A language for development
Top, heart and base describe the way a fragrance is presented as it develops: the opening impression, its central character and the notes associated with its later presence. This vocabulary helps organise attention. It does not supply the complete recipe or tell you the precise quantity of each material.
Read the source's level of detail
Hermès lists grapefruit, cedar and flint as the main materials for Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette. The referenced page does not assign those three items to top, heart and base. Our profile therefore shows highlighted notes without moving them into invented stages. A shorter, faithful list is more useful than a complete-looking diagram assembled from guesses.
A note can also be an olfactory description. Read the brand's wording before assuming that every note name identifies a literal botanical extract. In our catalog, 'Flint' is retained as the note named by Hermès; it is not a claim about a stone ingredient in the bottle.
Notes, accords and ingredients
For discovery, Atelier uses qualitative tags such as woody or floral to connect related records. These are editorial navigation aids. They are not laboratory measurements of accord strength. The product's ingredient list serves a different purpose and should be checked on its official packaging when ingredient information is what you need.
Try a more informative comparison
Pick two fragrances with one shared note and inspect the surrounding notes. Ask whether the shared element is surrounded by citrus, flowers, herbs or woods. Then sample the two compositions if possible. This gives you a clear question to explore without assuming that the shared note guarantees a similar smell.
Sources and references
These links provide the references used for this article. A reference does not verify every fragrance listed elsewhere in the catalogue.