Perfume Families
As perfumes have become popular and widely used, there are multiple families of perfumes that describe certain scents or combinations.
Chypre
Chypre, which is French, originates from the island of Cyprus. Cyprus was known for its scent of oak moss with citrus, musk, amber, animal, patchouli, sandalwood, and more woody scents.
It’s the scent you would smell in a forest full of damp trees. The common combination nowadays is oak moss as the main with bergamot, jasmine, sandalwood, and animal. An example would be Eau de Soir by Sisley.
Oriental
Oriental originates from the spices the Europeans earned from Asia, particularly the Southwest area. It provides a majestic and errotic image of Asia the Europeans had at the time. The scent is the combination of citrus, spicy, amber, and vanilla. People can either love or hate the scent as it’s extremely strong. Givenchy’s Organza is an example.
Fougere
Fougere means fern in French, representing mossy and woody scents. Usually men wear the Fougere fragrances.
The scent’s deepness comes from the combination of lavender, moss, citrus, floral, and woody notes that represent the fresh and deep forest. A common combination would be citrus, woody, spicy, and lavender. Angela Flanders’ Artillery No. 4 Vetiver is an example.
There is a wide variety of perfumes to choose from these days, but it can be helpful knowing which family of fragrance you look to find the perfume you like.
Note: These are not all the families of fragrances.
