What is Fragrance Wheel?

The Fragrance Wheel is a useful tool that helps us understand which family a particular perfume scent belongs to. It was developed by Michael Edwards, a fragrance expert, to assist perfumers in recommending the best perfumes to their customers.

Understanding the Fragrance Wheel can be an important first step in finding a perfume that could truly become your signature scent! It also makes it easier to communicate with perfume sales staff or perfumers.

Each perfume family consists of several subfamilies, and each subfamily can be further divided (like children in a family). Closely related families tend to share similar characteristics and complement each other, while families that are farther apart have less in common in terms of scent. Perfume families are generally divided into four main categories:

• Floral

• Oriental

• Woody

• Fresh

However, if you observe the notes in certain perfumes or overlaps between subfamilies, you may notice some repetition. This is because the “children” of each subfamily may not strictly stay within their own family—they might overlap with nearby families, or each subfamily may relate to a nearby category. So, don’t be alarmed. A good way to remember is that closely positioned families tend to have similar scents, while distant families share less in common. Therefore, when studying fragrance types, focusing on the core characteristics of the perfumes that interest you is sufficient.

Importantly, the Fragrance Wheel is not the only way to classify perfumes, but it is a good starting point for understanding the world of fragrances.

Reference: Fragrances of the World – Fragrance Wheel