There are many different perfumes on the market and all have a distinctive aroma. Perfumes are classified according to the notes that are present in the fragrance. A fragrance Wheel perfume classification chart helps to define what notes are in a fragrances and what type of smell produces those notes. There are five distinct notes that may be present in a perfume.
Floral notes include floral, soft floral and water
Oriental notes include floral oriental, soft oriental and oriental
Woody notes include woody oriental, mossy woods and dry woods
Fresh notes consist of citrus, greens and water
Fougere is in the middle of the wheel and is typically what you will smell in men’s fragrances.
The fragrance wheel is a fairly new way to classify perfume scents and is used widely in retail stores and within the fragrance industry. The main reason for using the fragrance wheel for perfume scent classification is to simplify the classification standards and help show the relationship between each separate scent.
Perfume scent classification provides the starting point in describing a perfume. When you are trying to describe something that you can only smell by using the written word there has to be some common medium to help explain how something smells. By using the fragrance wheel as a guide to perfume scent classification you have a common jumping off point that helps to accurately describe the aroma of a perfume.
In addition to the fragrance wheel there are other ways to define perfume scent classification. Many perfumes over lap into more than one family of fragrances. Traditional perfume scent classifications have been expanded upon in recent years to accommodate modern scents.
Traditional perfume scent classifications include:
- Single floral aromas that stem from flowers
- Floral bouquets from a variety of flowers
- Ambery aromas feature scents such as vanilla with the smells of animals, flowers and woods.
- Woody fragrances are rustic and consist of woody scents
- Leather consists of honey, tobacco and wood tars
- Chypre includes aromas of oakmoss, patchoilu and labdanum
- Fougere consists of lavender, coumarin and oakmoss.
Modern fragrances include:
- Bright floral that combine single floral with floral bouquets
- Green which is lighter and more modern
- Oceanic/ozone is clean and modern
- Citrus or fruity has a low citrus aroma