What are the main fragrance types?
What is a fragrance type and why is it important? Every fragrance can be classified into a fragrance type and knowing them helps people to identify the type of fragrance that they like. It is a useful tool to group fragrance into dominant scent characteristics in order to classify them more easily. The Michael Edwards scent classification tool below is often used to classify fragrance. So without further ado, let’s look at what are the main fragrance types……
Floral fragrances
Floral fragrance types can be from rose, lily, gardenia, jasmine or peony. Within each floral type there are still further classifications , for example a rose can be a Bulgarian or a Damask rose, rose centifolia or an English rose. Natural floral perfumes use traditional methods of floral oil distillation .Floral fragrances can be soft or powdery, fruity or combined with citrus notes to give a fresher floral burst.
Oriental or amber fragrance types
Nowadays it is more politically correct to call this fragrance type ‘amber’ and not ‘oriental’. However, amber is just one note in an oriental fragrance and doesn’t express the full depth of notes in a typical oriental fragrance. Oriental fragrances typically contain vanilla, resins, amber, spices, woody notes, patchouli and oudh.
Fresh fragrances
Fresh fragrance types are fresh, invigorating and crisp, perfumers generally combine fresh notes with longer lasting notes. Citrus and fresh notes are more volatile, whilst they give a great opening hit of fragrance, they are not as long lasting as other ingredients. Typical fresh ingredients are bergamot, lemon, orange, grapefruit and vetiver.
Woody fragrances
Woody fragrance types are grounding and earthy, in addition they can be smoky, resinous and animalic. Sandalwood is synonymous with oriental fragrance and it is also closely tied to Indian culture and perfumery. Oudh wood, also known as agar wood, is a precious ingredient which will vary in smell depending on the country of origin. Real oudh oil is one of the most expensive ingredients in perfumery, mainly because it takes a long time to cultivate this resin in aguileria trees. The tree is damaged by mould, which creates the precious dark oudh natural resin.
Mossy woody types also fall into the woody fragrance category, these are more earthy, warm and comforting.
Gourmand fragrances
Gourmand perfumes can come from fruits, vegetables, sugar, vanilla, chocolate, tea, coffee and nuts. Often perfumers generate gourmand notes synthetically because it is too difficult to create oils from many foodstuffs. Gourmand notes have become more popular in recent years, often mixed with florals and citrus notes to create a more balanced fragrance.
Green fragrances
Green fragrances capture the fresh aroma of grass, leaves, stems and herbs. They can feel clean, natural and energising, sometimes earthy and grounding, depending on the ingredients. Green notes can be found in male or female fragrance types, as they can help to balance out a fragrance. Green floral notes can include vetiver, cedar leaves, basil, petitgrain, lemongrass, moss, galbanum and mint.
Fougère fragrances
We often here the word ‘fougere’ mentioned in perfumery, so let us discuss what it means. Rather than being a fragrance type, a fougere fragrance contains a particular set of ingredients in layers. Usually the opening notes are citrus fresh, then more aromatic in the heart of the fragrance with notes such as lavender. The base notes usually contain ingredients like oak moss or coumarin (hay moss). Fougere fragrance profiles have been very popular in traditional male classic fragrances, especially those from the 1980s and 1990s.
Most fragrances are a mixture of fragrance types, for example, la vie est belle by lancome is a floral gourmand fragrance type. Sauvage perfume by Dior is an aromatic, fougère fragrance type, as it contains green herbaceous ingredients combined with spices.
It is very rare to get a perfume composition which is only from one fragrance type. This is because most fragrances need a top, middle and base note, of course different types of ingredients perform and last differently. To learn more about fragrances and ingredients you might enjoy reading our article about long lasting fragrance.