This article will explain the fragrance wheel, help readers understand scent families, and guide them in choosing, blending, and layering the perfect perfume.
The fragrance wheel is a widely accepted form of classification, a map if you will, that groups the major scent families in perfume, with multiple subgroups. Created by Michael Edwards, it revolutionized scent classification as an easy way to classify scents for professionals and consumers alike.
What Is the Fragrance Wheel?
Historically, blending fragrances to create perfumes required intimate knowledge of the natural and synthetic compounds that exist in the thousands. To help with this, frameworks have been designed throughout history to map different scent profiles in a way that makes things a little easier.
Fragrance Wheel Structure Overview
The fragrance wheel by Michael Edwards became the most widely accepted diagram, broken down into the four main families, followed by the subgroups that are more easily recognized for the notes they present.
How the Fragrance Wheel Helps Consumers and Professionals
For consumers and professionals alike, the fragrance wheel is very useful in picking perfumes and being able to see what the main ingredients are, as well as the fragrance blending wheel used for professionals or the fragrance layering wheel used for consumers who want to mix multiple perfumes and check where the families exist on that wheel.
Comparison to Traditional Methods
Compared to traditional methods, the fragrance wheel offers a simple way to have things like a quick printout or an image that can be used as a reference for which natural ingredients might land between which others or be opposite others.
The Four Main Fragrance Families
The four main fragrance families are as follows:
Floral
The floral family is very self-explanatory, a group of scents that embody flowers, but within that is a range from things like roses to jasmine.
Oriental (Amber)
The Oriental family, sometimes called amber, has many spices in it, but again, here you have a range between a softer spice and a heavier spice that is more consuming.
Woody
The woody family runs from dry woods to mossy woods, including things like cedarwood and sandalwood, both of which are easily identifiable but very different from one another in their scent profiles.
Fresh
The fresh family encompasses what many people associate with summertime: citrus scents and fruity scents.
Subcategories of the Fragrance Wheel
So, what are the subcategories within these four fragrance families?
- Floral: Floral, Soft Floral, Floral Oriental
- Oriental: Soft Oriental, Oriental, Woody Oriental
- Woody: Woods, Mossy Woods, Dry Woods
- Fresh: Citrus, Green, Water, Fruity
As mentioned, these subcategories work from one end of the family to the other, with things like citrus representing one distinct end of the fresh family, but fruit smells and watery smells representing the other end.
How to Use the Fragrance Wheel to Find Your Perfect Scent
How can you use the fragrance wheel to your advantage?
Identifying Your Preferred Scent Family
Start by identifying your preferred family. The family you prefer is often heavily associated with childhood memories or personal style, things that reflect you or have a strong association with you.
If you can't automatically determine which of the families on that wheel are your preferred scents, take some time to look around your house:
- What other fragrances do you have in your bath products?
- Are there specific fragrances you like in your cleaning supplies?
- What fragrance families are represented in the candles you choose?
Chances are, you will notice a theme in all of these areas that represent the scent family you prefer most.
Fragrance Testing and Selection
Then it is time to start testing fragrances and choosing the ones that you might use as your signature scent or as one of many that you use for layering.
If you are in a physical store, you can test different fragrances by smelling them off a test strip, but if you are ordering online, you can select things based on the description and compare them to the scent families on that fragrance wheel. You can also compare them by investing in a sample kit or a test kit that has small versions of multiple combinations, making it easier for you to decide not just which scent families you prefer but which subcategories speak to you most.
Using the Fragrance Wheel for Gifting
If you are interested in finding a gift for someone close to you, you can use the fragrance wheel in much the same fashion to pick something that someone else will absolutely love.
For the man or woman in your life, you can find a signature scent or a fun holiday scent that you know they will love by using this fragrance wheel to determine which scent families they like most or which pairings you think would complement their lifestyle and personality.
Best Layering Combinations Based on Fragrance Families
If you are interested in layering yourself, some of the best layering combinations are based on these fragrance families, so using a fragrance blending wheel can help you see which subgroups are opposite one another and complementary or near one another and complementary. For example:
- Floral and woody go well together with something like sandalwood and rose.
- Citrus and spice work well together when you combine lemon and cardamom or bergamot.
- Vanilla and amber go well together, with vanilla on top of a musk or amber base.
However, the choice is entirely up to you, based on the things you like most. If you are preferential to the fresh category, then a citrus and spice or citrus and wood combination will likely be most appealing.
Mistakes to Avoid When Layering Scents
When you start layering at home, you don't want to overwhelm your senses by using strong amounts, so always start with very small spritzes, especially when you get to your top notes.
- Start with your heavier base notes.
- Always let each fragrance dry before you add the next one.
- Choose combinations that fit your mood or the occasion.
Remember that there are no right or wrong answers, but what matters most is finding a combination you love.
Summing Up
If you are choosing a new scent or trying to blend multiple scents at home, use the fragrance wheel by Michael Edwards. It is easy to have this image on hand when you are trying out a fragrance layering wheel combination, picking a personalized or signature scent that embodies your personality. Take time to experiment with different fragrance families and layering techniques today.