Yahoo Movies The Best Perfumes for Women, Tested & Reviewed by Editors and Experts
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Like quality jeans or designer sneakers, women’s perfumes have the power to make a statement without saying a word. They evoke beautiful (and not-so-beautiful) memories, and they are one of daily life’s simplest but most enjoyable little pleasures. That’s why investing in the best perfume for women is a decision you should put extra thought into.
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Fragrance is one of the oldest beauty products in history. In fact, based on ancient text and archaeological discoveries, researchers date the creation of perfume — then just a simple concoction of flowers and oil — back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia around the 2nd millennium B.C. Fast-forward a few thousand years (aka right now), and we’re still just as obsessed with smelling delightful.
“Fragrance helps us create an identity,” says Eduardo Valadez, marketing director at the storied French fragrance house, Diptyque. “Fragrance is something that’s very personal; it’s about a sensation. I think how people today wear fragrance is ‘I want to feel a certain way’.”
And similar to cologne for men, one of the most beautiful aspects of perfume for women is that there truly is something for everyone and every environment. Most of us wouldn’t wear the same perfume for a night out with friends as we would for brunch with our grandmother — and with so many varieties, you don’t have to. The world of fragrance is your oyster.
Because there are so many different aromas, formulations, and perfume types to choose from, narrowing down your top few can be intimidating. But the good news is that scent is one of those things in which you’ll know immediately whether you love it or hate it — and there’s rarely any in between.
“The sense of smell is one of the strongest things connecting us to memory and attraction,” explains Ross Barry, national perfume artist for Atelier Cologne. “So often, it is worn out of a place of nostalgia. It triggers a memory in us, and there’s something comforting in that.”
According to Nest New York founder Laura Slatkin, a fragrance impacts not only the person who wears it but also everyone they come into contact with. “Without it, encounters are, well, boring,” she adds. “Indulging in a magnificent fragrance lifts my spirits and everyone I touch.”
Ahead we highlight the best perfumes for women. From the classics to modern masterpieces and everything in between, these top perfumes are not only great for upping your scent game but double as stellar fragrance and beauty gifts. In fact, here’s a fun fact: During last year’s holiday season, 19% of gifts purchased were fragrances — double the rate of any other beauty category. So really, there’s no better gift to give the women in your life — like your mom — this year.
How We Tested and Selected the Best Perfumes for Women
We tested over a 100 women’s perfumes to discover the best perfumes for women for 2022. Then, we narrowed it down even further to divulge our top 20 favorite fragrances for women that we can’t stop spraying. To ensure all fragrances were thoroughly tested, each perfume was sprayed on paper and on the skin of a tester. For most scents, the writers enlisted additional testing help from the WWD Shop editorial team and peers to smell the full range of how each perfume on different testers. While some women’s fragrances have been tested for months, new perfume releases were tested over a week-long period. While we all have personal favorites, these 46 perfumes for women offer something for everyone to enjoy with varying prices, bottle sizes, and fragrance concentrations.
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Top 20 Perfumes for Women 2022
Chanel No.5 Eau de Parfum
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “Chanel No.5 is beautiful and luxurious. I love how the fragrance transitions through the day. It first starts off with some sparkling powdery notes, and later, I pick up glamorous florals shining through. After a couple of hours, I pick up the beautiful bourbon vanilla. It’s so sexy while still soft.”
Perhaps the most popular and high-end ladies perfume in the world, Chanel No.5 needs no introduction. Its subtle, powder-fresh sensibility was considered the symbol of femininity upon its launch in 1921, and it’s remained a vanity staple ever since. Although it’s often thought to be the best perfume for older women, it’s become an increasingly popular perfume for women in their 30s, along with millennials, proving the adage ‘what’s old is new again’ to be divinely true.
Chanel No. 5 Eau de Parfum
Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb
Size: 3.4 oz
Scent profile: Floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “This is truly a beautiful fragrance. If it smells too sweet upon first applying, wait a minute or two — I find that it takes a moment to settle once on the skin. Overall, it’s a unique, warm, and inviting floral scent. It also has great staying power.”
Viktor&Rolf‘s award-winning perfume smells like a sexy garden party, with bright notes of jasmine, rose and cattleya blended with vanilla and patchouli for a incredibly luxuriously feminine scent.
Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb
Le Labo Another 13
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Woody ambrette
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “This is a scent that will 100% smell different on everyone, and I like that about it. Unlike other Le Labo fragrances, where the scent starts off very strong, Another 13 is more subtle yet still noticeable (evidenced by all the compliments it garners). It’s a little musky, a little woody, and a little fresh that leans masculine.”
