What is a “fragrance wheel”?
Flavors are a particular main group for men and less for women. As the name already suggests, they are made primarily of fresh, green herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, and even lavender. Flavors are rarely alone and are often blended with citrus and spicy notes for fuller accords. As a result, these notes are masculine in character.
General notes of the aromatic family
• sage
• thyme
• eucalyptus
• lavender
2. The Chyprian family
An ancient and unique family, Chypre is composed of bergamot as the top note, followed by oak moss and labdanum resin. The word means Cyprus in French and dates back to a perfume created by François Coty in 1917 and is named after it. Chypre is to be understood here as a concept rather than a family.
General notes of the Chyprian family
• bergamot
• oak tree moss
• patchouli
• labdanum resin
3. The citrus family
Citrus perfumes have been existing for centuries. The first and most famous Eau de Cologne were Citrus scents for their persistence. Not to mention that citrus scents mimic either the fruit, the spice, or the blossom of the fruit like lemons, bergamot, oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit. Citrus fruits are usually fresh and easily combined with floral, tart or aromatic notes for a fuller accord.
General notes of the citrus family
• bergamot
• lemon
• tangerine
• Grapefruit
• orange
• lime
4. The floral family
Although it belongs to the largest fragrance family, the fragrance family is still mostly reserved for women. Anyway, the floral family is as old as the citrus family. It can consist of a single flower, but also an attractive bouquet of several flowers. In addition, with advances in synthetic manufacturing, even more complex compositions are possible. In fact, this is the reason why this family has gained more access to men's perfumes. Dominantly flowery perfumes are still a rarity for men's fragrances.
General notes of the floral family
• jasmine
• rose
• geranium
• patchouli
• iris
5. The Fougere family
Fougère denotes the main family for men. Unlike the floral and cyprian families, it is dominated by masculine notes. Like chypre, fougère is more than a concept to understand.
Fougère perfumes are a blend composed of lavender, wood, oak moss, coumarin and citrus. The resulting aroma contains sweet and spicy notes.
It is important to mention that fougère perfumes are at their best in the warm season.
Thanks to their bundles of green and aromatic notes, they are among the best in spring.
General notes of the Fougère family
• citrus
• lavender
• oak tree moss
• coumarin
• geranium
6. The Leather Family
The leather family is particularly different from their relatives. Surprisingly, tanned leather marked a new beginning in perfumery. While the manufacturing process smelled bad, the tannery was able to hide the ammonia's unwanted odors.
The beautiful scent created with smoke and combined with honey became quite desirable. The oriental, woody and leather family can be interchanged in favor of fine aromas. Presumably, the leather family became so desirable that perfumers re-engineered their aromas. That's why nowadays one can recognize leathery scents due to their tart, dry or smoky blends, even floral and fresh compositions.
General notes of the leather family
• smoke
• tobacco
• burned wood
• silver birch
• vetiver
7. The Oriental family
The rich, exotic substances of the oriental fragrances include exotic herbs and spices such as vanilla and cistus, but also aldehydes. Raisins, wood and amber create accentuated warm and sensual aromas that can be powdery or dry.
The musk of an oriental perfume is very often lush and impulsive, which softens with amber notes.
Thanks to the powdery and spicy notes, oriental perfumes are very often associated with the cold months. Therefore, it is not surprising that they are among the best men's winter perfumes.
General notes of the oriental family
• myrrh
• Atlas Cedar
• vanilla
• Sandalwood
• cinnamon
8. The woody family
Woody fragrances consist predominantly of either warm or lush blends. Sandalwood and patchouli are among the warmest notes, while cedar and vetiver can be used for drier results.
Usually, some perfumers influence the warmth of woody scents with fresh citrus and aromatic top notes.
General notes of the woody family
•sandalwood
•pine
•patchouli
•vetiver
•cedar
A scent wheel is the basis for allowing the user to explore the further details of the selected family.
There are of course exceptions to the set rules for all fragrance wheels. For example, each family consists of its own subgroups or subfamilies. Every fragrance
associated with a dominant family may simultaneously contain characteristics of other families.
