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It might be difficult to know where to begin when looking for the ideal fragrance. There are countless different scents, after all. Finding your favourite fragrance can be difficult if you are unfamiliar with the various fragrance notes. The fragrance wheel and scent families are therefore useful to be familiar with before you begin. You've probably smelled each of the fragrance families at least once in your life, whether it was outside, in the kitchen, or somewhere else.
What Is the Fragrance Wheel?
The fragrance wheel is a circular diagram that depicts the various scent families and subfamilies. To demonstrate their relationship, the scents are grouped based on their similarities and differences.
Scent groups that border each other have similar olfactory characteristics, whereas scent groups that are further apart have less in common. Michael Edwards, a fragrance expert, created this fragrance classification system to assist retailers in more efficiently suggesting perfumes to customers. Each family has a distinct scent, and the subfamilies are blended versions of these fragrances.
Types of Scent Families
Floral, Oriental, Woody, and Fresh are the four main scent families, each with their own subfamilies. A scent family has distinct characteristics, and people frequently prefer one scent family over another when selecting personal fragrances.
As a result, knowing which family you are drawn to before shopping for a new scent can be beneficial. While most products do not list the scent family, you should be able to determine which perfume ingredients comprise the fragrance. With just one sniff, perfume experts who have been working with perfumes for years can tell which family or sub-family a fragrance belongs to.
While the fragrance community disagrees on the organisation and description of each family, most agree on the following families and subfamilies.
1. FLORAL SCENT
One of the most common scent families, floral scents are found in many well-known perfumes. Floral scents are most found in women's fragrances, though they are occasionally found in men's fragrances as well. They typically smell like freshly cut flowers or have a powdery undertone. Floral scents are ideal for the spring and summer months.
Subfamilies:
- Fruity: Sweet, edible, and tropical like peach, pear, and apple.
- Floral: Smells like fresh-cut flowers — imagine rose and lily.
- Soft floral: Soft, powdery, and sweet with a hint of creamy.
- Floral oriental: Florals with subtle spice notes.
- Common Floral Family Notes: Rose, Jasmine, Orange blossom
Best Floral Perfumes
DSQUARED² Wood Pour Femme EDT 100ml
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Wood for Her by DSQUARED² is a Floral Woody Musk fragrance for women. Wood for Her was launched in 2018. Raspberry Leaf, Mandarin Orange, Magnolia and Lily-of-the-Valley are the top notes; middle notes are Osmanthus and Jasmine; White Woods, Ambroxan and Cedar are the base notes.
Dior Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet EDT 150ml
The fresh and glowing miss Dior Blooming Bouquet is a composition designed like a get dressed embroidered with a thousand flowers. This floral bouquet pays homage to Christian Dior’s mythical passion for flowers. Its heart holds a soft accord of peony and Damascus rose refreshed by a radiant Calabrian bergamot. The poetic path is enveloped in smooth notes of white musk. A floral springtime creation for a playful and captivating miss Dior.
Gucci Bloom EDP 100ml
Debuting the primary perfume developed absolutely under Alessandro Michele’s creative imaginative and prescient: a scent designed to celebrate the authenticity, power and variety of ladies—flourishing in a natural, expressive and individual manner. combined by master perfumer Alberto Morillas under the direction of the house’s creative Director, Gucci Bloom is created to spread like its call, shooting the rich scent of a thriving garden filled with an abundance of flowers.
Tuberose and jasmine integrate with Rangoon Creeper—a unique flower observed in South India this is getting used for the first time in perfumery to create a rich fragrance that transports the wearer to an imaginary garden. The fragrance is presented in a lacquered bottle, reminiscent of porcelain, in a vintage powder pink colour with a Gucci label appliqué.
2. ORIENTAL SCENT
Rich exotic scents make up the oriental fragrance family. Think herbs and spices or dry, powdery, resin notes when you think of oriental scents. These notes are often softened with amber or sweet notes, making them opulent and heady. This family is frequently described as exotic and seductive.
Subfamilies:
Soft oriental: Soft, floral notes mix with incense and warm spices.
Oriental: Sweet, warm notes like cinnamon, vanilla, and musk.
Woody oriental: Earthy notes like patchouli and sandalwood mixed with spicy and sweet notes.
Common Oriental Family Notes: Vanilla, Myrrh, Anise
Best Oriental Perfumes
DSQUARED² Wood Pour Homme EDT 100ml
Wood for Him by DSQUARED² is a Woody Floral Musk fragrance for men. Wood for Him was launched in 2018. Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian Lemon and Mandarin Orange are the top notes ; Violet Leaf, Ginger and Cardamom are the middle notes; White Woods, Vetiver and Ambroxan are the base notes.
Roja Sweetie Aoud Parfum 50ml
Sweetie Aoud is a wholly unique reinterpretation of a traditional Aoud-style fragrance that transforms this renowned ingredient into something utterly surprising and modern. The old note of Aoud is converted into an irresistible gourmet composition, something rarely seen in perfumery. Frankincense's balsamic elegance blends with an original "Patisserie Accord" as the entire composition revolves around the main component of Aoud.
