Perfume
When searching for the perfect scent, it can be difficult to decide where to start. After all, there are hundreds of scents. If you're not familiar with the different notes, the process of figuring out which scents you like can be daunting.
Therefore, before you start, it is useful to know the fragrance wheel and fragrance families. In nature, in the kitchen or elsewhere, it's highly likely that you've sniffed any of the fragrance families at some point in your life!
In this article, we will discuss what the fragrance wheel and fragrance families are. We will also examine subfamilies as well as parent families. We will also briefly touch on how to combine these scents so that you are ready to go with confidence to buy your next perfume.
What is the Fragrance Wheel?
The scent wheel is a circular diagram showing different scent families and subfamilies. Fragrances are grouped according to their similarities and differences to show their relationships with each other. Fragrance groups that border each other share common odor characteristics, while those that are far apart are less related.
This fragrance classification system was developed by perfumer Michael Edwards to help retailers recommend more efficient perfumes to consumers. Each family consists of a distinctive scent, while subfamilies are blended versions of these scents.
Fragrance Families
Fragrance families fall into four main categories:
Floral Fragrances
Oriental Fragrances
Woody Scents
Fresh Fragrances
In addition, each of these four families has its own subfamily. Each fragrance family has distinctive features, and often individuals prefer one fragrance family over another when choosing personal scents.
So before you go shopping for a new fragrance, knowing which family you like can be of great help. While most products are not labeled with the fragrance family, you should be able to find out what ingredients make up the fragrance.
Experts who have been dealing with perfumes for years can understand which family or subfamily a fragrance belongs to with a single sniff. Although there is some debate about the organization and definition of each family in the fragrance community, most agree on the families and subfamilies in this article.
1. Floral Fragrances
The floral fragrance family is one of the most common fragrance families and is used in many well-known perfumes.
Although floral fragrances are mostly used in women's fragrances, they are also used in men from time to time. They often smell like freshly cut flowers or have a powdery note on them.
Subfamilies:
Fruity Fragrances: Sweet, edible and tropical flavors such as peach, pear and apple.
Floral Scents: It smells like freshly plucked flowers. Rose and lily are the most used aromas.
Soft Floral Fragrances: Soft, powdery and sweet aromas.
Floral Oriental Fragrances: Floral aromas containing subtle spice notes.
Common Floral Notes:
Rose
Jasmine
Orange Blossom
2. Oriental Fragrances
The oriental fragrance family consists of rich exotic scents. When you think of oriental scents, you might think of herbs and spices or dry, powdery, resin notes.
Showy and striking, these notes are often softened by amber or sweet notes. It is common to describe this family as exotic and seductive.
Subfamilies:
Soft Oriental Fragrances: Soft floral notes, aromas created by mixing with incense and hot spices.
Oriental Fragrances: Sweet, warm notes such as cinnamon, vanilla and musk.
Woody Oriental Fragrances: Aromas such as patchouli and sandalwood mixed with spicy and sweet notes.
Common Oriental Notes:
Vanilla
Myrrh
Anise
3. Woody Scents
Woody scents are generally warm and flashy. It emerges by mixing incense-like scents such as sandalwood and patchouli with drier notes such as cedar. To reduce the warmth of these notes, the scents are sometimes combined with some fresh notes such as citrus or floral.
Subfamilies:
Woody Aromas: Aromatic scents such as cedar wood, sandalwood and vetiver.
Mossy Wood Aromas: Sweet, smooth and earthy scents such as oak moss and amber.
Dry Wood Aromas: Senses with incense flavor mixed with leather aromas.
Common Woody Notes:
patchouli
vetiver
Sandalwood
4. Fresh Fragrances
The Fresh fragrance family encompasses clean bright fragrances. Herbaceous, citrus, and oceanic scents fall into this category.
Used more often in men's fragrances than women's, fresh scents are paired with spicy notes to create a stronger scent. It can also be found mixed with aromatic, sour notes, or fruity scents.
Subfamilies:
Aromatic Fragrances: Clean and fresh herb aromas mixed with lavender or woody scents.
Citrus Scents: Delicious or sharp notes such as tangerine or bergamot.
Ocean Scents: Aquatic scents mixed with sea, rain or ocean notes.
Green Scents: The scent of freshly mown grass and crushed green leaves.
Common Fresh Notes:
Sage
Bergamot
Grapefruit