Fragrance Wheel and Scent Families

A Guide to the Fragrance Wheel and Scent Families

There are hundreds of fragrance scents, and searching for the perfect fragrance can be challenging. The process of finding the preferred fragrance note can be a little bit confusing to someone who is not familiar with the different fragrance notes.
That’s why knowing the fragrance wheel and scent families makes it easier to determine the preferred perfume.
In this article, we will cover the fragrance wheel and scent families, which will give you a better understanding of perfumes and how to select your preferred type.

What is the Fragrance Wheel?

The modern fragrance wheel was created by the perfume expert Michael Edward in 1992. Other versions have been around since 1949, but the modern version will be the one we use today.
In fact, Michael Edwards created the fragrance wheel to help retailers suggest perfumes to consumers more efficiently. Each family consists of a prominent scent, while the sub-families are blended versions of these fragrances.

Scent Family Types:

Scent families can be classified into four main categories:

Floral,
Oriental,
Woody,
Fresh.

where each category has its own sub-families.

Each scent family has distinctive characteristics, and often individuals will be attracted to one scent over another when it comes to choosing personal fragrances.

For the above reason, knowing the scent family that one is attracted to could be of great help before going shopping for a new scent.

In fact, experts who have been working with perfumes for years can tell which family or sub-family a given fragrance belongs to with just one sniff.

In the sections below, we will explain in detail each of the scent families along with their related sub-families.

Floral:

The floral scent family is one of the most common families and is used in many well-known perfumes. Floral scents are mostly used in women’s fragrances, although they are occasionally used in men’s as well. They usually smell like fresh-cut flowers or have a powdery note to them. Floral scents are perfect for the spring and summertime.

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 blossoms.

Discover our Floral fragrances :

Oriental:

The oriental fragrance family consists of rich, exotic scents. You may think of it like herbs and spices, or dry, powdery, resin notes. Opulent and heady, these notes are often softened with amber or sweet notes. It’s common to describe this family 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.

Discover our Oriental fragrances :

Woody:

Woody perfumes are usually warm and opulent, mixing incense-like fragrances like sandalwood and patchouli with drier notes like cedar. To tone down the warmth of these notes, fragrances will sometimes incorporate some fresh notes like citrus or floral. Notes in this family can be described as coniferous or 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: Smouldering and smoky mixed with leather aromas.

Common Woody Family Notes:

Patchouli.
Vetiver.
Sandalwood.

Discover our Woody fragrances :

Fresh:

The fresh scent family encompasses clean, bright scents. Herby, citrusy and oceanic scents all fall into this category. More often used in men’s fragrances than women’s fragrances, fresh scents are paired with spicy notes to create a more robust fragrance. Aromatic, tart notes can also be found mixed with zesty or fruity scents.

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.

Discover our Fresh fragrances :

How to Combine Scents

Just like colour, certain fragrance families go well together. The scent wheel makes it easy to see this. Fragrance sub-families that are side by side on the fragrance wheel will almost always blend well.

To help you decide the scent family and subfamilies, you can try our Discovery Sets for fragrance samples and order it online.

MAJOURI Perfume Collections :

Furthermore, if you are sure about your choice of scent family and related sub-family, you can browse our fragrance collection and order the perfume you prefer, and get its free sample with it.

Our Genesis Collection features Eau de Parfums that tell universal and personal stories: a friendship, a love at first sight, a reconnection with oneself. These are personal experiences that transform into universal ones, where everything begins. Timeless and generous perfumes that return to the essentials. Made to be embraced and rediscovered with pleasure, they act like Proust's madeleines, resonating with our most intimate and cherished memories.

Comprising the rarest and most precious ingredients, each Eau de Parfum in the Quest Collection magnifies a specific raw material and embodies the exceptional art of perfumery. Developed according to the tradition and high standards of French perfumery, combined with a contemporary vision of the world, the perfect harmony of these notes is the result of the olfactory expertise of our prestigious perfumers.

Our Jour Collection is a range that offers our perfumers complete freedom to create fragrances according to their inspiration of the day, sharing with us an intimate and personal moment. Giving free rein to their imagination, they use the most natural essences and the rarest ingredients to create authentic perfumes combining character and opulence. The Jour perfumes explore new emotions, forming a mosaic of singularities and feelings, a unique evocation in a fragrant breath.