UNDERSTAND YOUR SCENT

Families, notes and scent characters

A fragrance family describes the overall composition. An individual note can appear in several families. The notes shown on our wheel are examples and educational associations, not formulas or exclusive ingredient lists.

Which wheel do we use?

Our 14 segments follow the current Michael Edwards fragrance wheel, reviewed 2026-09-14. Four outer groups help you navigate. Definitions and note associations are our editorial explanations.

Water is the source's label; aquatic, marine and ozonic are supported search terms. Aromatic Fougère is the full label for the aromatic segment.

Floral

The scent of flowers themselves, whether a single bloom or a layered bouquet. Floral impressions can be created with natural materials, aroma molecules or accords.

Soft Floral

Flowers blurred with sparkling aldehydes, iris and musk. Abstract, powdery and soft rather than literal.

Floral Amber

Luminous flowers, often orange blossom, warmed by sweet spices, resins and vanilla. The bridge between Floral and Amber.

Soft Amber

Incense, spices and resins with a softer amber character.

Amber

Opulent blends of resins, rich flowers and sweet vanilla. Rich and warm in character.

Woody Amber

Spicy amber accords woven through oud, sandalwood and patchouli. Where Amber turns into Woody.

Woods

Woody compositions with cedar, pine, vetiver, patchouli or sandalwood impressions.

Mossy Woods

Velvety oakmoss and patchouli smoothed with amber and citrus. The classic chypre structure.

Dry Woods

Leather and tobacco lend a dry, often smoky edge to woody compositions.

Aromatic Fougère

Lavender and geranium blended with citrus, herbs and woods. Includes fougère compositions, with their characteristic interplay of aromatic freshness and soft, mossy warmth.

Citrus

Zesty citrus-led freshness. Bergamot, lemon, mandarin, lime and grapefruit.

Water

Sea air, a waterfall, the ozonic smell after a storm. Often described as aquatic, marine or ozonic.

Green

Sharp, sappy freshness of cut grass, violet leaf, galbanum and green tea.

Fruity

Peach, pear, apple and berries splashed with flowers. Sits between Green and Floral on the wheel.

Where does vanilla belong?

Amber is our primary starting point, with Floral Amber as another association. This is a navigation choice, not a claim that every vanilla perfume is amber or gourmand. Vanilla materials and vanillin are distinct.

Read about vanilla at The Perfume Society

Tonka bean and coumarin

Tonka can have vanilla, almond, powdery and tobacco facets. Our associations point to Amber and Aromatic Fougère. Tonka absolute and pure coumarin are related but distinct materials, so they have separate search entries.

Givaudan's tonka material profile

Where does oud belong?

Oud, agarwood and oudh lead to the same note. Woody Amber is our educational starting point. A perfume containing an oud impression still needs classification as a whole; its name does not determine its family.

Read about agarwood at The Perfume Society

What belongs under Floral?

Our Floral group opens Floral, Soft Floral and Floral Amber. Flowers, powdery or aldehydic floral impressions, and flowers with amber warmth illustrate different directions. A rose or jasmine note can also appear in a perfume classified elsewhere. A flower illustration does not prove that a natural flower extract is in the formula.

Neroli and orange blossom absolute share a botanical source but differ in extraction and scent profile. They are related entries, not synonyms.

Orange blossom and neroli explained

What does powdery mean?

A powdery impression is a scent character, not one ingredient or an exclusive family. Soft Floral is one useful starting point.

Orris is one example of a material with a powdery floral character. Read the orris material profile.

What does gourmand mean?

Food-inspired scent character. Gourmand is a family in some systems, but is not a separate segment of this wheel.

Other classification systems do include Gourmand as a family. We explain it here without adding a sector to the selected wheel. Compare The Perfume Society's classification.

What does spicy mean?

Spicy describes a character shared by different notes. Fresh cardamom and warmer spices need not lead to the same family.

Spices do not all belong in Amber. Cardamom can have green, fresh and citrus-like facets. Read Givaudan's cardamom profile.

What does smoky mean?

A smoke-like impression that can occur in different fragrance families.

What does creamy mean?

A texture or impression rather than a separate segment of this wheel.

What does animalic mean?

An animal-like scent character rather than a separate segment of this wheel.

