Michael Edward's Wheel
Michael Anthony Edwards (born 10 December 1943) is a British fragrance taxonomist, historian, and founding editor of Fragrances of the World, the largest guide to perfume classification. His lectures and writings, including the book Perfume Legends: French Feminine Fragrances, pioneered critical scholarship on the history of perfumery, while his fragrance wheel marked a major innovation in perfume retail. He resides in Australia, France, and the United States.
The Wheel
Developed by a perfume expert to help retailers and consumers, Edwards's wheel consists of a primary scent family (Woody, Floral, Amber, Fresh), divided into subfamilies (Floral Amber, Soft Amber, Aromatic, Citrus). Many of the subfamilies were in turn divided into Fresh, Crisp, Classical, and Rich composition gradings. Prior to 2010 Fougère group was placed at the center of this wheel.
In this classification scheme, Chanel No.5, which is traditionally classified as a "Floral Aldehyde" would be located under Soft Floral sub-group, and "Amber" scents would be placed within the Oriental group.
CLASS HIGHLIGHT: CHYPRES
As a class, Chypres are more difficult to place since they would be located under parts of the Oriental and Woody families. For instance, Guerlain Mitsouko, which is classically identified as a chypre will be placed under Mossy Woods, but Hermès Rouge, a chypre with more floral character, would be placed under Floral Oriental.
