In Nigeria, most people that use perfumes, are not aware how fragrances are classified, why they are drawn to a particular fragrance smell or why a particular fragrance is right fragrance for them.

We have put together this article to help you understand fragrances and how to determine which is the right fragrance for you.

To understand fragrances, we can’t but look into The Fragrance Wheel, which was developed by a fragrance expert, in 1983, called, Michael Edwards.

The Fragrance Wheel makes you see the relationship between the 14 different fragrance families, how each family leads to another, which will help you discover the character of fragrances and understand the right fragrance that will suit you.

There are four major note categories, within the wheel, which are:

  • Fresh Notes
  • Floral Notes
  • Oriental Notes
  • Woody Notes

From these 4 major note categories, there are 14 different sub-categories that are derived from them within.

They are explained as follows:

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Citrus

From the zest of lemons, mandarins, bergamot, oranges and grapefruit come the citrus oils that lend these fragrances their distinctive, tangy aroma.

Floral, spicy and woody notes transformed the light, refreshing eaux de cologne into real fragrances. A new generation of musk and tea accents adds an interesting dimension to the oldest fragrance family.

Water

Redolent of the scent of soft sea breezes, the marine notes were created in 1990.

The early water notes captured the ozonic aroma of wet air after a thunderstorm. Today, the water notes are more often used as an accent to enliven florals, orientals and woody fragrances.

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Green

Green fragrances capture the sharp scent of fresh-cut grass and violet leaves.

Despite the outdoors imagery, the impact of the classic resinous galbanum accord is so potent that many green fragrances have a formal rather than sporty personality. In recent years, a palette of softer, lighter green notes has given this fragrance family fresh appeal.

Fruity

Peaches and pears, apples and plums. A twist of tropical fruits.

Essences of strawberry, raspberry and berries of all hues. Add a splash of flowers to create a family of fruity cocktails that smell delicious.

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Floral

Florals remain the most popular fragrance family.

Their repertoire is vast, ranging from concertos on the theme of a single floral note to mighty symphonies of heady mixed bouquets. Headspace technology has given perfumers an avalanche of exciting new floral notes: it allows them to identify and clone the scent of blooms from which no oil can be extracted by traditional methods. Each year, unusual new notes are found, revitalising the traditional floral theme.

Soft Floral

The marriage of sparkling aldehydes and delicate flowers creates a family of soft, often powdery, abstract florals.

Aldehydes are found naturally in rose and citrus oils, but in such minute amounts that they have to be re-created in the laboratory. Their natural scent is not pleasant: some have a sharp, metallic fragrance, others the burnt, waxy aroma of a just snuffed candle. Add them to flowers, however, and their subtle magic makes the blossoms sing. Their soprano notes are muted by the powdery accents of iris and vanilla to create a fragrance that is both soft and flowery.

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Floral Oriental

Soft, spicy orange flower notes meld with piquant aldehydes and sweet spices to create the heart of a Floral Oriental fragrance.

Born in the 1900s, Floral Orientals came back to life again in the 1970s. In the past decade, lively, fruity interpretations dominated the Floral Oriental category, but recent fragrances have developed a more subtle, muted personality.

Soft Oriental

Incense adds sensual overtones to fragrant flowers, spices and amber to create a softer style of Oriental.

The base notes of a modern Soft Oriental are not as sweet or as heavy as a true Oriental and the result – a mélange of flowers and spices – is distinctly softer.

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Oriental

Orientals are the exotic queens of perfumery.

Sensual, often heavy, blends of oriental resins, opulent flowers, sweet vanilla and musks are introduced by refreshing citrus, green or fruity top notes. The new ‘sheer’ Orientals gained some ground in the late 1990s, but the appeal of the full-bodied, take-no-prisoners Orientals endures.

Woody Oriental

The liaison of rich Oriental notes and the potent scents of patchouli and sandalwood produced some of the most original perfumes of the 1990s.

