Chypre (said "sheep-ruh") is one of the oldest fragrance families in perfumery: a bright citrus opening over a dry, mossy, resinous base. It is also one of the most misunderstood, because the name gives no clue what it smells like. This guide explains what a chypre is, where it came from, and how it fits among the other fragrance families, with the oils that make each one up.
What a chypre smells like
A chypre is built on a contrast. At the top is something fresh and sharp, traditionally bergamot. At the bottom is something dark, dry and earthy, traditionally oakmoss and labdanum. The result is neither sweet nor fresh: it reads as elegant, slightly bitter, mossy and a little leathery, with a powdery drydown that lasts well on skin.
The classic chypre structure has three parts:
- Bergamot at the top: citrus with a tea-like, faintly floral bitterness. Try our bergamot oil.
- Labdanum in the heart and base: a warm, honeyed resin that sits between amber, leather and beeswax. See labdanum.
- Oakmoss in the base: damp forest floor, bark and moss. See oak moss.
Most chypres add patchouli to the base for depth, and many add florals such as rose or jasmine in the heart. Our chypre perfume oil is a ready-made chypre accord, with oakmoss and labdanum at the base under a bergamot top, for blending or for wearing as it is.
Where the name comes from
Chypre is the French name for Cyprus. Perfumes using Cypriot resins and mosses were made for centuries, but the family is named after one fragrance: Chypre by François Coty, launched in 1917. It set out the bergamot, labdanum and oakmoss structure so clearly that perfumers began calling every fragrance built the same way "a chypre".
Modern chypres smell a little different from the old ones. Natural oakmoss extract contains allergens, and IFRA standards now strictly limit how much of it a perfume can use, so many recent chypres lean on patchouli and woods for the earthy base. Perfumers sometimes call these "modern" or "patchouli" chypres.
Chypre and fougère
Fougère ("fern" in French) is chypre's closest relative and the other classic family you will see in perfume descriptions. It swaps the citrus-and-resin contrast for lavender at the top and a sweet, hay-like base of coumarin (the main scent of tonka bean) and oakmoss. Many traditional men's fragrances are fougères; many traditional women's fragrances are chypres. Both use oakmoss, which is why they can smell related.
The fragrance families
A fragrance family groups scents by their main character. Perfumers use slightly different lists, but the idea is the same everywhere: if you like one scent in a family, you are likely to enjoy others in it. These are the families we group our perfume oils into, with a short guide to each. You can also browse them all on our shop by family page.
Citrus
Bright and quick to fade: lemon, lime, orange, mandarin, grapefruit and bergamot. Citrus notes are the classic top notes, so most perfumes use some, but a citrus fragrance puts them at the centre. Browse citrus oils.
Floral
The largest family in perfumery: rose, jasmine, lily of the valley, gardenia, tuberose, freesia, peony. Florals range from fresh and green to heady, creamy white flowers. Browse floral oils.
Fruity
Juicy and sweet: berries, apple, pear, peach, lychee, mango. Fruity notes lift a floral and brighten a gourmand. Browse fruity oils.
Sweet (gourmand)
Scents that smell good enough to eat: vanilla, caramel, praline, chocolate, honey, coffee. Gourmand perfumes became popular in the 1990s and are now a family of their own. Browse sweet oils.
Aromatic
Clean and a little medicinal: lavender, sage, rosemary, juniper, eucalyptus. Aromatic notes sit at the heart of fougères and of many fresh men's fragrances. Browse aromatic oils.
Herbal
Leafy and green: basil, mint, thyme, green tea, tea tree. Close to aromatic, but greener and less soapy. Browse herbal oils.
Aquatic
Aquatic (or "aqua") fragrances smell of water: sea air, rain, cool ozone and a faint salty edge. They are a modern family, made possible by synthetic materials such as Calone and popular since the early 1990s, and they are among the freshest scents there are. Our aqua perfume oil is a good single-note example. Browse aquatic oils.
Spicy
Warm or peppery: cinnamon, clove, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, pink pepper, ginger. Spices bring heat and texture, and they are central to many Middle Eastern perfumes. Browse spicy oils.
Woody
Dry and warm: sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli, birch. Woods make up the base of most perfumes and give them their staying power. Browse woody oils.
Oud
Oud, or agarwood, is the resinous heartwood of the aquilaria tree: deep, smoky, woody and slightly animalic. It has been treasured in the Gulf for centuries and is a family of its own in Arabian perfumery. Browse oud oils.
Animalic and musk
"Animalic" describes warm, skin-like and slightly dirty notes: musk, civet, castoreum, leather. They were once taken from animals, but today they are almost always synthetic. In small amounts they make a perfume feel warm and intimate rather than clean. Musks range from the clean, laundry-fresh white musk to the dark, smoky black musk. Our animalic oil is the note in its most direct form, used in small amounts for depth. Browse animalic and musk oils.
Powdery
Soft and dry: iris, violet, heliotrope and the classic baby powder accord. Powdery notes often come from musks and aldehydes, and they give a perfume a soft, cosmetic finish. Browse powdery oils.
Where chypre fits
Chypre sits across several of these families: citrus at the top, woody and mossy at the base, and often a little animalic from the labdanum. That is why it is usually listed as a family of its own. If you like chypres, you will probably enjoy the woody and aromatic families too. For a first blend of your own, try pairing bergamot with patchouli and a little labdanum, using our guide to making perfume oil at home, and check each oil's perfume limit in the usage table on its product page.
To learn how notes change from the first spray to the drydown, read our guide to fragrance notes.