Scent Families and the Fragrance Wheel

The fragrance wheel is a circular diagram that displays the relationships between different scent groups based on their similarities and differences. Groups that are next to each other on the wheel are considered to have similar characteristics. Fragrance expert Michael Edwards developed the fragrance wheel to help retailers recommend scents to customers more effectively. Each scent family is represented by a primary scent, while subfamilies are made up of blended versions of these primary scents.

There are four main scent families: Floral, Amber (Oriental), Woody, and Fresh. Each family has its own subfamilies and unique characteristics. People often have a preference for one scent family over others when selecting personal fragrances.

At Foras, we simplified the wheel to include just five characteristics that describe our fragrances well: floral, woody, fruity, fresh and opulent.

Floral scents are made up of the aroma compounds that come from flower petals. Floral perfumes often contain familiar flowers like rose, jasmine, iris and lily, giving them a slightly feminine touch (although at Foras we believe that all fragrances are unisex and we know many men who rock our rose perfume). Our floral fragrances include Folkestone Green and Oxidised Rose.

Shop floral fragrances here.

Woody scents evoke the smell of wood and forests. They contain notes of wood, bark, or earth. These scents can include ingredients like patchouli, cedar, leather, sandalwood, pine, and oak. They have a warm and sultry feel. Three of our perfumes can be described as woody: Elemental Musk, Mushroom Forest and Summer Vine.

Shop woody fragrances here.

Fruity scents contain aromas of various fruits, such as apples and berries. They are zesty and uplifting and are recommended as a summer perfume although we think they are perfect all year round! Our fruity family also includes citrus scents, such as bitter orange or petitgrain. We have five fragrances with fruity notes: Bitter Citrus, Fig Ozone, Mushroom Forest, Ocean Tansy and Summer Vine.

Shop fruity fragrances here.

Fresh scents are clean and bright, they can be herby (green notes) or oceanic (notes of water). They give a sensation of freshness and cleanliness. Freshly cut grass is an example of a green note, and ocean is a note of water. At Foras, we have five fresh fragrances: Folkestone Green, Fig Ozone, Oxidised Rose, Ocean Tansy and Summer Vine.

Shop fresh fragrances here.

Opulent fragrances are aromatic, heavy and luxurious. They can also be defined as oriental, exotic and seductive. We describe three of our fragrances as opulent: Bitter Citrus, Folkestone Green and Rosemary Benzoin.

Shop opulent fragrances here.