This family emphasizes the woody character of Floral Orientals. The key difference is that their flowers and spices play second string to the dominant sandalwood and/or patchouli notes. The Oriental influence is more noticeable, too, and balances the deep wood notes.

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Woods

Lately, perfumers have rediscovered woody notes in a big way, so it makes sense to distinguish them from the Chypre or Mossy Woods fragrances.

Classic woody scents are dominated by harmonies of cedar, patchouli, pine, sandalwood and vetiver but a new palette of exotic wood notes – often cloned from headspace technology – has stimulated greater creativity in this neglected fragrance category.

Mossy Woods

Perfumers call these forest notes of oakmoss, amber and citrus Chypre fragrances.

The family takes its name from the first significant mossy-woody fragrance, Chypre de Coty, created by François Coty in 1917. Chypre is the French name for the island of Cyprus, birthplace of Venus, the legendary goddess of love. From Cyprus, too, comes the oakmoss that is at the heart of all Chypre fragrances.

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Dry Woods

A mossy-woody fragrance takes on a drier character with the addition of cedar, tobacco and burnt wood notes.

The Dry Woods family is often called Leather, after the dry, smoky scent of Russian leather. Fresh citrus notes play an important role in most Dry Woods fragrances, lightening the deep, almost animalic heart notes.

Aromatic Fougère

This is the universal fragrance family, with sexy cool-warm notes of citrus and lavender, sweet spices and oriental woods.

It takes its name from a fragrance long since discontinued: Fougère Royale, introduced by Houbigant in 1882. Men grew up on Fougères. Most of the key men’s fragrances developed since the mid-1960s have come from this family; their zesty, masculine character makes men feel comfortable. Most women, too, find the blend of Fresh, Floral, Oriental and Woody notes appealing. It is a winning combination.

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Fragrance classification by groups

Fragrances are also classified according to groups, such as:

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Citrus

Citrus fragrances are old and abundant. Its compositions are based on lemon, orange, bergamot, grapefruit or mandarin, with other citrusy, aromatic and tart notes for men and floral notes for women.

Aromatic

Aromatic notes are usually combined of sage, rosemary, cumin, lavender and other plants which possess a very intensive grass-spicy scent. They are often combined with citrusy and spicy notes. Aromatic compositions are typical of fragrances for men.
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Chypré

This olfactive group was named after perfume Coty Chypre created in 1917. Chypre means Cyprus in French. This sharp scent is based on harmony of oak moss, labdanum, patchouli and bergamot.

Floral

This largest fragrant group encompasses numerous versions of compositions with a floral heart: freshly picked flowers, flowers with aquatic, green or powdery nuances, as well as floral-aldehyde, floral-fruity and gourmand compositions.
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Woody

Opulent compositions of woody notes in a heart of perfume are accentuated with woody notes of a base. Warm, mysterious sandalwood, drier and sharper cedar and vetiver, resin-like and balmy exotic sorts are usually accompanied with aromatic and citrusy notes.

Oriental

Oriental fragrances with dominant amber are placed in a separate group thanks to their accentuated warmth and sensuality. Their opulent bouquet includes intoxicating and intensive substances such as musk, vanilla, exotic resins and wood, often accompanied with exotic flowers and spices.
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Leather

Leather scents in various nuances, from floral, velvety compositions to tart, smoky ones are placed in this group. Scenting leather products in order to mask unpleasant scent of leather itself, since urine and faeces of cattle, as well as blood and tar had been used in its traditional production, marked the beginning of perfumery.

Feminine Fragrances Analysed by Fragrance Family

Masculine Fragrances Analysed by Fragrance Family

Based on the above, we believe this article has been helpful in enabling you determine the right fragrance for you, as you get to understand the composition of fragrances, through the fragrance family they belong to.

By understanding the composition, you get to know why you are attracted to a particular scent, based on plant it is produced from.

If you have question, please get in touch with us and we will give you our expert advice.

References:

Per fumus

Fragrantica