What is an "olfactory family"?
A guide to citrus, woody, oriental, fougère and every other perfume group — and why it's the fastest way to know if you'll like a new fragrance.
Before deciding whether a new fragrance is for you, the most useful question isn't "does it smell good?" — it's "which olfactory family is this?". Olfactory families are how the industry (and noses themselves) organize perfumes by shared character, and once you recognize the main ones, you stop buying blind.
The most commonly discussed families are citrus (light, fresh, ideal for daytime), woody (warmer and drier, with sandalwood, cedar or vetiver), oriental (amber, vanilla, spices — the most "enveloping" fragrances), fougère (the classic base of traditional men's fragrances, with lavender and oakmoss) and gourmand (notes that recall desserts — vanilla, caramel, chocolate).
This is just an introduction — the full guide to this family also explains how subfamilies overlap, and how to use this in practice when you're deciding on the next bottle for your collection.