Le Labo’s Another 13 is this writer’s own signature scent (I’ve worn it nearly every day for years and have lost count of how many compliments it’s received, but the most memorable was from the cashier at the grocery store who started his compliment with, “This may be weird, but…” and went on to say that I smelled really good.) No doubt about it, it’s a versatile, classic fragrance.
Le Labo Another 13
Gucci Bloom Eau de Parfum
Size: 1.6 oz
Scent profile: Floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “As the name suggests, it’s a bold floral. I had no idea I loved the smell of tuberose until I tried this!”
“Sometimes, we have connotations of what we think we like or don’t like,” Valadez says. “We have this idea that a floral or rose are very mature fragrances, kind of like a grandma scent,” yet he sees time and time again where people think they hate a note but actually love how it blends with other raw materials. This full-on floral perfume could easily be written off as a ‘grandma’ fragrance, but the notes of jasmine and Rangoon creeper — a fun south Indian plant that smells sweet and fruity — keep it feminine, flirty and youthful, making it an especially popular perfume for young women.
Gucci Bloom
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540
Size: 2.4 oz
Scent profile: Ambrette floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “This perfume gives a decadent and unique scent that is sweet without being over the top. It’s not exactly floral, but more of a sweet and rich scent that is absolutely worth the splurge.”
Although the price point may cause you to pass by this lavish scent, do yourself a favor and give this expensive perfume a whirl. Perfect for a romantic night or those who make every day a luxurious celebration, it’s an incredibly rich and long-lasting perfume (seriously, one spritz will linger until the next day). Its grand notes include spicy, bitter saffron, red cedar from the mountains of Virginia with hints of juniper and Egyptian jasmine for a gorgeous finish.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540
Mugler Angel Eau de Parfum
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Sweet gourmand
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “You probably won’t like it at first, but you’ll keep coming back to sniff it. This fragrance is a masterpiece — warm, spicy, feminine, and perfect for winter.”
Arguably one of the most famous perfumes in the world, Angel by Mugler is the brainchild of beloved fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who, according to legend, wanted to create a delicious, mouthwatering scent for the women lucky enough to wear his designs. The scent’s makeup is more complicated than a single whiff may seem, with 28 blissfully fragrant notes in total. The most fragrant top notes kick off with a sweet pairing of cotton candy and juicy citrus, mixed with a heart equal to a lush fruit basket filled with red berries, blackberry, plum, and peach, ending with a base of chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and sandalwood.
Mugler Angel Eau de Parfum
Maison Margiela Replica By the Fireplace
Size: 3.4 oz
Scent profile: Smoky and spicy
Type of fragrance: Eau de toilette
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “The mix of vanilla and smoke is wonderful. I’m not normally huge on perfumes with vanilla scents because they tend to be too sweet for me, but this one checks all the right boxes. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be ‘cozy.’”
Barry reaches for this “creamy and smoky” Maison Margiela fragrance when the temperatures start to dip, and deeper scents are embraced. “It’s perfect for this time of year, and I love it with a sweater and leather jacket,” he says, adding that it’s a great “going-out scent.”
Maison Margiela Republica By the Fireplace
Maurice Roucel Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Spicy ambrette
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “This scent reminds me of the great classic perfumes — it smells delicious, but you also immediately know whether you love it or you don’t, and there’s not really an in-between. The spiciness makes it gender-neutral,, and my boyfriend wears it even more than I do.”
One of Shapiro’s favorites, this “marvelous fragrance,” as she calls it, has an ambery sensibility with strong notes of clove, sandalwood, musk, and amber. It’s balanced with smooth vanilla and lavender that perfumer Maurice Roucel designed to be sensual, dramatic and mysterious.
Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille
Size: 1 oz
Scent profile: Spicy ambrette
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I was expecting a deeply masculine fragrance, but it’s surprisingly feminine. Tobacco has such a strong, sometimes bitter smell, but here it’s balanced to perfection by the sweetness of the vanilla, and the ginger adds a kick of spice as well.”
“It’s just stunning,” enthuses Shapiro about the sexiest perfume on our list. “It’s vanilla, but it’s so sophisticated and intoxicating.” Shapiro’s rousing endorsement should surprise no one because if Tom Ford understands one thing, it’s how to be sexy and dripping with confidence. Spritz on this supercharged scent when you need to remember all the power you wield.
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille
Byredo Mojave Ghost Eau de Parfum
Size: 1.6 oz
Scent profile: Woody ambrette
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I wear this perfume when I feel moody because I find that I notice different notes throughout the day as I wear it. I enjoy that element of surprise and the fact that it smells slightly different to me every time, depending on whether I pick up on the sweet, spicy, or floral notes.”
