OLFACTORY FAMILIES

For several decades, Michael Edwards has organized fragrances into an olfactive wheel that has become an international reference. Rather than a simple list, this classification adopts a circular form to show the natural links between different families. A fragrance can thus be at the border of several olfactive universes, mixing, for example, floral and woody accords or fresh and amber facets.

The wheel is based on four main families: Floral, Amber (formerly Oriental), Woody, and Fresh. Each is then divided into several sub-families that more precisely describe the character of a fragrance.

A true pillar of perfumery, the floral family is the largest and most diverse. It showcases flowers in all their facets: fresh or opulent, powdery or sunny, delicate or carnal.

Rose, jasmine, iris, tuberose, violet, and orange blossom are among the most emblematic raw materials of this family. But a floral perfume is not limited to the presence of a single flower: it is the balance between different materials that gives it its personality.

Soft Floral 

This sub-family brings together delicate compositions where flowers are softened by musks, powdery notes, or creamy accords. Fragrances gain in softness and elegance, often evoking a sensation of clean skin or delicately perfumed fabric.

Floral

This is the heart of the floral family. Flowers take center stage and can be interpreted in multiple ways: in a bouquet, as a soliflore, or in more contemporary accords. These perfumes can be both luminous and voluptuous.

Amber Floral

In this category, flowers blend with amber materials such as vanilla, benzoin, resins, or tonka bean. The result is more sensual, enveloping, and often more intense.

Long called "oriental," this family is now referred to as amber in recent editions of Fragrances of the World. This change in terminology emphasizes the olfactive characteristics of the perfumes rather than a geographical reference.

Amber perfumes are recognizable by their warmth, richness, and depth. They frequently combine vanilla, resins, balms, spices, incense, or labdanum to create generous and enveloping sillage.

Soft Amber

Here, amber accords are softened by flowers, musks, or powdery facets. These creations prioritize subtlety while retaining the characteristic warmth of the family.

Amber

This sub-family represents the most classic expression of amber perfumes. Vanilla, resin, and balm accords play a central role, offering a warm, sensual, and persistent signature.

Woody Amber

Amber notes meet precious woods such as sandalwood, cedar, guaiac wood, or oud here. These creations, often prominent in niche perfumery, develop remarkable depth and contemporary elegance.

Woods form the backbone of many perfumes. They bring structure, depth, and longevity to compositions while offering a wide diversity of styles.

Depending on the essences used, a woody perfume can evoke the creamy softness of sandalwood, the dry freshness of cedar, the earthy nuances of vetiver, or the mysterious power of oud.

Woody

This sub-family brings together creations where noble woods take center stage. The accords are balanced, elegant, and timeless.

Chypre

Heir to the great chypres, this family combines woods with materials such as oakmoss, patchouli, or labdanum. Compositions gain relief and sophistication.

Leather Chypre

Leather chypres emphasize dry, smoky, or mineral woods. Vetiver, dry cedar, or certain leathery facets create perfumes with a strong character and a decidedly modern feel.

The fresh family gathers the most luminous fragrances of the olfactive wheel. They favor citrus fruits, aromatic herbs, green or aquatic accords to provide an immediate sensation of freshness and lightness.

Highly appreciated for their versatility, these perfumes are suitable for all seasons and lend themselves equally well to masculine, feminine, or unisex compositions.

Citrus

Citrus fruits such as bergamot, lemon, mandarin, or grapefruit offer a lively, sparkling, and energizing opening.

Green

Inspired by nature, green perfumes evoke crumpled leaves, young shoots, freshly cut grass, or sap. They bring a very natural vegetal freshness.

Marine

More recently appeared in the history of perfumery, this sub-family relies on aquatic and marine accords to evoke water, sea spray, or rain. It is characterized by its transparency and sensation of purity.

Fougère

Aromatic perfumes highlight Mediterranean plants such as lavender, rosemary, sage, or basil. They offer an herbaceous freshness, elegant and often very refined.

Fruity

The Fruity family celebrates fruits in all their facets, from the freshest and most tangy to the juiciest and most gourmand. Peach, pear, apple, red berries, mango, or exotic fruits can bring a luminous, lively, and contemporary dimension to compositions.

Fruity accords are rarely isolated: they can blend with flowers to create delicate and luminous perfumes, with citrus to accentuate freshness, or with woods and amber notes to create richer and more sensual trails.

When discovering the world of perfumery, several terms can sometimes seem similar. However, an olfactive family, an olfactive note, and an olfactive pyramid designate three distinct elements.

The olfactive family describes the general character of a perfume and allows it to be placed within a broad olfactive universe. A perfume can thus be floral, amber, woody, or fresh, while also presenting nuances belonging to several families.

The olfactive note, on the other hand, refers to a raw material or a perceptible facet in the composition. This could be rose, vanilla, bergamot, patchouli, leather, musk, or oud.

Finally, the olfactive pyramid helps to understand the evolution of the perfume over time. It is traditionally divided into three stages: top notes, heart notes, and base notes.

These three concepts are complementary. A fragrance can, for example, belong to the woody family, feature oud and patchouli notes, and evolve from a fresh opening to a deeper, amber base.

A fragrance family should not be confused with a perfume’s concentration. An eau de Cologne, an eau de toilette and an eau de parfum can very well belong to the same fragrance family: only the proportion of aromatic materials diluted in alcohol changes. This affects the intensity and longevity of the fragrance on the skin, without altering its character.

