Perfume families

Perfume Families in today's perfume retail trade, perfumes are generally classified under one of seven family groups, called Perfume Families, or Fragrance Families, with names indicative of the type of perfume they comprise. These 'families' are the following.

1.          Floral: the largest family, consisting of perfumes containing a preponderence of essential oils from flowers. Perfumes in this family are sometimes subdivided into four main sections - floral, floral-sweet, floral-fresh and floral-fruity-fresh. They are generally regarded as perfumes good for general daytime wear and for summer evenings.

Green: a fresher, sharper type of perfume than the florals, based on a blending of herbs,  ferns,  mosses and citrus fruits, designed to create a general impression of meadows, green grass and leaves. Green perfumes are sometimes subdivided into sections called Fresh and Balsamic, the latter name indicating the softer, sweeter fragrance of resins and balsams. They are generally regarded as most suitable for outdoors and a sporty mood.

3.     Aldehydic: also called Modern. These are perfumes with a rich, somewhat watery, tallowy fragrance derived from certain synthetic materials. They are sometimes subdivided into two sections - Aldehydic-floral and aldehydic-floral-woody-powdery. They are regarded as very sophisticated and modern (the first such perfume made was Chanel No. 5) and wearable all year round.

4.     Chypre: named after the famous perfume from Cyprus of Roman times. Perfumes in this family have a floral or green fragrance with deep Low Notes such as ambergris, making them very long-lasting. They are sometimes divided into three subsections vvitnself^descriptive names: fresh-mossy-aldehydic, floral-mossy-animalic and mossy-fruity. They ' are mainly, but not entirely, designed for use by women, being regarded as appropriate for both day and evening wear, especially during winter.

5.   Oriental: sometimes called Amber. A family of strong, spicy and
exotic fragrances with a distinctive heavy sweetness obtained from
lower notes such as musk, sandalwood and vanilla. They are
regarded as most suitable for wear in the evening. A subsection
with a lighter, floral feel, sometimes called semi-oriental-floral or
florienlal, is becoming increasingly popular; it is regarded as most
appropriate for summer and daytime wear.

6.           Tobacco/Leather: a family of fragrances reminiscent ol tobacco and/ or leather with a woody, spicy and sometimes animalic background. These fragrances are almost all designed for the growing trade in perfumed toiletries for men.

7.           Fougere: fragrances in this family have a' fresh, herbal, lavender character with mossy or hay-like backgrounds. Again, they are found mostly in toilet preparations for men.

In the never-ending pursuit for new types of fragrance many differ­ent effects are obtained by combining two or more of these basic Perfume Families together. Such combinations are sometimes referred to as Bouquets. A notable example is 'Red', categorized into a new perfume family called 'Fleuriffe Chvpres'. Sec also Perfume Notes.

In male perfumery, which is for the most part a matter of fragrances contained in toilet preparations, including eau de toilettes, colognes and aftershave lotions, a different grouping of perfume descriptions is increasingly being adopted, under which fragrances are divided into ten basic families with self-descriptive names: floral, green, chypre, leather, fougere, citrus, lavender, spicy, woody and musky. There are, again, many permutations of these on the market.

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