Fragrance families explained: oud, musk, floral and fresh

Every scent on our shelf, attar or spray, carries a family — it is the small label under the name on each card. Families are the quickest way to find something you will like: if you love one scent, you will probably like others from the same family. Here are the four we sort everything into, and what each is for.

Oud and amber

Warm, woody and resinous: agarwood, amber, saffron, leather, tobacco and incense. These are the deepest scents, made for evenings, winter and occasions. If you are new, start with White Oud; when you want depth, go to Oud Ameer or Amber Leather. Our beginner's guide to oud goes further, or browse every oud.

Musk

Soft, clean and skin-like. Musk is the family you can wear anywhere — the office, prayer, a long journey. Kasturi musk is the warm, earthy Indian style; white musk is cleaner and more powdery. Try Kasturi Mushk and Musk Rizali, read musk explained, or browse the musks.

Floral

From fresh green stems to heady white flowers. India has one of the world's great floral traditions — rajnigandha, mogra, rose — and our florals lean into it. Rajnigandha is white tuberose, the flower Indian evenings smell of. Jannat e Zuhur is green and fresh. As sprays, Gulzar is bright and fruity and Shanaya is peach and rose over vanilla. Browse the florals.

Fresh and citrus

Bright, clean and cool: citrus, sea air, mint and green notes. This is the family for May and June, the gym and the morning commute. Aabshar is aquatic, with sea spray and mint; White London is clean lemon and neroli; Silver is grapefruit with a cool, metallic edge. Browse the fresh scents.

The scents in between

Plenty of scents sit across two families, which is why our labels often carry two words. Read the first as the headline and the second as the accent. Fruity · Chypre on Fateh means a bright fruit opening over a dry, woody base. Coffee · Vanilla on Shab is a gourmand — the sweet, almost edible side of perfume. Woody · Aromatic on Neel sets cedar and incense under a grapefruit opening.

Reading the notes

Every product page lists three notes, in the order you meet them. The opening is what you smell in the first minutes, usually the brightest part — citrus, fruit, spice. The heart arrives as the opening fades and is the scent's real character. The dry-down is what stays on your skin for the rest of the day: woods, amber, musk, vanilla. Families are mostly decided by the heart and the dry-down, which is why a scent can open on lemon and still belong with the musks.

So when you compare two bottles, don't stop at the first sniff. Give each one half an hour on your skin before you decide which family you are really in.

Finding your family

• Start from a smell you already love. Sandalwood agarbatti points to oud and amber. Jasmine in a gajra points to floral. Fresh laundry points to musk. A lemon cut open in summer points to fresh.
• Think about when you will wear it. Daytime and heat favour fresh scents and musk. Evenings and winter favour oud, amber and the richer florals.
• Try two from one family side by side. Wear one on each wrist for a day. The one you keep lifting to your nose is your answer.

Still not sure which family is yours? Our guide to choosing a fragrance as a gift works just as well when the person you are buying for is you.