Fragrance Families

Fragrance Families
Chypre: The basic chypre accord consists of a combination of fresh notes (ex: citrus) and a mossy-woody complex. The inspiration of 20th century chypre-type perfumes is ‘Chypre de Coty’, created by Francois Coty, launched in 1917.
Citrus:Fragrance accords are reminiscent of fresh impressions coming from citrus peels, ex: Lemon, Bergamot, Orange, Grapefruit, Tangerine, Lime.
Floral:Fragrance accords are reminiscent of flowers, such as the "first ladies of flowers": Jasmine, Rose, Tuberose and Ylang-Ylang.
Floriental: It is a lighter variant of the typically heavy Oriental type of perfume, in which floral notes are accentuated.
Fougere:(Foo-jair) This is a French word meaning ‘fern’. Fragrance accords result from a harmonious blend of fern-like notes blended with herbal notes such as Lavender. It was coined after Houbigant’s ‘Fougere Royale’ a century ago. One of the first modern fougere perfumes to become highly popular was the masculine fragrance ‘Brut’, launched by Fabergé in 1964.
Fruity: It refers to sweet or sour edible fruit odors (excluding citrus), ex: apple, berries or melons.
Oriental:Fragrance accords create corresponding associations by the interplay of balsamic, sweet and ambery aspects, ex: wood, benzoin, tolu, amber, and vanilla, often contrasted with fresh, citrus aspects. These fragrances tend to be more heavy and intense.
Woody: It refers to the aroma of freshly cut, dry woods such as Cedar wood, Patchouli, Vetiver or Sandalwood.

Fragrances 101

What do fragrance notes refer to?
Fragrances comprise many different scents; these scents are called "notes." Top notes are very light and last just a few minutes (5-10 minutes). Middle notes become apparent in about 15 minutes after application. These can last up to an hour or more. Bottom notes are the heavier ingredients. These last the longest, usually for several hours.
Accord:It is equivalent to a chord in music. An accord in perfumery describes a balanced complex of 3 or 4 fragrance notes which lose their individual identity to create a completely new, unified odor impression. Each component material is in balance and harmony with each other so that no single component can be detected.