Have you ever found yourself at an elegant dinner party, sipping on a glass of chardonnay, and been asked to describe its essence? You might initially fumble for words like “fruity, sour, fresh,” not realizing that these are the same descriptors used by vintners and connoisseurs to classify wines. This unique language is not confined to the world of wines, but also extends to the realm of perfumes. Perfumes, like wines, have their own exclusive lexicon for classifying fragrances, divided into seven distinct olfactory families.
I want to make sure you have enough historical detail. However, I know that many perfume families and classifications were created in the 20th century, but what we know today was put together in 1984 by the French Perfume Association (SFP). The purpose of classifying perfumes is, first of all, to bring some order to the creative world of the perfumer. Second, and most importantly for the consumer, it guides perfume lovers when choosing perfumes that can sometimes cost an entire month’s rent. Make sure you like the perfume you’re investing in.
Therefore, it is helpful and essential for perfume lovers to know about these smell families, as they help to narrow down their choices. After all, hundreds of new perfumes flood the market every year, adding many options to our daily lives.
Nearly 40 years after the SFP divided perfumes into seven olfactory families, some may want to debate the standard classification they set, as there is no denying that perfumes are now more complex and sophisticated. However, if you’re learning all there is to know about perfumes, learning about the seven families of smell is a great starting point as part of your Perfume 101. So, here’s a quick overview:
Citrus olfactory family
The scents in this family are easy to identify for obvious reasons, and some have been around for a long time. A good example is the first cologne, created in Italy in the 16th century.
As the name of this olfactory family suggests, this family’s perfumes are citrus-based. Due to the presence of hesperidin, they are known for their fresh, vibrant, acidic and sunny characteristics. These essential oils, extracted from the peels of fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, citrus, pomelo and bergamot through a meticulous process, are mostly top notes in perfumes. Their volatile nature means they are undetectable after a few minutes.
However, some perfumes combine citrus and other olfactory family scents to create a refreshing summer scent.
The Floral Olfactory Family
This olfactory family is probably one of the largest and oldest in the history of perfume. For this reason, perfumers are always very motivated to exert extra creativity and innovation in the hope of creating a perfume that is complex, charming, unique, and has mass appeal.
As the name suggests, a single flower or bouquet is the common denominator of perfumes in this classification. The versatility of the floral family is evident in the way perfumers can create around white flowers (jasmine, neroli, evening flower, or iris) or powdery flowers (such as violets or the King of Flowers rose), each offering a unique olfactory experience.
The floral family is often associated with femininity. However, some men’s perfumes now incorporate floral fragrances and aromas, making them more exciting and appealing, especially to younger people. Gucci Bloom and Nina Ricci’s L ‘Air du Temps are some of the most beloved designer perfumes that rely heavily on floral scents.
The Chypre Olfactory Family
That’s an interesting question! Unlike most others on this list, this recent olfactory family doesn’t get its name and classification from something in nature. The category comes from a perfume created by Corsican perfumer Francois Coty in 1917. The perfume Chypre is so successful that a whole new family of olfactions needs to be created around it to quickly and appropriately classify perfumes with the same consistency.
Traditional scents include bergamot, rose, jasmine, lemon, patchouli, and oak moss. Some perfumers take creative liberties and may consist of fruit, other flowers, and Oriental notes. Either way, the Chypre family can be complicated when one has yet to dabble in perfume. When describing this olfactory family, some words may come to mind: autumnal, mossy, damp forest, and sharp. If that doesn’t already remind you, be sure to study fragrances like Diptyque Orphacimon or Clinique Aromatics Elixir closely, and we’re sure you’ll see why the original Chypre was so popular at the time.
Aroma family of aromatic tobacco leaves
If this family were a color, it would be green. After all, some call this family the fern family but think again before you believe it’s named after the smell of real-life ferns.
Yes, this olfactory family is made up of fantasy because real ferns don’t smell like this family’s ferns. The family takes its name from a rather famous perfume from 1882, foug royale. This revolutionary perfume caused a sensation, so just like Chypre, a whole family of olfactory smells was born.
Traditional fern scents often feature floral notes of thyme, rosemary, lavender, and geranium, with wood and vanilla undertones of coumarin and oakmoss. Today, some ferns have a lighter, fresher texture. Some lovely examples are Loewe’s Solo and Parfums DelRae’s Eau Illuminee.
The Woody Olfactory Family
Smoky, sexy, even luxurious—these are just some of the words used to describe the many notes in this family. The notes in this family can be further roughly divided into two groups: sandalwood and cedar, which form the aromatic wood group; vetiver and patchouli make up a cluster of leaves.
Notice how you see those notes on the bottom of most perfumes? This is no coincidence. The perfumer uses these wooden notes as the backbone and then builds other notes on top of them.
This family’s scents were typically used only to create men’s perfumes. However, over time, perfumers realized mixing woody notes with floral and fruity notes could create feminine and attractive androgynous scents. You can smell some mixed woody aromas in perfumes, such as By The Fireplace by Maison Margiela and Baccarat Rouge 540 by Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
The Amber Olfactory Family
Some call this olfactory family “Oriental,” but “Amber” sounds better and immediately conveys what this family is all about: warmth and sexiness.
In the past, the main ingredient that may have been present in the amber flavor was ambergris. For the uninitiated, ambergris is a waxy, solid, but flammable substance produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. The ingredient is rare, and the sweet taste it produces in a longer state can now be easily replaced by a synthetic called bromine, in a sense making amber perfume more accessible to the general public.
Amber fragrances are often described as sweet, powdery, or even spicy. This is not surprising, given that the amber flavor is a unique blend of vanilla, bluegrass, and Obobo nax, which contributes to its warm and sexy characteristics.
Amber perfumes are often characterized by their long-lasting and subtle notes. Common scents in this family include cinnamon, myrrh, incense, benzoin, and wood. These notes, which are essential to perfumes, contribute to the enduring appeal of the amber fragrance family. Among the favorites of fans of this olfactory family are Yves Saint Laurent’s opium and Montallet’s amber musk.
The Leather Olfactory Family
The origins of this olfactory family are not as sexy as the notes that later belonged to it. Early leather glove manufacturers realized they needed something to mask the unpleasant ammonia odor their new leather products gave off. Introduce to Perfume. The perfumes glove makers use give off a pleasant aroma of smoke, wood, resin, and honey, making them ideal for perfume lovers.
Fast forward to today, and the perfume industry has evolved in ways that might surprise some. Contrary to what one might expect, perfumers don’t actually use leather as an ingredient in heavy leather perfumes. Instead, they proudly embrace veganism, using synthetic materials to mimic the beloved secondhand leather scent. These materials are then combined with other notes to create signature perfumes, some floral, some with a hint of tobacco, hay, honey, and wood, and some with a spicy, aldehyde-rich profile. These are the best niche leather perfumes, a testament to the modernity of the industry.
Either way, this olfactory family deserves more love than it usually gets – which is why some brands are working hard to charm us with leathery scents, such as Bibliotheque by Byredo or Rose & Cuir by Frederic Malle.
That’s right! Let this list be your guiding light on your perfume journey. It has been a very colorful, insightful, and educational journey. When you think you’ve learned enough, there’s always more to learn. Take, for example, our article on the perfume smell pyramid. This article does an excellent job of explaining how perfumes are formed when perfumers create them. It also visually shows you the life cycle of a perfume, showing the undulation and vividness of the top notes and the role the heart notes play in connecting the top notes to the more durable base notes, which are the most extended-lasting and tend to be rich, heavy, and solid. Happy learning, perfume lovers!
