resinous, slightly balsamic (cedrol, widdrol; steam-distilled)
• Cedarwood Virginia (Juniperus virginiana) – dry, green-woody, resinous (cedrol, thujopsene; steam-distilled sawdust)
• Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) – crisp, green, slightly resinous (α-pinene, limonene; steam-distilled leaves and twigs)
• Fir (Abies sibirica / Abies balsamea) – green, resinous, fresh (α-pinene, limonene; steam-distilled needles)
• Guaiacwood (Guaiacum officinale / Guaiacum sanctum) – smoky, resinous, slightly sweet (guaiazulene, α-guaiol; steam-distilled)
• Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) – green, woody, balsamic (β-pinene, limonene; steam-distilled)
• Pine (Pinus spp.) – green, resinous, fresh (α-pinene, β-pinene; steam-distilled needles / turpentine byproduct)
• Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora) – floral-woody, sweet (linalool; steam-distilled heartwood)
• Sandalwood (Santalum album) – smooth, creamy, warm (α-santalol, β-santalol; steam-distilled heartwood)
• Teak (Tectona grandis) – dry, slightly green, woody (terpinen-4-ol, α-terpineol; steam-distilled heartwood)
• White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) – soft, green, slightly woody-resinous (thujic acid derivatives, cedrol; steam-distilled)

Lichens and mosses contribute earthy, dry, and subtly leathery depth to fragrances. Key materials in perfumery are:

• Oakmoss (Evernia prunastri) – dry, earthy, slightly leathery, woody facets (atrarol, chloroatranol; solvent/extraction, CO₂ extract, compliant low-atranol variants)
• Tree Moss (Pseudevernia furfuracea) – green-woody, slightly earthy, subtle forest floor nuances (phenolic compounds, lichen acids; solvent/extraction, CO₂ extract)

Resins and related materials provide warmth, density, and persistence in perfumery, contributing depth and fixative qualities to the base. Key materials include:

Resins

• Cistus (Cistus ladaniferus) – warm, amber, slightly animalic (labdanic acids, diterpenes; resin extract, absolute)
• Elemi (Canarium luzonicum) – fresh, lemony, peppery-resinous (limonene, elemol, α-phellandrene; resin, essential oil, CO₂ extract)
• Labdanum (Cistus ladaniferus) – rich, amber, resinous (labdanic acids, ambrein precursors; absolute, resinoid)
• Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) – dry, medicinal, slightly smoky (furanoeudesma-1,3-diene, curzerene; resin, essential oil, CO₂ extract)
• Opoponax (Commiphora erythraea / Commiphora guidottii) – sweet, balsamic, myrrh-like (sesquiterpenes, resin acids; resin extract, absolute)

Balsams and Resins

• Benzoin (Styrax tonkinensis / Styrax benzoin) – sweet, balsamic, vanilla-like (benzoic acid, vanillin; resin extract, absolute)
• Fir Balsam (Abies balsamea) – fresh, balsamic, slightly sweet (bornyl acetate, resin acids; oleoresin, absolute)
• Galbanum (Ferula galbaniflua / Ferula gummosa) – green, bitter, resinous, intensely vegetal (β-pinene, myrcene, galbanic acids; oleoresin, essential oil, CO₂ extract)
• Peru Balsam (Myroxylon balsamum var. pereirae) – sweet, warm, vanilla-cinnamon (benzyl benzoate, cinnamic acid; balsam, resinoid)
• Styrax (Liquidambar orientalis / Liquidambar styraciflua) – sweet, resinous, slightly smoky (cinnamic acid derivatives; resin extract, absolute)
• Tolu Balsam (Myroxylon balsamum var. balsamum) – sweet, floral-balsamic (benzyl benzoate, vanillin; balsam, resinoid)
• Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) – sweet, creamy, balsamic (vanillin, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde; absolute, CO₂ extract)

Pitches and Tars

• Birch Tar (Betula spp.) – smoky, leathery, burnt-wood (guaiacol, cresols; dry distillation / tar extract)
• Cade (Juniperus oxycedrus) – smoky, tarry, leathery, phenolic (guaiacol, cresols, cadinene; dry distillation / cade oil)

Animalic materials provide sensual warmth, persistence, and a subtle, human-like radiance. They are often less about overt scent than about creating atmosphere—soft, intimate, and lived-in. Most of these materials have been replaced with synthetic alternatives in modern perfumery. Key materials include:

• Ambergris (Physeter macrocephalus) – sweet, marine, animalic, resinous (ambrein; natural / tincture)
• Castoreum (Castor fiber / Castor canadensis) – leathery, warm, slightly sweet, animalic (castoreum acid, phenols; tincture / CO₂ extract)
• Civet (Viverra civetta) – musky, fecal-animalic, warm (civetone, civet absolute; tincture / natural secretion)
• Hyrax (Procavia capensis) – leathery, earthy, animalic, mineral (volatile phenols, fatty acids; fossilized excrement)
• Musk Deer (Moschus spp.) – soft, powdery, animalic, warm (musk ketone, civetone-like macrocyclic ketones; natural glandular secretion / tincture)

Beyond the materials themselves lies the final and most personal element of perfumery: the wearer. Our natural body chemistry interacts with every ingredient, shaping how a fragrance evolves and persists. Two people wearing the same perfume will never smell identical. Skin transforms the formula into something individual and alive. In this sense, the wearer becomes the ultimate fixative. The fragrance may begin in the bottle, but it completes itself on the body. The base notes provide the structure, yet it is the person wearing the scent who gives it its final form.