9/16/12

The Leffingwell Fragrance Genealogie Charts





This post is just an aside to my readers. Many of you may wonder where I get my fragrance classifications from, when I refer to things as chypres, orientals, etc. I use the Leffingwell Fragrance Genealogie Charts, of which there is a "Masculin" and "Feminin" version, both extensively charting the timeline and fragrance grouping of all bestselling designer and mass-market fragrances. There are no modern niche fragrances in the charts. However, classical French houses like Caron and Guerlain are represented, and I suppose they could be considered niche.

Leffingwell charts have been published in The H&R Genealogy, a limited edition set of books that were the industry standard for fragrance classification. They are no longer in print. It is worth noting that in the original editions, fragrance types such as "Aquatic" and "Ozonic" were acknowledged not by these names, but as "Fantasy" fragrances, and were categorized as such.