Similar to the notation of music, this technique of mixing the individual scent characteristics is also referred to as an accord.
fragrance families
1. Aromatic fragrance family
2. Chypre fragrance family
3. Citrus fragrance family
4. Floral fragrance family
5. Fougère fragrance family
6. Leather fragrance family
7. Oriental fragrance family
8. Woody fragrance family
Flavors are a particular main group for men and less for women. As the name already suggests, they are made primarily of fresh, green herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, and even lavender. Flavors are rarely alone and are often blended with citrus and spicy notes for fuller accords. As a result, these notes are masculine in character.
General notes of the aromatic family
• sage
• thyme
• eucalyptus
• lavender
2. The Chyprian family
An ancient and unique family, Chypre is composed of bergamot as the top note, followed by oak moss and labdanum resin. The word means Cyprus in French and dates back to a perfume created by François Coty in 1917 and is named after it. Chypre is to be understood here as a concept rather than a family.
General notes of the Chyprian family
• bergamot
• oak tree moss
• patchouli
• labdanum resin
3. The citrus family
Citrus perfumes have been existing for centuries. The first and most famous Eau de Cologne were Citrus scents for their persistence. Not to mention that citrus scents mimic either the fruit, the spice, or the blossom of the fruit like lemons, bergamot, oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit. Citrus fruits are usually fresh and easily combined with floral, tart or aromatic notes for a fuller accord.
General notes of the citrus family
• bergamot
• lemon
• tangerine
• Grapefruit
• orange
• lime
4. The floral family
Although it belongs to the largest fragrance family, the fragrance family is still mostly reserved for women. Anyway, the floral family is as old as the citrus family. It can consist of a single flower, but also an attractive bouquet of several flowers. In addition, with advances in synthetic manufacturing, even more complex compositions are possible. In fact, this is the reason why this family has gained more access to men's perfumes. Dominantly flowery perfumes are still a rarity for men's fragrances.
General notes of the floral family
• jasmine
• rose
• geranium
• patchouli
• iris
5. The Fougere family
Fougère denotes the main family for men. Unlike the floral and cyprian families, it is dominated by masculine notes. Like chypre, fougère is more than a concept to understand.
Fougère perfumes are a blend composed of lavender, wood, oak moss, coumarin and citrus. The resulting aroma contains sweet and spicy notes.
It is important to mention that fougère perfumes are at their best in the warm season.
Thanks to their bundles of green and aromatic notes, they are among the best in spring.
General notes of the Fougère family
• citrus
• lavender
• oak tree moss
• coumarin
• geranium
6. The Leather Family
The leather family is particularly different from their relatives. Surprisingly, tanned leather marked a new beginning in perfumery. While the manufacturing process smelled bad, the tannery was able to hide the ammonia's unwanted odors.
The beautiful scent created with smoke and combined with honey became quite desirable. The oriental, woody and leather family can be interchanged in favor of fine aromas. Presumably, the leather family became so desirable that perfumers re-engineered their aromas. That's why nowadays one can recognize leathery scents due to their tart, dry or smoky blends, even floral and fresh compositions.
General notes of the leather family
• smoke
• tobacco
• burned wood
• silver birch
• vetiver
7. The Oriental family
The rich, exotic substances of the oriental fragrances include exotic herbs and spices such as vanilla and cistus, but also aldehydes. Raisins, wood and amber create accentuated warm and sensual aromas that can be powdery or dry.
The musk of an oriental perfume is very often lush and impulsive, which softens with amber notes.
Thanks to the powdery and spicy notes, oriental perfumes are very often associated with the cold months. Therefore, it is not surprising that they are among the best men's winter perfumes.
General notes of the oriental family
• myrrh
• Atlas Cedar
• vanilla
• Sandalwood
• cinnamon
8. The woody family
Woody fragrances consist predominantly of either warm or lush blends. Sandalwood and patchouli are among the warmest notes, while cedar and vetiver can be used for drier results.
Usually, some perfumers influence the warmth of woody scents with fresh citrus and aromatic top notes.
General notes of the woody family
•sandalwood
•pine
•patchouli
•vetiver
•cedar