Compiled and written by fragrance expert Michael Edwards, the guide features 5,700 fragrances classified according to their scent family in the way that fine wines are sorted by their grape.

The latest edition, which is published online in French and English, includes 815 new fragrances.

The growing number of perfumes with fruit-based notes persuaded the fragrance expert to add a 'fruity' family to the 2008 edition of Fragrances of the World.

The new additions along with the established products are filtered through Edwards' fragrance family system allowing industry players to spot trends and better target their products at consumers.

Edwards' classification system has been embraced by several retailers including Sephora in order to reignite consumer interest in a market where branding has overshadowed the seductive mystery of formulation.

The 2008 edition of Fragrances of the World is priced at $190 and is currently available from fragrancesoftheworld.com.

The value of the global fragrance market rose by 6 per cent to $30.6bn ($20.8bn) in 2006, thanks to the booming emerging markets and growth of 3.5 per cent in Western Europe, according to a recent Euromonitor report.

"Western Europe was far more dynamic than America in 2006. Fragrance has become the accessory that completes an outfit and these consumers update their scent wardrobe almost as often as they update their look," said Diana Dodson from Euromonitor.

The report also concluded that contrary to expectation consumers have not lost interest in celebrity endorsed fragrances which continue to drive growth in Europe.