Guide to Fragrance Families

To discover your favorite fragrance, it's essential to understand the different scent families that form the foundation of every scent. The four main categories are warm, woody, oriental, and fresh, each created by various fragrance combinations. Fresh scents, like Davidoff Cool Water, typically use aquatic and citrus notes, whereas warm scents like DKNY’s Be Delicious feature more floral and juicy fruit scents. To better understand the longevity of different fragrance types, refer to our fragrance strength chart.

Fragrance Families:

Fresh: Fresh fragrances are composed of citrus, water, and green notes, resulting in refreshing, zesty, and vibrant smells. Citrus-based fragrances are typically made with lemon, mandarin, and bergamot, while water fragrances include aquatic notes like sea spray—think of L’Eau d’Issey by Issey Miyake or Acqua di Gio by Armani. Fresh green fragrances often evoke herbal and leafy scents for a crisp and uplifting aroma. They can sometimes be known as aromatic fougère fragrances, featuring notes of lavender, rosemary, or basil.

Floral: Floral fragrances are among the most popular and diverse families. Any fragrance with a sweet and flowery scent falls under this category, using notes such as roses, jasmine, lilies, and peonies. Floral fragrances can range from light and delicate to more complex and intense.

Oriental: Oriental fragrances are warm, sweet, and sometimes a little spicy. This luxurious fragrance family includes variations such as floral oriental, soft oriental, and woody oriental. Perfumes and aftershaves in this family are rich and sensual, often featuring notes of cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla, alongside jasmine, orchid, and orange blossom.

Woody: Woody fragrances are another warm family, known for their mysterious and captivating scent, often favored in aftershaves. These fragrances use wood-based notes like cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver, and amber, making them an excellent choice for evening wear. Woody fragrances are divided into mossy woods, with an earthy, sweet undertone, and dry woods, which often have a smoky, leathery aroma.

Understanding Fragrance Notes

Fragrances are often described using top, middle, and base notes.

Top notes, also known as head or opening notes, are the initial scents you perceive right after applying your perfume or aftershave. They evaporate quickly, leaving the first impression of the fragrance.

Middle notes, or heart notes, emerge after the top notes dissipate. These notes form the main body of the fragrance, lasting longer and offering a well-rounded scent.

Base notes are the final scents that linger; they are the longest-lasting and create the lasting impression of the perfume or aftershave by blending with the middle notes to provide the full fragrance profile.


You’ve probably come across terms like ‘Eau de Parfum’ and ‘Eau de Toilette’. These indicate the strength and longevity of the fragrance once applied.

Fragrances are created by mixing perfume oil with alcohol. The higher the concentration of perfume oil, the stronger and longer-lasting the fragrance.

Eau de Parfum (EDP) is the most potent type we offer, containing 10-20% perfume oil, and is a favorite among both brands and customers. It typically lasts around 8 hours.

Eau de Toilette (EDT), with 5-15% perfume oil, provides a quick burst of scent before fading, making a great first impression. These fragrances usually last between 4 and 7 hours.

Eau de Cologne is a lighter option, with just 2-4% perfume oil, often used as a body splash for regular refreshment. It generally lasts about 2-3 hours.

Eau Fraiche has the lightest concentration, with only 1-2% perfume oil, making it perfect for those preferring a subtle scent. It lasts a couple of hours at most but provides a delicate and understated fragrance.

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