The Art of Perfumery: A Guide to the Different Types of Scents

By Renuka Kennedy
Jun 21, 2023

The importance of wearing perfumes goes beyond just smelling good. Wearing perfumes can boost confidence, improve mood, and even have an impact on our overall well-being. Choosing the perfect perfume can be a daunting task. With so many different scents available, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. However, understanding the different types of scents can help you make an informed decision and choose a perfume that suits your personality and style. In this article, we will explore the various types of scents and their unique properties, so you can make an informed decision and find the perfect perfume for you.


Floral Scents

The most common and easily recognisable of all the fragrance types is the floral scents. As the name suggests, these scents get their essence from flowers like roses, jasmine, lavender, peonies and more. They have a calming and soothing effect on them, thus often being the first choice for aromatherapy. For the same reason, floral scents are also found in perfumes, candles and air fresheners.


The Best Floral Perfumes


Dioriviera is an Eau de Parfum with a long-lasting note of roses in combination with the sweet smell of fig.


Creed Spring Floral has strong floral characteristics because of the key ingredients like jasmine and white flowers inside the fancy pink bottle.


Citrus Scents

Derived from the essence of citrus fruits such as oranges, bergamot, lemons, and grapefruits, citrus scents have a refreshing and energetic feel to them. They are also known for their uplifting and invigorating properties thus making them popular choices for morning routines. As this scent family evokes a sense of freshness, it is often associated with the summer season.


The Best Citrus Perfumes


Acqua di Parma’s Arancia La Spugnatura has Vanilla Orange, lemons and mandarins as its starring ingredients which give the perfume its zesty and citrusy smell.


Gucci’s The Alchemist Garden 1921 is another luxurious perfume which has its citrus ingredient, citron lemon, on the top note thereby allowing you to smell it in the first spray.


Woody Scents

Woody scents are extracted from the essence of trees such as sandalwood, cedarwood, and pine. They are known for their grounding and calming properties, making them desirable choices for meditation and relaxation. Due to their strong connection with nature, woody scents easily attract outdoorsy people who love hiking, camping and other outdoor activities.


The Best Woody Perfumes


Le Labo Santal 33 was created to replicate the smell of a campfire, for which the brand included extracts from Australian sandalwood and cedarwood to bring out a woody fragrance.


Bleu de Chanel is appreciated by connoisseurs for its pleasant and perfumy woody notes that come from the New Caledonian sandalwood extracts found in them.


Spicy Scents

Spicy scents are derived from the essence of spices such as cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. They are known for their warming and alleviating properties, making them popular choices for the fall and winter seasons.


The Best Spicy Perfumes


Aesop Gloam is concentrated with essences from spices such as pink pepper, cardamom, saffron and more that strongly appeal to your olfactory senses.


Imagine the sweet aromas that you smell in a coffee shop, that is mildly what Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium smells like with the sparkling black bottle holding essences of the coffee accord, pink pepper and more that give it its spicy fragrance.


Aquatic Scents

Aquatic scents mimic the aroma of the ocean and sea breeze. They essentially remind you of relaxing at a seashore or going on a cruise trip. They are known for their fresh and clean properties, making them popular choices for the summer seasons.


The Best Aquatic Perfumes


Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt is characterised as a standout aquatic perfume for invoking the refreshing smell of the sea.


Hermès Eau des Merveilles Bleue is rejuvenating as it smells like the ocean with this eau de toilette possessing the fragrances of the salty pebbles that you find on the seashore.