For decades, scent purists and celebrities alike have touted having a signature scent as an inimitably chic move. Yet therein lies the trouble. A signature represents one’s mark on the world and thus needs to be unique to you; unless you’re running a fragrance lab in your garage and have managed to concoct your own scent, there’s a good chance there are thousands of people who also start the day by spritzing your ‘signature’ scent onto their necks and wrists.
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Plus, there’s also the phenomenon of olfactory fatigue or ‘nose blindness’ to contend with. Nose blindness is a common, naturally occurring condition that occurs when you’re exposed to the same or similar scents and renders your body unable to detect these odours or notes. Fortunately, it’s only a temporary condition and your ability to smell your favourite scent will come back, however, it can be a downer for those who actually like to enjoy the fragrance they’re wearing.
With that in mind, there’s something to be said for curating a scent wardrobe. Much like its clothing counterpart, a scent wardrobe comprises a thoughtfully selected collection of fragrances that cater to a variety of moods, weather conditions, and events. Much like you’d swap a turtleneck and trousers for a dress come evening time, pull on a sweater as the weather starts to cool down, or employ the concept of dopamine dressing to lift your mood, so too should your fragrance change. After all, as scent is a powerful, albeit intangible, form of self-expression, it’s essential you have an arsenal of fragrances up to the task of wordlessly conveying how you feel.
As for how to start building your fragrance wardrobe? Much like your clothing wardrobe, there’s a good chance you’ll be drawn to scents that are slight variations on your current favourite fragrances. Identifying the fragrance family your favourite perfume falls into is a good place to start; this will allow you to select other scents that contain similar notes or sit in the same family. Then, you can test the waters by branching into different olfactory notes and fragrance families. For example, if your go-to scent is fresh and aquatic, you could try a citrus or green scent; they’re equally as fresh, just in a different way. Or, if you favour deep woody notes, you might have luck with the heady warmth of fragrances within the amber family.
The key is to keep an open mind (and an open nose) and be unafraid to deviate from fragrance monogamy. To help kickstart your fragrance wardrobe, we’ve put together the fragrance families you need to know about, plus fragrances — from brands large and small — worth knowing about.
Floral
One of the most well-known scent families, florals are popular for a reason. This wide-ranging category isn’t merely limited to wear during spring and summer, with florals having the ability to be soft or heady and worn year-round. Common floral notes include heady tuberose, subtle orange blossom, rich jasmine, fresh freesia, and — of course — a dizzying array of takes on the classic rose. The soft floral subcategory sees aldehydes combined with delicate florals to create soft, powdery, comforting scents.
Fougère
While the original fougère fragrance (Houbigant Fougère Royale) was originally created for women, the fougère family takes on a distinctly masculine tone and is associated with alluring aromatic, fresh, and woody notes. Fougère (which means ‘fern-like’ in French) fragrances typically feature notes like lavender, geranium, vetiver, bergamot, oakmoss, and coumarin, and are characterised by their clean, natural scent with a grassy or woody dry down. Dior Sauvage and Dior Eau Sauvage are two fougères that epitomise the qualities of this fragrance family. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, it’s pronounced ‘foo-jare’.
Chypre
A traditionally feminine fragrance family, chypre (pronounced ‘sheep-ra’) originates in the early 20th century; with the wildly successful 1917 scent by Coty (also called Chypre) marking the start of the family. Defined by notes of citrus, labdanum, oakmoss, and patchouli, chypre fragrances and typically warm, woody, and a little mysterious.
Woody
It’s all in the name with this one. While woody notes feature across every fragrance family, from chypre to floral, quintessential woody scents are dominated by notes of cedarwood, sandalwood, patchouli, pine, oakmoss, oud, and vetiver, and are often paired with leathery or smoky notes. Woody fragrances can be dry, mossy, or crisp, with their inherent warmth and nuance lending them to wear on cooler days.
Amber
Sensual and evocative, amber accords are made from vanilla, resins, labdanum, musks, and benzoin. Ambery notes are often poured with spices and edible notes to create warm, gourmand fragrances or blended with fruity, green, or citrus notes to create a fresher scent.
Fresh
Bright, uplifting, and refreshing, the fresh fragrance family encompasses citrus, green, and aquatic scents. Common notes in fresh fragrances include citrus, lavender, lemon, rosemary, grass, jasmine, and ozonic or watery accords. Light and clean, fresh fragrances are often eau de toilettes or colognes rather than eau de parfums.
Gourmand
Almost good enough to eat, gourmand fragrances feature warm and sweet notes such as candy, caramel, hazelnut, cocoa, vanilla, almond, peach, cherry, coffee, and honey. Rather than being sickeningly sweet, they’re nuanced and comforting, making them ideal for brisk winter days.
Words by T. Angel
Feature image courtesy of MECCA
