Fragrance Families

The first step to finding your favourite fragrance is to understand the different scent families that every scent is based on. The four main types are warm, woody, oriental and fresh, with each effect brought out by different combinations of fragrances. Fresh scents, like Davidoff Cool Water, generally rely on aquatic and citrus notes, whereas warm scents like DKNY’s Be Delicious use more florals and juicy fruit scents. Next take a look at our fragrance strength chart to understand the longevity of different fragrance types.

Understanding Fragrance Notes

You will often see top, middle and base notes being used to describe a fragrance.

The top notes of a fragrance, also known as the head or opening notes, are what you smell immediately after spraying your perfume or aftershave; they evaporate quickly but will form the first impression of the fragrance.

The middle, or heart, notes appear once the top notes have disappeared. These notes are considered to be the main body of the fragrance, lasting longer than the top notes and are usually well-rounded.

Base notes are what is left at the end; it is this smell that you remember the most. The base notes are the longest lasting, mixing w