Short answer
Fragrance families are groups in which scents are classified based on their dominant olfactory character. There is no universal system, but commonly used families are fresh, floral, woody, amber, gourmand, aromatic/fougère and musk.
Why do fragrance families exist?
Scent is hard to put into words. Families create a shared language that allows perfumers, sellers and customers to indicate a direction more quickly.
They are comparable to genres in music: useful, but not absolute. A single perfume can be floral, woody and musky at the same time.
Fresh
Fresh often includes citrus, green, aromatic and watery/mineral directions. They can feel bright, light, sparkling or natural.
Floral
Floral covers scents in which flowers take centre stage: rose, jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose, iris, violet and many others. A floral can be transparent and fresh, but also dark and sensual.
Woody
Cedar, sandalwood, vetiver and other woody effects provide structure. Woody scents can be built up dry, creamy, smoky, mineral or warm.
Amber
In modern perfumery, amber refers to warm, often sensual structures with, for example, vanilla-like, balsamic, resinous, spicy or woody facets. The term is increasingly replacing the older word "oriental" in contemporary classification.
Gourmand
Gourmand scents use edible associations such as vanilla, cocoa, caramel, coffee, nuts or pastry-like effects. They can be very sweet, but modern gourmands can also be worked out dry, salty or woody.
Aromatic and fougère
Aromatic scents often use herbs and aromatic plants. Fougère is a historic perfume structure that is classically associated with lavender, coumarin and a mossy/woody foundation, but modern interpretations are much broader.
Musk
Musk can feel clean, skin-like, powdery, soft or sensual and is often used as a connecting base in compositions.
Why Inscentive works with families
For ambient scent, a fragrance family is a good starting point, but the spatial impression is more important than the label. That is why the final choice is based on atmosphere, brand fit and diffusion.