FLORAL, CITRUS, SPICY AND CO. The 7 Fragrance Families Every Smart Woman Should Know

Your style is never complete without the fragrance that marks your presence. But, which is the one? Your personal taste is certainly essential, as well as some basic knowledge about these gorgeous fragrance worlds!

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Choosing a personal scent is actually a complex task that should never be taken lightly. Fragrances are difficult to grasp, they are as mysterious as the essential oils that compound them, and yet they stimulate our senses so deeply, that they may either instantly fascinate or repel us. An unsuitable fragrance can destroy the most beautiful outfit, the best styling, the entire impression of a person within a few seconds, especially if it does not match to the personality of the wearer. In order to avoid this, take this quick advice: Get to know some of the most important fragrance families and how they stimulate your senses. Only then you will be able to pick a suitable scent with taste!


Below you will find the seven of the most important fragrance worlds: citrus, floral, sweet, oriental, aromatic, aldehyde, and powdery. For each group, we have selected statement fragrances that best express their particular nature, so that you can discover their effects a littler closer!


Citrus


The citrus fragrance family is much richer, more colorful and more diverse than expected. Image: Brooke Lark.

Citric fragrances can be obtained from the fruits, the blossoms, the leaves, and stems of various citrus plants. The best known are bergamot, orange, tangerine, blood orange, grapefruit and lime. Although each of them has a unique character, their common denominator is their extremely stimulating, strengthening effect, which makes them particularly suitable for invigorating fragrance compositions. These fragrance notes convey the longing for south and sun, and can be naturally found in Italian fragrance compositions such as Versense by Versace, Armani Code by Armani, Infusion d’Iris by Prada, and Blu Mediterraneo Arancia di Capri by Acqua di Parma!

VERSACE VERSENSE EAU DE TOILETTE

Top note: prickly pear, bergamot. Heart note: flower essences. Base note: sandal, olive, cedar wood.

GIORGIO ARMANI CODE FEMME EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: sandalwood, honey. Heart note: orange blossom, sambac jasmine. Base note: ginger, cinnamon, vanilla.

PRADA LES INFUSIONS IRIS EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: Sicilian tangerine, Florentine iris. Heart note: lily of the valley, violet. Base note: cedar wood.

ACQUA DI PARMA BLU MEDITERRANEO ARANCIA DI CAPRI EAU DE TOILETTE

Top notes: grapefruit, tangerine, orange. Heart notes: citrus, cardamom. Base note: caramel, musk.


Floral


The rose is probably the most important floral note in perfumery. Image: Evie Shaffer.

Flowery fragrance worlds are extremely diverse. They can appear tender, sweet, innocent, balancing or even bewitching, sensual, even passionate. From the large variety of flowers in the perfumery, we have selected three flowers that appear particularly appealing: the rose, the jasmine, and the tuberose.


The Rose


Rosa Zentifolia. Bild: Pascal Cottel.

A rose fragrance has a characteristic property: it is balancing, beneficial, invites you to dream, and is therefore ideal for romantic moods. We find graceful fragrance compositions with a rose in the heart in fragrances such as Acqua die Parma Rosa Nobile, Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne, and Bvlgari Rose Goldea.

ACQUA DI PARMA ROSA NOBILE EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: tangerine, bergamot, pepper. Heart note: peony, violet, lily of the valley. Base note: amber, musk, cedar.

YVES SAINT LAURENT PARISIENNE EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: blackberry. Heart note: damask rose, violet, peony. Base note: patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver.

BVLGARI ROSE GOLDEA EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: musk, rose petals, pomegranate. Heart note: damask rose, jasmine. Base note: musk, incense, sandalwood.


The Jasmine


Jasmine flowers. Image: Aferropro.

The scent of jasmine is particularly sweet, beguiling, extremely feminine, and also contradictory. It initially reveals a sweet, innocent note that gradually becomes deeply seductive. We find fascinating jasmine compositions in Bvlgari Splendida Jasmin Noir, Elie Saab Le Parfum, and Lancôme La vie est belle.

