Scent Classification
The classification of scent goes all the way back to Theophrastus in ancient Greece. He was responsible for categorizing many of the perfumes and plants brought back from Alexander the Great’s conquests. While he didn’t actually produce the traditional system of scent classification, he was certainly a good start. Scents that are popular change with every season and time period. Even the traditional system of classification of scent has evolved into a modern scent classification which includes oceanic and gourmand scents that were previously impossible to duplicate with natural ingredients.
Traditional scent classification is fairly recognizable today. They are: oriental, woody, leather, fougere, chypre, and floral. Oriental scents give one the impression of a spicy trip to the Orient. Woody scents evoke forest woodland. Leather scents smell like their namesake. Fougere scents are a mix of fresh herbs and woodland scents. Chypre scents are named after the scents of the Greek isle of Cyprus. Floral scents are everything floral in nature and can be single floral perfumes to multi-floral scents. Most of these scents can be produced from natural components and are available in nature surroundings.
The modern scent classification adds four more scent categories. There is a green scent classification, which smells of grass, juniper, and pine. The oceanic scents smell like the ocean. Citrus or fruity scents are perfumes with these smells. Gourmand scents smell like desserts and have a heavy vanilla background. Many of the newer categories were added because of the use of synthetic chemicals that can now capture and reproduce a smell that was previously not possible. This added to the broad range of perfumes now available for purchase to the general public. As more experimentation continues with the use of scent, we may find that even new categories are added and new scents produced for the mass market.