Sniff out your perfect scent

Need help finding a signature scent for yourself or someone else? Know that certain notes suit you best but not exactly sure of what they are? It’s a daunting task trawling through the cosmetics floor of a department store trying to find the perfect perfume – which is why we’re about to make it a whole lot easier for you!

We’ve enlisted the help of Fragrance Expert, Michael Edwards, who has created a comprehensive classification system for fragrances, allowing you to identify what notes you like best, and what fragrance family they fall under. So go on, get reading, because once you’re armed with this information, finding the perfect perfume will be like a fragrant walk in the park!

CITRUS

From the zest of lemons, mandarins, bergamot, oranges and grapefruit come the citrus oils that lend these fragrances their clean, tangy aroma.

Try: ck ONE, Jo Malone Grapefruit Cologne, Elizabeth Arden Green Tea

WATER

Redolent of the scent of soft sea breezes, the marine notes were created in 1990. They capture the ozonic aroma of wet air after a thunderstorm, the freshness of a waterfall.

Try:Revlon Charlie White, Ralph Lauren Polo Sport Woman, Issey Miyake L’Eau D’Issey

GREEN

Green fragrances capture the sharp scent of fresh-cut grass and violet leaves. New softer, lighter green notes give this fragrance family fresh appeal.

Try:Estée Lauder Private Collection, Issey Miyake A Scent, Sisley Eau de Campagne

FRUITY

Blend peaches and pears, apples and plums, a twist of tropical fruits with berries of all hues. Add a splash of flowers to create a family of fruity cocktails that smell delicious.

Try: Anna Sui Rock Me!, DKNY Delicious Candy Apple, Benefit Crescent Row My Place or Yours Gina

FLORAL

Florals range from single floral concertos to mighty symphonies of heady bouquets. New headspace technology lets perfumers clone the scent of blooms from which no oil can be extracted by traditional methods.

Try:Marc Jacobs Lola, Jo Malone French Lime Blossom Cologne, Chloé

SOFT FLORAL

The marriage of sparkling aldehydes and delicate flowers, balanced by soft notes of iris, musk or vanilla, creates a family of soft, often powdery, abstract florals.

Try: Chanel No.5, Estée Lauder White Linen, Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds

FLORAL ORIENTAL

The sweet, spicy notes of orange blossom are blended with sparkling aldehydes and sweet spices to create the heart of a floral oriental fragrance.

Try:Britney Spears Believe, Lancôme Trésor, Revlon Pink Happiness

SOFT ORIENTAL

Incense adds sensual overtones to fragrant flowers, spices and amber. The result is a softer, spicier style of Oriental.

Try: YSL Opium, Coco Chanel, So…? Eternal

ORIENTAL

Orientals are the exotic queens of perfumery – sensual, often heavy, blends of oriental resins, opulent flowers, sweet vanilla and musks.

Try:Tabu, Calvin Klein Obsession, Revlon Fire & Ice

WOODY ORIENTAL

The liaison of rich Oriental notes and the potent scents of patchouli and sandalwood produce some of today’s most original perfumes.

Try: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Guerlain Samsara, Thierry Mugler Angel

WOODS

Sheer and exotic woodnotes give new appeal to the classic harmonies of cedar, patchouli, pine, sandalwood and vetiver.

Try:Estée Lauder Sensuous, Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, Jo Malone Vetyver Cologne

MOSSY WOODS

Perfumers call these forest notes of oak moss and patchouli, amber and citrus ‘chypre’ fragrances, after the first modern mossy-woody fragrance, Chypre de Coty, created by François Coty in 1917.

Try: Gucci Rush, Christian Dior Miss Dior, Kylie Minogue Darling

DRY WOODS

Cedar, tobacco and burnt woodnotes add a dry, often smoky accent to mossy woods fragrances. The Dry Woods family is often called ‘leather’, recalling the scent of Russian leather.

Try:Clinique Aromatics Elixir, Donna Karan Cashmere Mist

AROMATIC FOUGÈRE

The sexy cool-warm notes of citrus and lavender, sweet spices and oriental woods blend to a zesty, masculine character that men find comfortable, and women appealing.

Try: Guerlain Jicky, Sarah Jessica Parker Covet, ck BE

Head to David Jones for all your aromatic needs. The staff on the cosmetics floor will help you identify your favourite fragrance family and recommend perfumes accordingly, which means no time wasted sniffing scents you don’t like, and more time spent shopping – yippee!

Which fragrance family do prefer? Have you noticed a pattern in the type of scents you buy?