Eaux de Cologne, historically hesperidic (citrus-based), are the lightest, while an eau de parfum, being more concentrated, reveals more of the heart and base notes specific to its fragrance family.

Identifying the olfactive family of a perfume allows for a better understanding of its character even before experiencing it on the skin. Several elements can provide clues.

The raw materials used are a primary indicator. The dominant presence of flowers will generally point towards the floral family, while woods, resins, or citrus fruits can guide towards the woody, amber, or fresh families.

However, the classification of a perfume does not necessarily depend on a single material. It is the overall construction that determines its olfactive identity.

A perfume containing vanilla is therefore not automatically amber. Vanilla can also be used in a floral, woody, or fruity composition. Similarly, the presence of rose is not enough to make a fragrance a floral perfume: combined with dark woods and amber materials, it can take on a completely different dimension.

It is precisely this interaction between materials that makes perfumery so complex and fascinating.

Contemporary perfumery increasingly plays with the boundaries between olfactive families.

A perfume can thus be both floral and woody, fresh and amber, or fruity and floral. These hybrid compositions allow perfumers to create more complex and personal fragrances.

The Michael Edwards olfactive wheel precisely visualizes these relationships. Families that are close to each other share certain characteristics and can naturally meet within the same composition.

An amber floral perfume can thus combine the delicacy of a flower bouquet with the warmth of vanilla and resins. A woody amber creation, on the other hand, can combine the depth of sandalwood or oud with the richness of a balsamic accord.

This notion of proximity between families is particularly interesting for perfume lovers who wish to explore new olfactive territories without straying too far from their preferences.

Knowing olfactive families can be an excellent way to start a perfume search. If you already like certain fragrances, identifying their dominant family can help you discover new creations that share a similar character.

Head towards the citrus, green, marine, or aromatic families. These fragrances are often appreciated for their luminosity, vibrancy, and sensation of freshness. But freshness can also be expressed through spicy accords, creating more contrasted and original compositions.

ORIGINO illustrates this approach with its fresh spicy character. Freshness and spices intertwine to create a vibrant and dynamic perfume, where the contrast between liveliness and warmth adds depth to the composition. A great option for those looking for a fresh perfume, but with more character and personality.

Fruity perfumes highlight fruit notes, whether fresh, juicy, tangy, or gourmand. Associated with flowers, woods, musks, or amber notes, they can give rise to very different compositions.

KUN AMO offers a particularly addictive interpretation of this universe, where fruity facets meet a musky and sensual signature. An ideal fragrance for those who like fruity perfumes but are looking for a sophisticated and less conventional creation than a simple fruity perfume.

The amber family might appeal to you. Notes of vanilla, resins, balms, and spices create rich, sensual, and enveloping trails.

INSULO offers a voluptuous and carnal interpretation, where vanilla blends with floral and musky facets to create a warm and addictive trail.

For a woodier approach to the amber universe, AMBRA combines amber facets with notes of bergamot, geranium, patchouli, Peru balsam, and vetiver. A composition that is at once warm, original, and sensual.

The woody notes offer a great diversity of signatures, from dry cedar to creamy sandalwood, including vetiver, patchouli, or oud.

LIGNO explores this universe around an intense patchouli, enriched with sage, amber materials, and musks. A deep and sophisticated creation for lovers of woody perfumes with a strong character.

For a darker and more mysterious interpretation, VESPERO combines woody facets with leather notes, awakened by citrus accents. A contrasted composition that illustrates all the richness and depth of the woody universe.

The floral family offers an extremely vast universe. Rose, jasmine, iris, tuberose, or orange blossom can give rise to very different compositions depending on the accompanying materials. From delicate and luminous bouquets to more opulent and sensual florals, this family offers a multitude of interpretations.

To discover a floral with a strong signature, HAUTO places flowers at the heart of its composition and reveals a rich, sunny, and sensual interpretation of these universes.

If you like more intense and warm florals, GOZO explores the territory of Florientals, at the crossroads of the floral and amber families. Floral notes are enriched with spicy, woody, and musky facets to compose a deeper and more enveloping trail.

Explore the boundaries between families. Amber floral, woody amber, or leather chypre perfumes allow you to discover more singular compositions and particularly elaborate olfactive signatures.

ELIKSIRO perfectly illustrates this approach with a construction where fruity facets, leather, oud, and woods meet. An intense and mysterious composition that deliberately blurs the boundaries between several olfactive universes.

ORIENTO, on the other hand, offers an amber floral interpretation around the rose-oud accord, accompanied by cinnamon, guaiac wood, saffron, and red musks. A composition that blurs the boundaries between floral, amber, and woody.

To discover several of these universes and identify the olfactive family that suits you best, the Jeroboam Discovery Kit brings together 12 perfume extracts from the collection, allowing you to explore different signatures and find the one that may become your next signature scent. For a more personalized discovery, the Personalized Kit also allows you to create your own selection of six extracts, choosing the creations you wish to explore according to your desires and olfactive preferences.

While olfactive families are valuable for understanding perfumery, they should not be considered rigid categories.

A fragrance is above all a living composition, which evolves on the skin and whose perception can vary from one person to another. The same fragrance may thus be perceived as woodier, more amber, or muskier depending on the skin, temperature, or how it develops over time.

The olfactory family therefore provides direction and creates a common language. But the true discovery of a perfume always begins with experience: that of smelling it, wearing it, and discovering its evolution over time.