Amber · Accord · Top notes, Heart notes, Base notes
Dates
Dates is a note that recreates the smell of date fruit: sweet, sticky and close to caramel, honey and dried fruit. Dates are not normally distilled into an essential oil, so the note is usually built from other materials. In perfume, dates usually sits in the top or heart notes and often meets spice, woods or oud.
· Written by the FRAG team
What does the date note smell like?
The date note smells sweet and dense, like caramel, honey and brown sugar, with a sticky dried-fruit side. For many Indonesians, it brings to mind the dates eaten to break the fast during Ramadan.
After a few minutes, a date note feels warm and rounded. Its sweetness is darker and fruitier than vanilla, and thicker than sugar. Dates rarely stand alone, because perfumers usually use them to give spice and wood a sweet colour.
How is the date note made?
Dates are the fruit of the Phoenix dactylifera palm, which grows widely in the Middle East and North Africa. The fruit is too sugary and fleshy to distil into an essential oil, so the date note in perfume is usually an accord. Perfumers build it from materials that smell of caramel, honey, dried fruit and sweet resins.
There is also a date absolute made by solvent extraction from dried fruit, so dates on a note list can mean an extract, an accord or both. In the Middle East, dates are also a symbol of hospitality, which helps explain why this note is familiar in Arabian-style perfumes.
Dates with spice and oud
Dates usually sits in the top or heart notes. It brings a dark, fruity sweetness from the start, then blends with spice and wood as the perfume settles. A date note can also soften dry or harsh notes such as oud, leather or incense.
Cinnamon and dates feel like a spiced cake. Caramel, honey and praline push the date note towards dessert, while vanilla smooths the sweetness. Oud and dark woods make dates feel more grown-up and Middle Eastern in style.
When to wear a date perfume
Dates feel sweet and warm, so a perfume with a date note suits evenings, family gatherings or air-conditioned rooms. On a hot day, apply it lightly so the sweetness does not feel heavy.
