Fragrance families

What is a fragrance family?

Like many other things in life, from films to music, fragrances are divided into certain categories or genres; also known as fragrance ‘families’. Often without realising, we fall for the same family over and over again and we know exactly which families we don’t like.

‘Fragrance families’ has been used as a classification system within the perfume industry for many years now, becoming a huge part of the language of scent. Though it can feel quite baffling at first, understanding the fragrance families can help to better understand your personal preferences and easily find perfumes that suit you best.

The Key Fragrance Families:

In this article we are focusing on the 4 most common and widely used fragrance families; Fresh, Floral, Oriental and Woody.

As with all true families, there can be many members of one family, some of which may overlap with other families. More sophisticated scents may fall under the likes of Fougère and Chypre, and with modern fragrance development, we’ve seen a rise in new families such as Green, Citrus and Gourmand. To keep things simple, we are going to stick with the most loved ones, for now, taking a look at their different family members.

Fresh Fragrances :

Fruity — Juicy, sweet, edible, fruity aromas from peach to apple to strawberry. A very common family used in fragrances, a fruity note can bring a light and playful element to a scent.

Green — Think freshly cut grass, leaves and nature. The green family is a group of typically top note ingredients that create sharp, fresh scents with vegetal notes.

Water — The water fragrance family brings lightness and humidity to a scent. Imagine the smell of the air after a thunderstorm or the spray of the sea.

Citrus — Orange, mandarin and bergamot, a family of top notes from citrus fruits.

Aromatic — Aromatic scents are clean, fresh and non-complex. These notes usually consist of lavender, cumin rosemary and other plants that hold an intense grassy and spicy scent.

Floral Fragrances:

Floral — Floral fragrances include fresh and enchanting scents of lily, rose and jasmine.

Soft Floral — Violet and lavender are somewhat nostalgic florals, grouped with a sweet, musky and almost powdered scent.

Floral Oriental — A subtle spice alongside a sweet and smooth scent, best characterised as the scent of orange blossom.

Oriental Fragrances:

Soft Oriental — Smooth incense and warm spices best describe the Soft Oriental fragrance family, with delicate yet sensual notes.

Oriental — Often associated with exotic floral and spicy scents, oriental fragrances stand out with their blend of sensuality and warmth.

Woody Oriental — Woody Oriental Scents consist of dry and woody base notes such as cedar, or noticeably luxurious woody notes with a traditionally oriental nature such as sandalwood or amber.

Woody Fragrances:

Mossy Woods — Mossy wood fragrances take the traditional woody characters such as oakwood and mix them with fresh floral tones for an unusual yet distinctive and enduring scent.

Dry Woods — Crisp, dry woody notes are typically found in the base notes creating an outdoorsy, masculine aroma that can often be smoky.

Aromatic Woods — Typically rustic scents, aromatic wood fragrances have a certain freshness that is often in relation to green, herbal notes like that of pure lavender essence.