Spices, woods, and resins build a rich, enigmatic background that allows the delectable sweetness to reverberate subtly throughout the day. Sweetie Aoud is a scrumptious guilty pleasure for the senses, evoking the delicious pastries in the best cake stores. Its entirely modern design is the sole creation of Roja, the master of Aoud.
Lancome La Nuit Tresor EDP 75ml
La Nuit Tresor, a sensual and alluring fragrance with notes of Vanilla Orchid and Black Rose, was created by two major figures in French perfumery. Vanilla Tahitensis Orchid, the black gold of perfumery, is interlaced into the enigmatic aroma of Black Rose, the essence of unwavering love and ultrafemininity. La Nuit Tresor is a timeless scent that may be used at any age because love has no bounds. It transports us to the enigmatic and alluring nighttime world.
3. WOODS SCENT
Woody perfumes are typically warm and opulent, combining incense-like scents such as sandalwood and patchouli with drier notes such as cedar. Fragrances will sometimes include fresh notes like citrous or floral to balance out the warmth of these notes. This family's notes can be described as coniferous, woody, and bitter.
Subfamilies:
- Woods: Aromatic scents like cedarwood, sandalwood and vetiver.
- Mossy woods: Sweet, smooth and earthy scents like oakmoss and amber.
- Dry woods: Smoldering and smoky mixed with leather aromas.
- Common Woody Family Notes: Patchouli, Vetiver, Sandalwood
Best Wood Perfumes
DSQUARED² Original Wood EDP 100ml
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Men's Original Wood by DSQUARED2 is a woodsy scent. This fragrance is brand-new. In 2022, Original Wood was introduced. Daphné Bugey is the nose behind this scent. Violet Leaf, Watery Notes, and Guatemalan Cardamom are the top notes; Silver Fir, Cedar, and Haitian Vetiver are the middle notes; while Musk, Amber, and Indonesian Patchouli Leaf are the base.
Tom Ford Oud Wood EDP 50ml
Tom Ford's first and only fragrance line, Private Blend, consists of twelve eau de parfums that can be worn individually or in combination with other scents from the line. In 2007, the Private Blend Collection debuted. There are 250ml and 50ml bottles of the perfumes available.
Creed Royal Oud EDP 100ml
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Wood, leather, marble, and gold make Creed Royal Oud. Creed Royal Oud Wood Perfume's design was inspired by these luxurious features of a Persian palace. Agarwood is a tightly guarded resource that only grows in specific regions of India, and it is from these trees that precious, sweet oud is painstakingly collected. Due to its scarcity, oud is one of the expensive raw materials that both men and women who wear it value. Royal Oud's universal blend captures the splendor of palace life across continents and is a current favorite among today's royals and heads of state.
4. FRESH SCENT
Clean, bright scents are included in the fresh scent family. This category includes scents like herby, citrusy, and oceanic. Fresh scents are paired with spicy notes to create a more robust fragrance in men's fragrances than in women's fragrances. Aromatic, tart notes can also be found in scents that
Subfamilies:
- Aromatic: Clean and fresh herbs mixed with lavender or woody scents.
- Citrus: Zesty or tangy notes like mandarins or bergamot.
- Water: Aquatic scents that smell of sea spray or rain mixed with or oceanic notes.
- Green: Smells of freshly mowed lawns and crushed green leaves.
- Common Fresh Family Notes: Sage, Bergamot, Grapefruit are zesty or fruity.
Best Fresh Perfumes
Goldfield and Banks Pacific Rock moss Perfume 100ml
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A fresh perfume inspired by the southern coastline of New South Wales. Cedarwood gives this fragrance a sturdy base on which to reveal a fresh, sea spray scent that speaks of summer days diving into an azure sea. A fragrance for men and women, inspired by waves crashing upon sun-kissed rocks and long days that turn into warm, summer nights.
Juliette has A Gun Not A Perfume Superdose EDP 100ml
Juliette has a Gun Not a Perfume Superdose is an overdosed version of Juliette has a Gun’s Iconic Not a Perfume, a unique molecular fragrance made of a single ingredient called Cetalox. Obviously still a clean, fresh and elegant fragrance leaving an even more powerful trail. An explosive name for an explosive fragrance.
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Italian Love Pour Femme EDT 100ml
The new limited edition fragrances, Light Blue Italian Love, for her and for him, introduce new woody notes for a heightened sense of addiction and sensuality. Light Blue Italian Love Pour Homme eau de toilette reveals a new interpretation of masculine sensuality, opens with Italian bergamot and juicy frozen grapefruit, revealing a fresh cocktail. It evolves to a new, intensely masculine heart, invigorating green notes combining with violet leaf and the fresh aquatic wave of the ozonic marine accord. Earthy vetiver combines with musks and the heady, mysterious note of patchouli, while the full-bodied note of guaiac wood brings new depth and an intriguing sensuality.
The last and most important part in your experience…
After deciding which perfume categories you prefer and what secondary notes you want, it's time to start looking for the perfect perfume. Visit us at any of our three boutiques in Merrylands, Wetherill Park or Bankstown and test the fragrance on your skin to ensure you like the scent once it's mixed with your skin before buying it.