As a perfumer with years of experience in the daily chemical fragrance industry, I have always believed that precise fragrance classification is the cornerstone of creating high-quality fragrances and perfumes. The Fragrance Wheel founded by Michael Edwards in 1983 is undoubtedly the recognized “universal language” in the international fragrance industry—it organizes complex scents into 4 main families and 14 sub-families, providing a logical framework for perfume creation and allowing OEM factories and brands to quickly and accurately locate their needs when purchasing fragrances. Today, from a perfumer’s perspective, I will break down the core characteristics and raw material application skills of these 14 sub-families to help you select the rightfine fragrance concentrates for your products.
I. Fresh: The Soul of Natural Scent
Fresh fragrances are the core of summer scents and unisex perfumes, focusing on “transparency and cleanliness”. When formulating, it is necessary to control the freshness of raw materials to avoid dull scents.
「Citrus」: Refreshing, juicy and bright, it is the first choice for men’s colognes and summer personal care products. When formulating, I prefer to use Italian bergamot with Brazilian sweet orange to retain the slight astringency of the peel and the sweetness of the pulp, avoiding the astringency of single lemon, which is suitable for the mass market demand of OEM citrus perfume oil.
「Green」: With a natural green plant scent, its core is to restore natural greenery. I often use fresh fig leaves with basil to weaken the raw smell of grass and increase the softness of the scent. Suitable for high-end body lotions and niche perfumes, it is a high-quality choice for green fragrance concentrate for cosmetics.
「Aquatic」: Pursuing “water-like cleanliness”, it is necessary to balance synthetic raw materials and natural ingredients. I use calone to simulate the ocean scent, paired with a small amount of seaweed extract to enhance layers, avoiding an overly “chemical” smell, suitable for aftershaves and summer fragrance products.
「Fruity」: Sweet and lively, but greasiness should be avoided. When formulating, berry raw materials (such as blackcurrant, strawberry) are paired with tropical fruits, and a trace of green ingredients is added to neutralize sweetness, creatingfruity fine fragrance for OEM suitable for young people.
II. Floral: Integration of Elegance and Layers
Floral fragrances are the mainstream of women’s perfumes. The key to formulating is to balance the purity and complexity of floral scents, avoiding the monotony of a single scent.
「Floral」: Focusing on single or mixed fresh flowers, I prefer to blend Bulgarian rose with Indian jasmine to retain the richness of rose and the freshness of jasmine. Suitable for high-end women’s perfumes, it is a classic luxury floral fragrance concentrate.
「Soft Floral」: Focusing on aldehyde and powdery scents, a small amount of aldehydes is paired with ionone during formulation to weaken the sharpness of aldehydes and increase the softness of iris. Suitable for light luxury skin care and high-end body lotions.
「Floral Oriental」: A collision of floral scents and oriental spices. I often use orange blossom with cinnamon and clove to make the floral scent more exotic against the background of spices, suitable for autumn and winter perfumes and high-end scented candles.
III. Amber/Oriental: The Texture of Warmth and Richness
These scents are centered on warmth and richness. When formulating, it is necessary to control the ratio of resins, spices and floral scents to create a long-lasting and memorable fragrance.
「Floral Amber」: A blend of floral scents and amber. I use jasmine with vanilla and synthetic amber to make the scent both soft and warm, suitable for high-end women’s perfumes and body lotions.
「Soft Amber」: Centered on incense and resins, frankincense and myrrh are added for a religious feel, paired with a trace of sandalwood to neutralize the smoky smell. Suitable for niche fragrances and autumn and winter men’s perfumes.
「Amber」: Mainly resins and vanilla, I add ylang-ylang to increase sweetness and avoid overly heavy scents. It is a versatile amber fragrance oil for perfumery.
「Woody Amber」: A collision of amber and woody scents. Agarwood is paired with synthetic amber to enhance the calmness of the scent, suitable for high-end men’s perfumes and niche personal care products.
IV. Woody: The Expression of Calm and Diversity
Woody fragrances are the core of unisex and men’s perfumes. When formulating, it is necessary to highlight the unique temperament of woody raw materials and balance dryness and softness.
「Woods」: A classic warm style. I use Indian sandalwood with cedar to retain the richness of sandalwood and the cleanliness of cedar. Suitable for high-end perfumes and woody fragrance products, it is a core woody fine fragrance concentrate.
「Dry Woods」: Mainly smoky and leathery scents. Birch tar is paired with tobacco leaves to create a calm and dry fragrance, suitable for men’s retro perfumes and leather care products.
「Mossy Woods (Chypre)」: A classic Chypre structure. I use oakmoss with bergamot and patchouli to restore a retro and elegant temperament, suitable for high-end unisex perfumes and niche fragrances.
「Aromatic (Fougère)」: A blend of lavender and woody scents. French lavender is paired with coumarin during formulation to weaken the raw herbal smell and increase the softness of the scent, making it a classic choice for men’s colognes.
The above 14 sub-families form the core framework of fragrance creation. As a perfumer, I have always believed that high-quality Michael Edwards fine fragrance concentrates must not only follow industry standards but also be customized according to product scenarios and customer needs. Each of our fragrances is Halal certified, with a minimum order quantity of 50KG, and we can customize the fragrance concentration and style according to your OEM/ODM requirements.
Want to match an exclusive scent for your product? Click the corresponding sub-family links above to explore suitable fragrance products, or contact me directly. Combining years of perfuming experience, I will create a custom blend fragrance oil for you, making scent the core competitiveness of your product.
