Let’s be real: we all want to go out into the world smelling our best. Whether that’s like a dainty flower shop perched on a quiet avenue, or as if you’ve just taken a hike in the woods of Maine, fragrance scents are unique to you!
However, there’s more to just smelling like a fresh rose or sappy pine tree.
The world of fragrance scents is ever-expanding. It seems like in almost every store you peruse there’s some new wacky perfume scent on the shelves.
And that’s why we’re here to help, because choosing a perfume can be one of the most challenging things you can do today. This is especially true in places with mask mandates as part of stores’ COVID guidelines.
Are you interested in learning more about the different types of fragrance scents? Just keep reading!
Scent Families
When learning about the fragrance industry, it’s important to know that perfumes are categorized or broken down into scent families. There are four families:
- Floral
- Oriental
- Fresh
- Woody
Now, within the four families come the offspring. For example, within the floral family, you can find scents such as fresh-cut flowers, smells with powdery notes, and orange blossoms.
Let’s take a look at what other fragrance scents come from the families!
Oriental Notes
A perfume with oriental notes will smell somewhat like incense, amber, sandalwood, patchouli, and oriental resins.
If you couldn’t already tell, oriental scents are more of a luxurious family, possibly resulting in a higher perfume price than other families. However, with the warm sweetness of an orchid, sandalwood smell… it’s worth it.
Fresh Notes
A body mist or light perfume in the fresh family will smell like lavender, aromatic herbs, bergamot, citrus, and be laced with aquatic notes. For example, an “ocean breeze” fragrance scent is considered fresh.
There’s also the other side of the fresh family – meet the greens!
Yes, that’s right. Scents like crisp leaves, rosemary, and basil are considered the green side of the fresh note fam.
Woody Notes
A cologne (or sometimes perfume!) with woody notes will smell like pine, dry woods, leather, or like you’ve just taken a shower with wood chips instead of water. And no, we’re not judging – wood smells great, we get it!
Also considered a warm family, woody scents are typically comprised of either mossy, earthy undertones or smoky, leathery undertones.
Fragrance Scents: The More You Know
Now, on your next trip to the beauty store – or your next online shopping spree – you can search for fragrance scents that you know will be the best pick of the bunch. Knowing the fragrance families are wildly important!
Between the floral, woody, oriental, and fresh families, there are thousands of options when it comes to choosing a perfume. This is especially true due to the notes, hints, and undertones found within each family!
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