BVLGARI SPLENDIDA JASMIN NOIR EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: gardenia, green plant sap. Heart note: jasmine sambac, almonds. Base note: tonka bean, cashmeran, patchouli.

ELIE SAAB LE PARFUM EAU DE PARFUM

Top notes: rose petals, honey, cedarwood. Heart note: jasmine, patchouli. Base note: orange blossom.

LANCÔME LA VIE EST BELLE EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: pear, black currant .Heart note: iris, jasmine, orange blossoms. Base note: patchouli, tonka bean, vanilla, praline.

The Tuberose


Tuberose. Image: Sujavit.

Unlike the sweet jasmine or the delicate rose, the tuberose unfolds a very warm, tropical, opulent fragrance: it is intoxicating, immeasurably sensual, and for characterful personalities almost addictive! Fragrances that carry this voluptuous flair are Gucci Bloom, Creed Acqua Originale Iris Tubereuse, and Amouage Love Tuberose.

GUCCI BLOOM EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: galbanum, black currant. Heart note: jasmine, Rangunschlinger, tuberose. Base note: musk, sandalwood.

CREED ACQUA ORIGINALE IRIS TUBEROSE EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: violet leaves, galbanum, orange. Heart note: lily of the valley, lily, tuberose. Base note: musk, orange blossom, vanilla.

AMOUAGE LOVE TUBEROSE EAU DE PARFUM

Top notes: gardenia, tuberose, jasmine. Heart notes: vanilla, chantilly cream. Base note: sandalwood, cedarwood.


Sweet or Gourmand


Sugar and fruit are the classics of the gourmand fragrance world. Image: Brooke Lark.

Sweet fragrance notes are also called gourmand, and remind us of the fragrance worlds of our childhood: cotton candy, caramel, vanilla, chocolate, candied and ripe fruit as well as everything a child’s heart desires! Sweet scents are downright lavish and enjoyable, and can often be extravagant. We find irresistible scents with a sweet character in Thierry Mugler Angel, Prada Candy, and Victor & Rolf Bonbon!

THIERRY MUGLER ANGEL EAU DE PARFUM

Top notes: bergamot, jasmine, cassia, coconut, tangerine, melon, cotton candy. Heart notes: apricot, blackberry, honey, jasmine, lily of the valley, orchid, peach, plum, rose, red berries. Base note: amber, caramel, musk, patchouli, chocolate, tonka bean, vanilla.

PRADA CANDY EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: musk. Heart note: benzoin, vanilla. Base note: caramel.

VICTOR & ROLF BONBON EAU DE PARFUM

Top notes: tangerine, orange, peach. Heart note: caramel, jasmine, orange blossom. Base note: amber, cedar, guaiac, sandalwood.


Oriental


The notes of the oriental fragrance are warm, intense and exotic. Image: Marion Botella.

Oriental fragrances are one thing above all: spicy! If we somehow rave about the scent of pepper, cumin, star anise, and chili, we will simply love the exciting sensuality of oriental fragrances. Many of them have a characteristic woody note and are combined with lush, floral aromas. Beautiful examples of this are Yves Saint Laurent Opium, Guerlain Shalimar, and Kenzo Amour.

YVES SAINT LAURENT OPIUM EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: coriander, plum, tangerine, pepper. Heart notes: sandalwood, patchouli, cinnamon, peach, lily of the valley. Base note: vanilla, coconut, myrrh, amber, musk.

GUERLAIN SHALIMAR EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: bergamot, citrus, cedar. Heart note: patchouli, iris, vetiver. Base note: vanilla, leather, incense.

KENZO AMOUR EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: cherry blossom, temple tree blossom. Heart notes: white tea, thanaka wood, incense. Base note: musk, vanilla, rice steam.


