Fragrance Wheel
A fragrance wheel arranges scent families to show relationships. Learn how to use it for sampling, why systems differ, and what neighboring groups can tell you.
Updated
A fragrance wheel is a diagram that arranges scent families around a circle to make their relationships easier to compare. It is a guide to fragrance styles, not a scientific test that assigns every perfume one indisputable position.
Michael Edwards’ wheel is a well-known example, organized around floral, ambery, woody and fresh directions with more detailed groups between them. Other wheels use different terms and divisions, so read the key for the particular diagram.
To use a wheel, locate a fragrance style you enjoy and explore a nearby group for a related direction. Try a more distant group when you want contrast. Neither route guarantees preference or proves that two perfumes will layer well.
- Family
- A broad grouping by scent character or style.
- Subfamily
- A more specific group within or between broad directions.
- Neighboring groups
- Categories positioned near each other to suggest a relationship in the chosen system.
- Floral direction
- The flower-centered part of a wheel.
- Woody direction
- The part emphasizing wood-like styles and related contrasts.
- Fresh direction
- A broad area that can include citrus, green or watery effects, depending on the system.
- Wheel vs. pyramid
- A wheel compares fragrance styles. A pyramid describes top, heart and base impressions within one fragrance.