SHIIBA'S WORDS
The fragrance families
Hello everyone, today we meet to talk about a little more technical things, and we love it. As candle creators we have to collaborate with perfumers and to develop our nose in order to offer you the best fragrances in our scented candles. Over the years we have therefore learned a lot about perfumes, their compositions and how to apprehend them. It's a subject that fascinates us, and we love to discuss our passions. So without further ado, here is the presentation of the different families of perfumes.
Each fragrance belongs to a large olfactory family. There are seven: floral, woody, oriental, fern, chypre, aromatic and citrus.
You are curious and want to know more, you want to impress your friends, your family by describing their perfumes/their candles? So happy reading!
The Florals
I decided to start this article with the Floral family, which I think will be the most familiar and meaningful to you. It is also the most worked family in perfume and the most common and seductive. The latter composes the majority of perfumes with a feminine inclination.
It is composed of fresh, delicate notes such as jasmine, rose, tuberose, orange blossom and so many others. This same family can be divided into two distinct categories: on the one hand there are the so-called solar flowers (jasmine, etc.) and on the other the fresh flowers (lily of the valley, etc.).
Some flowers in nature do not give off any smell, such as: poppy, sunflower or even hibiscus. As a result, perfumers have fun creating their scents synthetically. To obtain different results and different notes, you can use the entire flower, in fact perfumers use the heart as much as the stem or the petals. Everything is usable.
Our flower candles:
The woodlands
The woody olfactory family is made up of aromas and essences extracted from wood and tree mosses. In most cultures, woody scents are synonymous with luxury. They are suitable for elegant, characterful people, usually representing a certain maturity. We find this family in a lot of so-called “masculine” perfumes. The latter is one of the families that we like the most to work at Maison Shiiba. It is built around the main notes of wood such as: oud, palo santo, sandalwood. A wood is rarely alone in its family when it composes a perfume.
Our woody candles:
Oriental families
The family that includes the oriental notes is also called the “amber” family. So that you are not lost, let me directly give you the examples of notes that we can find in this family. At first you can find: vanilla or tonka or incense and benzoin. Today these oriental notes have conquered the perfumery market and represent 40% of sales. These notes often have the power to transport you elsewhere, their mysterious and exotic notes are of rare power.
Our oriental candles:
- Vanilla
- Nazar Bazaar
- Arabian Gypsy
Ferns
First thing to clarify about this family: no, that does not mean that the smells that make it up are only those of the plants that bear the same name.The "ferns" designate the perfumes built around the same olfactory pyramid, that is to say: a lavender head, a geranium heart and a sea bottom and moss of chenna. Therefore, it is a very closed family and includes very few perfumes.
Our Fougères candles:
The chypre family
A very special story and a very closed family like that of ferns. In 1917, the success of François Coty's Chypre perfume gave rise to the creation of a feminine olfactory family. Based on an accord of raw materials: oak moss, bergamot, patchouli, cistus labdanum, rose and jasmine. A specific accord that very few use in perfumery. We present it to you so as not to leave you any secrets. At the end of this article you will be a real expert in the field.
Aromatics
Aromatic notes are, as their names suggest, composed of aromas. You will therefore find sage, thyme, rosemary, chamomile. Within candles, these fragrances often have therapeutic properties. It's a family that comes to tickle and sparkle in your nostrils, a pleasant experience that can sometimes even (for the greediest) whet your appetite.
Citrus
Last but not least. The citrus family is often composed of citrus notes: lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, etc. This is the oldest family, it is the origin of eau de Cologne. When we smell a candle or a perfume, these are the first notes that come to our nose, because often the most intense. For the little story : the term "citrus" comes from Greek mythology. Hesperides are nymphs that protect the gardens of the Gods, in which there was the famous "Golden Apple" (oranges).
On this beautiful story of Greek mythology I am finishing this article which I hope has enlightened you and helped you to see more clearly about the families of perfumes. As always, let us know what you thought of it. instagram Where Facebook.