Fragrance Families
If You LIke... Then You'll Love....
Did you know that all fragrances
To get started, the four main families are floral, fresh, oriental, and woody. Nonetheless, there are many subcategories within each family that subtly alter a scent to create a fragrance fusion of sorts. Below you'll find a brief description of each of the categories that a fragrance could fall under and sample perfumes and colognes of each. Next time when you shop, look for fragrances that have similar notes to those in fragrances you like. You'll be ten times more likely to find an appealing perfume.
For a complete guide for the fragrance enthusiast, consider buying the book Fragrances of the World by Michael Edwards
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Aldehydic Chanel No. 5, the first perfume to use chemical aldehydes is perhaps the best representation of this family which is most often used in women's fragrances. The scent is typically floral in nature, often with strong powdery and woody accents. |
Aquatic/Marine Both men and women can enjoy this light, refreshing water scent perfect for wearing during warm weather. It may be blended with notes of citrus and greens for an energetic and youthful scent to wear by day. |
Citrus Tart lemons, fresh bitter oranges, mandarins, bergamot, and petitgrain make this an energizing scent perfect for warm weather, a sporty personality, or simply for wearing to work. For ladies citrus takes a floral or fruity twist while for the gents woods and spices are more prominent. Note that citrus scents are often borderline chypres. |
Chypre This unique type of fragrance is a blend of a bergamot, labdanum, and oakmoss base for men and women. This exotic combination of woods, moss, and flowers can lean towards a fruity or leathery complex but it is usually dry and exotic. |
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Floral Florals are heavily influenced by fresh cut flowers either with one primary note or a blend of several. Jasmine, peony, rose, gardenia, and tuberose make these scents perfect for the romantic lady. Just a touch of powder rounds out these scents which make up a majority of the perfume market. |
Fougère/Aromatic This is a masculine fragrance family composed primarily of lavender and oakmoss but also of spicy herbal notes such as rosemary, sage, and anis, as well as geranium and coumarin. Overall it is sharp and herbaceous, perfectly refined, exotic, and uplifting. |
Fruity Primarily feminine and very trendy lately, fruity fragrances are a blend of red berries and non-citrus fruits over flowers or spice. They can be oriental as well. |
Green/Vetiver Somewhat feminine but mostly masculine, greens are combined with citrus and water scents but also woody orientals too. The result is something fresh, bright, and clean. Ideal for wearing to work and during warm weather. |
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Leather Masculine and rich, the scent of leather is combined in warm woody colognes and spicy orientals. While it can be present in perfume, it is most often associated with rugged colognes. |
Oriental Oriental fragrances are popular for both men and women. They consist of warm, spicy notes of amber, musk, and vanilla. Exotic, sensual, and sexy, oriental scents are dark and rich, perfect for evenings, fall, and winter months. There are so many possibilities, it's nearly impossible to just list a few. |
Tobacco Tobacco, often combined with woods, moss, flowers, and leather notes, creates a warm and powerful scent perfect for a refined gentleman. |
Woody Both sexes enjoy woody scents laden with sandalwood, patchouli, and mossy woods. Notes that are typically found in woody scents are of nuts, spice, honey, oakmoss, cedar, vetiver, and amber. |
External Links
Find more information about fragrance families from clicking on the links below.
International Resources
For this resource in your home country, please see:
FR: Le Parfum