Green or Aromatic


The aromatic fragrance is very “green”. Image: Kerdkano.

Aromatic fragrance worlds are “green”, refreshing, balancing and let us immediately feel the dignified calmness of a homely herbal garden. A green fragrance carries the aromatic freshness of the grasses, herbs and rain, can have a slightly aquatic effect, and stands for quiet harmony. Fragrances such as Ô de Lancôme, Guerlain Aqua Allegoria, and Atelier Cologne Trèfle Pur bring us closer to this airy aromatic feeling.

Ô DE LANCÔME EAU DE TOILETTE

Top notes: bergamot, tangerine, lemon. Heart notes: basil, honeysuckle, jasmine, coriander, rosemary. Base note: moss, sandalwood, vetiver.

GUERLAIN AQUA ALLEGORIA HERBA FRESCA EAU DE TOILETTE

Top note: lemon, clove. Heart note: green tea, mint. Base note: cyclamen, lily of the valley, pear blossom.

ATELIER COLOGNE TRÈFLE PUR COLOGNE ABSOLUE

Top note: bitter orange, cardamom, basil. Heart note: clover, neroli, violet leaves. Base note: patchouli, moss, musk.


Aldehydes


Abstrakt und unaufdringlich treten aldehyde Duftwelten auf. Bild: Paweł Czerwiński.

Aldehyde fragrance worlds are artistic, abstract, difficult to grasp, and can hardly be found in nature. They represent something completely new and often become icons of their time. Anyone with an innovative, visionary streak will quickly fall for an inventively composed fragrance with an aldehyde character. Chanel No. 5, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, and Estée Lauder White Linen will never be forgotten.

CHANEL N°5 PARFUM

Top notes: aldehydes, neroli, lemon, bergamot, lily of the valley. Heart notes: jasmine, iris, iris root, rose, lily of the valley. Base note: vetiver, musk, sandalwood, patchouli, moss, amber, vanilla, civet oil.
YVES SAINT LAURENT RIVE GAUCHE EAU DE TOILETTE

Top notes: aldehydes, honeysuckle, green notes, peach, bergamot, lemon. Heart notes: magnolia, iris, gardenia, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily of the valley, rose, geranium. Base note: sandalwood, tonka bean, amber, vetiver from Tahiti, musk, oak moss.

ESTÉE LAUDER WHITE LINEN EAU DE PARFUM

Top notes: lemon, peach, aldehydes. Heart notes: carnation, iris, jasmine, hyacinth, yang-ylang, rose, lily of the valley, violet, lilac, orchid, iris. Base note: vetiver, sandalwood, cedar, amber, benzoin, tonka bean, honey, oak moss.


Powdery


The notes of the powdery fragrance are delicate, discreet, and clean. Image: Evie Shaffer.

Powdery fragrance worlds are just as harmonious as the artfully composed aldehyde fragrance versions, but with a very special charm: the flair of a delicate, almost baby-fresh purity. Powdery fragrance notes are often combined with white-flowery, citrus, musk or vanilla notes for a more exciting effect. Those who have a particularly sophisticated feel for cleanliness will no longer be able to let go of delicate, powdery scents such as Lorenzo Villoresi Teint de Neige, Alex Simone Après Vous, and Volnay Perlerette.

LORENZO VILLORESI TEINT DE NEIGE EAU DE TOILETTE

Top notes: jasmine, rose, long-ylang. Heart note: tonka bean, jasmine, rose, powdery essences. Base note: heliotrope, musk.

ALEX SIMONE APRÈS VOUS EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: powder chords, white cedar, coconut milk. Heart note: iris, wallflower, sandalwood. Base note: amber, vanilla, precious woods.

VOLNAY PERLERETTE EAU DE PARFUM

Top note: bergamot, aldehydes. Heart note: orange blossom, pink pepper, jasmine, lilac. Base note: iris, musk, vanilla, violet, rose, carnation, powdery essences.


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