Marine / Aquatic マリン
Sea-air, briny, expansive. Mostly synthetic molecules (Calone, Helional). Natural oils are rare in this family.
Representative oils
— not yet in the library
Scent wheel
Bánh xe mùi hương 香りのホイールThe scent wheel is a visual taxonomy of essential oils and aroma molecules, organised by family and facet. It serves as a mental map for perfumers, cosmetic makers, and anyone learning where a given scent sits in the larger field.
The version below follows a 21-family structure from modern perfumery. Each family links to representative oils in our 400-oil library.
21 families · 4 concentric rings: mood → family → facet → representative oils
01How to read
The wheel has four concentric layers. Read from outside in: the outermost band is the colour-coded family ring. Next comes the 21 family names. Inside that, each family is divided into smaller facettes. The innermost ring carries the mood word evoked by each family.
Adjacent families on the wheel share a sensory closeness and tend to harmonise. Families that sit opposite each other create contrast. This is the foundational principle when composing a fragrance.
0221 fragrance families
Each family has a distinct character. The oils listed below are representative entries from our 400-oil library — click any chip to open the full profile.
Freshness フレッシュ
Cool, clean, invigorating. Includes mint, eucalyptus.
Representative oils
Citrus シトラス
Cold-pressed citrus peel. Bright, fast-flying, classical opening notes.
Representative oils
Fruity フルーティ
Soft sweet fruit flesh: peach, pear, blackcurrant, apricot. Mostly lactones, esters, absolutes.
Representative oils
Floral フローラル
Fresh petals. The main axis of perfumery: rose, jasmine, neroli, ylang-ylang.
Representative oils
Aldehydic アルデヒド
Fatty aldehydes (C-8, C-9, C-10) combined with florals — the clean lift of Chanel No.5.
Representative oils
Amber / Oriental アンバー
Warm resins, vanilla, balsam. A warm, long-lasting base.
Gourmet グルマン
Sugar, vanilla, chocolate, caramel. Edible, dessert-like.
Lavender ラベンダー
Its own family due to its historical weight in cologne and fougère structures.
Representative oils
Fougère フゼア
“Fern-like”. Classic masculine accord: lavender + oakmoss + coumarin + geranium.
Representative oils
Chypre シプレ
Bergamot + oakmoss + labdanum + patchouli accord. Named after Cyprus.
Aromatic アロマティック
Mediterranean aromatic herbs: rosemary, basil, thyme, sage.
Representative oils
Herbaceous ハーバル
Soft green herbs, not sharp: tarragon, marjoram, helichrysum.
Representative oils
Green グリーン
Crushed leaves, cut grass, green sap. Galbanum is the classic.
Representative oils
Spicy スパイシー
Kitchen spices: cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamon, pepper.
Representative oils
Woody ウッディ
Heartwood, roots, bark. Sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli — the stable base axis of perfumery.
Tobacco タバコ
Dry tobacco leaf, honey, dry leather. Tonka and cistus often appear.
Powdery パウダリー
Talc-like, soft powder. Orris (iris root), violet leaf, heliotrope.
Representative oils
Leather レザー
Dry leather, smoke, charred wood. Birch tar, cade, castoreum, isobutyl quinoline.
Representative oils
Animalic アニマリック
Civet, castoreum, ambergris — traditional animal sources. Modern perfumery uses synthetic substitutes.
Representative oils
Musky ムスク
Musks: heavy, long-wearing molecules linked to skin-scent. Mostly synthetics (nitro musks, macrocyclic, polycyclic).
Representative oils
03Mood ring
The innermost ring pairs each family with a mood word it commonly evokes. This is the psychological angle of scent — useful when briefing a product or translating brand messaging into olfactory language.
Refreshing→ Marine
Active→ Freshness
Original→ Citrus
Romantic→ Fruity
Radiant→ Floral
Precious→ Floral
Elegant→ Aldehydic
Mysterious→ Amber
Passionate→ Amber
Seductive→ Amber
Stimulating→ Gourmet
Clean→ Lavender
Masculine→ Fougere
Vitalizing→ Chypre
Classical→ Aromatic
Delicate→ Herbaceous
Natural→ Green
Sensual→ Spicy
Warm→ Woody
Dry→ Tobacco
Powdery→ Powdery
Classical→ Leather
Special→ Animalic
Luxurious→ Musky
04Practical use
When composing a fragrance, the wheel poses three foundational questions: 1/ Which family is the main axis? 2/ Which two adjacent families extend the richness? 3/ Is an opposing family needed to create contrast?
When substituting an oil (see the Substitution chart), pick from the same family or an adjacent one on the wheel. Within facette work, stay close to the original facette.