Fragrance guide – do you know citrus from exotic?

When looking for new scents it can sometimes be overwhelming with many varieties! Woody or Eastern? Fresh or floral? Which notes last the longest? If you are not familiar with the different notes of scents, finding out what fragrances you like can be intimidating. In this fragrance guide we will discuss the fragrance wheel and the different notes they carry.

Fragrance wheel – an approach to a fragrance guide

If you were to think back to art lessons at school, without a doubt you would have seen and learnt about the color wheel. This wheel identifies which colours complemented each other, and which ones did not. A fragrance wheel is ultimately the same concept. It can be a very useful fragrance guide.

The wheel is first split down into the four sections below. Under these sections are subsections which are more specific to notes.

Floral

Floral scents are very popular and is one of the most widespread families. Any scents with sweet flowery fragrance are perfect in this family. These floral fragrances have a wide range and can be very light and airy or very intense and heavy.

The floral subfamilies:

• Fruity – Tropical and sweet, like fruits.
• Floral – Smells like fresh flowers, like rose.
• Soft Floral – Soft and sweet with creamy undertones.
• Eastern Floral – A scent that’s floral with underlying spice notes.

Eastern

Eastern fragrances can be sweet, warm and a little bit spicy. It is also very broad as they can range from light, soft and floral to spicy and earthy. Fragrances in this family are sensual and rich, and they usually include notes of cinnamon, vanilla, jasmine, and orchid.

The Eastern subfamilies:

• Soft Eastern – Floral notes with soft warm spices.
• Eastern – Sweet and warm – think vanilla and cinnamon.
• Woody – Earthy tones mixed with spicy sweet notes, spicy warm sandalwood.

Woody

Fragrances that are Woody are very warm and is featured among aftershaves with sandalwood, cedarwood and amber notes. The woody fragrances are captivating and mysterious.

Subfamilies of woody fragrances:

• Woody – Aromatic scents like sandalwood and cedar.
• Mossy Wood – Sweet, earthy scents like amber.
• Dry Wood – Smoky scent mixed with leather notes.

Fresh

These fragrances are usually zesty and vibrant due to the citrus, water, and green notes. Lemon, mandarin, grapefruit, and bergamot usually make the citrus base, whereas the water notes in fresh fragrances come from the oceanic notes like sea spray. Green fragrances are very herbal and leafy creating an uplifting scent.

The fresh subfamilies:

• Aromatic – Think fresh herbs with lavender scents.
• Citrus – Zesty, sour notes like bergamot or grapefruit.
• Water – Oceanic notes with scents of the sea or rain.
• Green – Fresh cut grass with crushed leaves.

Fragrance notes

Top, middle, and base notes are used to describe scents. The top notes are also known as the head notes. This is what you smell immediately after the scent is sprayed. It usually evaporates quickly but it is the first impression of a fragrance.

Heart or middle notes arise when the top notes disappear. These notes tend to be the main body of the fragrance and last longer than the top notes and appear more penetrating.

The base notes are the scents that are left at the end and the smell that you remember the most. Base notes last longer and mix with the middle notes to finish off the full body of the fragrance.