Our note catalog

Notes remain searchable even before a wheel placement or illustration is ready. Associations are editorial starting points. “Placement pending” means we have not published a reviewed association, not that the note cannot occur in those fragrances.

rose

note · Floral, Woody Amber

jasmine

note · Floral, Floral Amber

lily of the valley

note · Floral

peony

note · Floral

tuberose

note · Floral

ylang-ylang

note · Floral

aldehydes

group · Soft Floral

iris

note · Soft Floral

In perfumery, orris materials come from iris rhizomes and can have a powdery floral character. Soft Floral is an association, not an exclusive placement.

Material reference

violet

note · Soft Floral

musk

group · Soft Floral

heliotrope

note · Soft Floral

orange blossom

note · Floral Amber

A floral note associated with bitter-orange flowers. Orange blossom absolute and distilled neroli are related but distinct materials.

Material reference

sweet spices

group · Floral Amber

vanilla

note · Amber, Floral Amber

Vanilla can bring sweet, warm or balsamic impressions. Amber is our starting point; vanilla also appears in floral and other compositions. Vanilla materials and vanillin are distinct.

Material reference

benzoin

note · Floral Amber, Amber

incense

note · Soft Amber, Amber

pink pepper

note · Soft Amber

ginger

note · Soft Amber

labdanum

note · Soft Amber, Amber, Mossy Woods

resins

group · Soft Amber

patchouli

note · Amber, Woody Amber, Woods, Mossy Woods

sandalwood

note · Amber, Woody Amber, Woods

oud

note · Woody Amber

Also called agarwood or oudh. Woody Amber is an educational starting point. An oud impression does not establish a finished perfume's family or prove that it contains natural oud.

Material reference

ambroxan

molecule · Woody Amber

cedar

note · Woods

vetiver

note · Woods, Dry Woods

pine

note · Woods

oakmoss

note · Mossy Woods, Aromatic Fougère

bergamot

note · Mossy Woods, Citrus

leather

accord · Dry Woods

tobacco

note · Dry Woods

birch tar

note · Dry Woods

smoky woods

group · Dry Woods

lavender

note · Aromatic Fougère

geranium

note · Aromatic Fougère

coumarin

molecule · Aromatic Fougère

A distinct aroma molecule associated with tonka and hay-like sweetness. Tonka absolute contains a mixture of substances and is not interchangeable with pure coumarin.

Material reference

rosemary

note · Aromatic Fougère

sage

note · Aromatic Fougère

lemon

note · Citrus

mandarin

note · Citrus

lime

note · Citrus

grapefruit

note · Citrus

neroli

note · Citrus

Neroli is distilled from bitter-orange blossoms. It is related to orange blossom absolute, but differs in extraction and scent profile.

Material reference

calone

molecule · Water

marine accord

accord · Water

cucumber

note · Water, Green

melon

note · Water

sea salt

accord · Water

galbanum

note · Green

violet leaf

note · Green

cut grass

accord · Green

green tea

note · Green

peach

note · Fruity

pear

note · Fruity

apple

note · Fruity

berries

group · Fruity

florals

group · Fruity

tonka bean

note · Amber, Aromatic Fougère

Tonka has vanilla, almond, powdery and tobacco facets. It supports amber and fougère accords. It is related to coumarin, but is not the same material.

Material reference

magnolia

note · Placement pending

osmanthus

note · Placement pending

mimosa

note · Placement pending

guaiac wood

note · Placement pending

frankincense

note · Placement pending

myrrh

note · Placement pending

opoponax

note · Placement pending

clary sage

note · Placement pending

basil

note · Placement pending

mint

note · Placement pending

cardamom

note · Placement pending

black pepper

note · Placement pending

cinnamon

note · Placement pending

clove

note · Placement pending

saffron

note · Placement pending

orange

note · Placement pending

yuzu

note · Placement pending

raspberry

note · Fruity

blackberry

note · Fruity

blackcurrant

note · Fruity

plum

note · Fruity

fig

note · Placement pending

coconut

note · Placement pending

amber accord

accord · Placement pending

ambergris

note · Placement pending

coffee

note · Placement pending

cocoa

note · Placement pending

almond

note · Placement pending

honey

note · Placement pending

caramel

note · Placement pending

tea

note · Placement pending

vanillin

molecule · Placement pending

iso e super

molecule · Placement pending

cashmeran

molecule · Placement pending