Simplified Guide to understand fragrances

Fragrance descriptions are like English literature essays – all fancy & nice but its left to everyone's interpretation. At Dopamine, simplicity of communication is an important promise we have made to ourselves

We have reduced the fragrance families to 8 relatable categories. Each of our Dopamine perfume description uses a maximum of 3 categories from this lot based on their ‘dominance’ in the blend right from the top note to dry down stage

For Example

Driven For Him

is classified as ‘Fresh – Woody – Spicy,’ which means that the dominating fragrance is Fresh and supporting fragrance is Woody on a base of Spicy notes

Check out the 8 Fragrance Categories below that should help you imagine the aroma

FRESH

All citrusy smells like Lemon, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange. These zesty and tangy notes are refreshing in nature

FLORAL

Scents of fresh flowers; sweeter and a little powdery. Imagine Rose, Jasmine, Lily, Iris etc. And yes, Flower Bouquets; Fresh and Sweet aromas

SWEET

Fruity sweet smells. Imagine Strawberry, Apples, Pears etc

SPICY

Imagine the smells of Herbs, Spices, Incense etc - aromatic and warm. Individually they might be strong like Cinnamon or Peppermint, but these are softened down with sweet notes

GREEN

These are naturals smells like freshly cut grass or leaves. Imaging walking into freshly mowed lawns. You feel invigorated

OCEANIC

Aquatic scents like the smell of sea spray or rain or oceans. Very distinct

AMBER

Sweeter notes but not fresh and sweet (like fruits). Instead, these are warm and cosy sweet like Vanilla, Musk- on the softer side. Technically, herbs and spices also form a part of Amber family but for our ease, we have excluded those as a separate classification above

WOODY

Best imagined as Earthy, Smoky, Leathery, Smooth, and Sweet. These are royal and distinct is nature. Oakmoss, Cedar, Sandalwood, Patchouli etc are some of the ingredients that fall in this category