What is the base for most perfumes?

Base notes are the notes that come after the guts notes. It's the densest and most intense a part of the olfactory pyramid. they're also called signature notes because they're those that give the perfume its soul. They possess a really important tenacity, which will vary consistent with the olfactory family of the fragrance.

Located at the bottom of the olfactory pyramid, the bottom notes convey the most message of the perfume. they're made from deep notes that give the memory of the perfume (these are the scents which will last the longest on the wipe (a strip of paper wants to test a perfume). 

According to the support on which they're diffused, rock bottom notes won't have an equivalent effect, and can sometimes be sublimated on the skin. 

The base note: the soul of the perfume

The base notes represent the soul of the perfume and have an intense tenacity, they're going to remain within the memory of the one that wears it. If they're well orchestrated, the bottom notes will give character and depth to the perfume. they're those which will determine if the perfume really pleases.

The base notes last from two hours to many days. There's no precise rule, and everything will depend upon the orchestration of the perfume and therefore the talent of the perfumer. 

Certain families, like chypre, oriental, leather, white florals, powdery, or musky generally have an interesting hold. On the opposite hand, the Eaux de Cologne, the Eaux fraîches, the airy floral perfumes, and therefore the aromatic fragrances last a shorter time.

The origin of the base notes

Jean Carles, a perfumer at the Roure company (now called Givaudan), is the creator of Ma Griffe by Carven and Miss Dior. He was also the founder and first director of the Roure Perfumery School within the 1940s. He was a famous perfumer and therefore the first one to make a way to assist apprentice perfumers master the art of using raw materials. We owe him the concept of "top, heart, and base notes", which today allows us to know the development of a perfume.