Fragrance Families: Definition and Perfume Recommendations

Whether you consider yourself to be a fragrance aficionado or not, chances are you probably know more about perfume than you think — through personal preference if nothing else. But if you find the prospect of shopping for a new signature scent a little overwhelming, there's one way to make it simpler: narrowing down which fragrance family (or families) your taste falls into. There are many ways to classify a scent but typically the most common is via the Fragrance Wheel, a concept created by perfume pro Michael Edwards. Grouping the 14 different type of fragrance families into four main categories — floral, oriental, woody and fresh — it's a similar process to categorising warm and cool makeup shades and helps shopping for scents a lot easier. Learn which family appeals to you now.