CosBeauty Magazine #79

Fl
F
Fresh
Fr
F
re
WHICH
FAMILY
DO YOU
BELONG
TO?
The classifi cation system of the
Fragrance Wheel is based on four
major groups – Florals, Fresh,
Woods and Orientals – and 14
subcategories or families.
The outer ring shows which
ingredients are added to move a scent
from one family to the next. For
example, adding orange blossom and
sweet spices to Soft Florals transforms
them into Floral Orientals, incense and
amber then transform Floral Orientals
into Soft Orientals, and so on.
es
Floral
Oriental
Woody ody
Wo
W
d
FLORAL
Probably the most popular fragrance
category, fl oral perfumes aren’t just for young
girls or grandmas.
Florals encompass a wide range of blooms,
from a single rose petal to a medley of
fl oral bouquets. Most of these scents will be
romantic and feminine, but depending on
the ingredients can be soft (subtle whiffs
and powdery notes), fresh (like newly cut
fl owers) or intense (with hints of fruit and
sweet spices). Common fl oral notes include
jasmine, rose, gardenia and iris. In this
classifi cation scheme, Chanel N o 5, which is
traditionally classifi ed as a Floral Aldehyde,
would be located under Soft Floral sub-group.
Today, most mainstream fragrances
are made with a large share of synthetic
fragrances. Chanel N o 5, introduced in 1921,
was the fi rst big seller to include them in the
form of aldehydes. They’re said to have a
soapy, fl oral, citrusy aroma
FRESH
Michael Edwards’ scale of fresh notes is
broken down into greens, aquatics and citrus,
with notes on either side of those blurring
into the fl oral and woody categories that
make up his fragrance wheel.
Green notes are often associated with the
crisp scents of the outdoors – newly cut grass,
green fl owers and herbs. Water notes invoke
the spirit of the sea or the smell of rain.
One of the oldest fragrance families, citrus
is comprised of the juices of lemons, oranges,
bergamot, grapefruit and mandarins.
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