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Miriam Carl, Clinical Aromatherapist

Fragrance Families & Favorite Natural Perfumes

8/16/2015

6 Comments

 
Picture
Formulating Natural Perfume
There are so many terms used to describe fragrance, but what in the world do they all mean?
It can definitely get confusing!

Here's a glimpse at some basic fragrance families. A fragrance family organizes a group of aromatics with similar scent characteristics. This is not an exhaustive list (there are so many ways to categorize scent), but it's a good place to start. It's fun and insightful to develop a fragrance vocabulary - 
I hope you learn something new!

This list is adapted from Mandy Aftel's newest book, Fragrant, which I highly recommend!


Spicy
  • ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, pink pepper, black pepper, clove
Natural Perfume Example: Samarinda, Providence Perfume

Floral
  • jasmine, geranium, neroli, ylang ylang, rose, frangipani, mimosa
Natural Perfume Example: Visions in the Garden, Kindred Earth Botanicals

Animalic
  • ambrette, costus, civet, ambergris, africa stone
Natural Perfume Example: Skive, J Hannah Co.

Herbaceous
  • anise, basil, sage, lavender, mint, rosemary, tarragon, basil, fennel
Natural Perfume Example: Vera, Roxana Illuminated Perfume

Citrus
  • bitter orange, bergamot, lime, lemon, grapefruit, litsea cubeba, mandarin
Natural Perfume Example: Etrog, Ayala Moriel Parfums

Edible
  • cognac, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, tonka, bitter almond
Natural Perfume Example: Cafe Providence, Kindred Earth Botanicals

Resinous
  • benzoin, frankincense, myrrh, Peru balsam, elemi
Natural Perfume Example: Song of Songs, Ayala Moriel Parfums

Woody
  • fir, pine, rosewood, cedarwood, sandalwood, spruce, oud
Natural Perfume Example: Fir, Aftelier Perfumes

Earthy
  • vetiver, patchouli, oakmoss, labdanum, tobacco, cepes
Natural Perfume Example: Labyrinth by Kindred Earth Botanicals (coming soon)

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What are *your* favorite fragrance families? Let me know in the comments below!

6 Comments
Doreen
8/15/2015 07:24:34 am

What a wonderful and simplified read! I enjoyed the recommendations also. I love this fragrance family breakdown.

Reply
Miriam
8/15/2015 07:34:53 am

Thank you, Doreen!

Reply
Roxana link
8/15/2015 09:46:42 am

Fabulous post, what a wonderful scent journey you are on Miriam.

Reply
Miriam
8/15/2015 02:03:39 pm

Thanks Roxana!

Reply
Vickie link
8/16/2015 12:25:19 am

I'd love to smell them all.

Reply
Miriam
8/20/2015 05:11:08 am

I know what you mean!

Reply

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