AROMATERAPI
Which fragrance family is your favourite?
There’s an interesting and scientific approach to this – one that might save you from making many wrong purchases. Once you’ve become aware of which fragrance families you like, it becomes much easier to choose your next favourite fragrance.
What is a fragrance family?
At Karmameju, we work with olfactory groups when creating our aromatherapeutic perfumes – commonly known as fragrance families. Each of our perfumes has its own unique fragrance composition and therefore belongs to its own fragrance family.
When working with fragrance families in the art of perfumery, you explore the three scent layers that make up a perfume. Put simply, it’s not about defining the family based on each individual scent note, but about classifying a perfume according to how it smells, its genre and its characteristics. One could say that these olfactory groups form part of the language used in the world of perfumery to categorise a fragrance.
Although Karmameju’s perfumes contain some of the same essential oils – such as precious Bulgarian rose and enigmatic labdanum resin – each has a completely unique composition – and therefore also a unique fragrance family.
Whilst NECTARFLAME is a sweet, beloved creation within the floral-oriental fragrance family, URBAN OUD belongs to the intense and smoky woody fragrance family. Karmameju’s first perfume, POWDERBLOOM, is one of those sophisticated and complex chypre fragrances characterised by blooming feminine elegance and balsamic depth, whilst the latest fragrance in the collection, the anniversary fragrance STORYTELLER, is like a light and loving summer breeze in the fresh, green fragrance family, where most eau de toilettes are to be found.
Follow your intuition
But how do you work out which perfume suits you best? It’s an art in itself, but we all know the feeling of experiencing an intuitive, sensory attraction to a fragrance. The experience of something smelling lovely. The experience of a fragrance reminding you of something lovely – that’s the intuition you should follow, and knowledge of the fragrance families will give you further insight to help you find your way among the thousands of fragrances on the market.
FRAGRANCE FAMILIES
A family can have many members – the same applies to fragrance families. The eight fragrance families we work with all have variations within their ‘lineage’ – because new, exciting fragrance combinations are constantly appearing on the market. That’s why it’s also a good idea to explore new fragrances that stem from a fragrance family you already love.
At Karmameju, we work with the following eight fragrance families and their characteristics:
FRESH
Uplifting, light and green. Fragrances from the fresh fragrance family can evoke feelings of the sea’s cooling breeze, the sun’s rays on warm skin or the freshness of freshly cut citrus fruits. Light and airy summer fragrances in Eau de Toilette form are often found in this fragrance family.
FLORAL
Feminine, blooming and decadent. Floral fragrances are an endless burst of flowers. Evoking romantic bouquets of cut flowers, spring in full bloom and endless rose bushes, floral fragrances are among the most popular women’s perfumes. They are ultra-feminine and can be made either warmer with spices or fruitier with notes of sweet and bitter fruits.
FLORIENTAL
Sensual, sweet and seductive. As the name suggests, floriental fragrances are a fusion of the floral and oriental fragrance families. They combine light, blooming notes and heady flowers with undertones of musk, spices, warm woody notes and balsamic resin. A complex fusion of flowers and rich oriental notes that awaken the senses.
ORIENTAL
Seductive, spicy and warm. Fragrances from the oriental fragrance family have their roots in the early days of the art of perfumery in the Orient – India and Arabia. They possess a warm and rich depth, with ingredients that evoke the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, mysticism and seduction. Oriental perfumes are ideal for evening wear and linger on the skin for a long time with their rich, deep notes.
CHYPRE
“SJIP-RA”
Rich, elegant and sophisticated. Fragrances from the Chypre family are rich in decadent floral notes, yet at the same time delicate and understated, with warm, dry elements of fruit and wood.
It is believed that Chypre fragrances date back to Roman times and are frequently mentioned in perfume manuals as far back as the 18th century. This fragrance family is named after the island of Cyprus – the birthplace of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and known for its aromatic plants and Chypre-scented flowers.
WOOD
Intense, dry, earthy. The woody fragrance family is dominated by warm, dry and distinctive raw, smoky and earthy notes. Based on the use of resin, bark, pine cones, moss, leaves and earth’s roots, the woody notes paint a picturesque scene of raw nature and alluring, deep forests.
GOURMAND
Sweet, warm and aromatic. As the name suggests, gourmand fragrances are an (almost) delicious affair that makes your mouth water. They are typically rich in character and make you dream of liquid caramel, chocolate or perhaps freshly ground coffee. Gourmand fragrances often feature a sweet element of vanilla or other spicy undertones, which offer a sense of warmth on cold winter days.
FOUGÈRE
“FUU-SJÆR”
Masculine, green and deep. Fragrances in the Fougère family are classic men’s scents, containing some of nature’s most raw, grassy notes. In French, ‘fougère’ means fern, and this describes the green, earthy, root-like and grassy scent that characterises Fougère.
Choose your favourite
When you’re actually standing in front of the vast array of perfumes on the shelves, you can look out for the various distinctive characteristics described on the boxes. If a perfume shares the same characteristics as one of your favourites at home, you might just be holding your new favourite in your hands – and this is where the selection process begins, working in tandem with your intuitive sense of smell.
Read the article ‘The Art of Smelling Perfume’andlet your sense of smell guide you in choosing your next perfume.