If your spirit runs more wild and more free than traditional or scheduled, this could be your perfume. Inspired by the rare, miraculous “ghost flower” that lives without water under the most difficult, arid conditions in the Mojave Desert, this woody composition is light with musky ambrette. Additionally, it emanates Jamaican nesberry, violet sandalwood, and a base of crisp amber and cedar that takes anyone who wears it on a true adventure. As Shapiro says, “A bold fragrance on the right person can come off daring.”
Byredo Mojave Ghost Eau de Parfum
Armani Beauty Sí
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Floral gourmand
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “An old colleague used to keep this perfume at her desk and I would steal spirtzes every now and then because it just smelled so good. Sexy, sweet and spicy, which is everything I want in a fragrance.”
Captivating and simple, this scent is one of the best women’s perfumes for a minimalist who just wants to smell great and a little neutral. Blackcurrant nectar, mandarin, and orange blossom are at the forefront, with warm vanilla anchoring the fragrance and rounding everything out. The fruit and vanilla combo is pretty and easy to wear.
Armani Beauty Sí
Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Parfum
Size: 3 oz
Scent profile: Ambrette
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “This perfume is so sweet and just the perfect fall fragrance. I love a good mix of sweet and floral, and while this is more on the sweet side, it’s still become my new favorite scent. The bottle is so elegant and beautiful as well.”
This is a scent designed to make your heart race, with strong opening notes of adrenaline-boosting coffee mixed with a sweet vanilla base and a burst of floral notes. And who says you have to save the best sexy perfumes for the evening? Not Slatkin. “Some people like to be seductive, whether they’re out on a romantic evening or grocery shopping,” she says. “And that’s the wonderful thing about signature scents.”
Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Parfum
Le Labo Santal 33
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Spicy floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “Santal 33 is probably the most popular perfume of the past decade and I wish I didn’t love it so much. To me, it smells like fresh, crisp sawdust shavings, especially immediately after spraying, but the sandalwood dries down and a sweet iris appears. I hope I’m buried with a bottle.”
Chances are, you’ve smelled this incredibly popular unisex Le Labo fragrance at least a few times a week just walking around your city. It smells like a roaring fire with billows of thick smoke — spiked with a cocktail of cardamom, iris and violet notes — to present the most intoxicating, can’t-get-enough kind of scent.
Le Labo Santal 33
Dior Miss Dior Eau de Parfum
Size: 3.4 oz
Scent profile: Floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “This perfume genuinely changes my mood. It makes me happy and feel beautiful.”
Reminiscent of a fresh bouquet filled with lily-of-the-valley, peony and rose, this fragrance is an all-the-way flowery scent that’s one of the best Dior perfumes for anyone who adores the floral scent family. “I think that fragrance has really become more like a wardrobe,” Valadez says. “We don’t just have one white shirt, and I think fragrance is the same way. Some might have five or six in rotation.”
Dior Miss Dior Eau de Parfum
Burberry Her Eau de Parfum
Size: 3.3 oz
Scent profile: Fruity floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “Burberry Her is a great everyday scent. I wear it as my work perfume. It’s light and fruity, but also has a slight woody overlay that makes it elegant.”
Blueberry and other fruity numbers, like black currant and raspberry, are the top notes of this fragrance. Meanwhile, a base of musky amber delivers a punch of sour-sweetness that is delicate and extremely modern. Hands down, this is the best Burberry perfume for women.
Burberry Her Eau de Parfum
Ex Nihilo Fleur Narcotique
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Woody floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “As a perfume hoarder, I can say that I have nothing like this in my collection. It’s definitely narcotic! I like to spray it in my hair so it leaves a trail behind me.”
According to Ex Nihilo, Fleur Narcotique is far and away their bestselling perfume, calling it “an overdose” of energetic ingredients that leave “a trail of sensual peony wrapped in woods.” The scent’s floral notes of jasmine, orange blossom and of course, peony, play a starring role, while transparent wood, moss and musk add warm undertones for a scent that is, indeed, a blissful narcotique.
Ex Nihilo Fleur Narcotique
Diptyque Do Son Eau de Toilette
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Fruity floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de toilette
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “One of my favorite Diptyque perfumes because it’s so pleasantly neutral. It’s airy, fruity, and smells like your backyard garden. It’s just all-around pretty.”
“The way that we work on composing fragrance, it’s really about celebrating a specific story that we’re trying to capture from our founders,” Valadez says. This light, floral eau de toilette recalls the beloved memories of Diptyque founder Yves Coueslant’s childhood summers in Do Son, Vietnam. Brewed with spicy tuberose, softened with orange blossom and topped with jasmine, this women’s perfume is simultaneously light and potent, making it a terrific option for the workplace.
Diptyque Do Son Eau de Toilette
D.S. & Durga Amber Teutonic Eau de Parfum
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Woody ambrette
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I hate the feeling that I smell like everyone else, but when I wear this creative scent, I know I won’t. The pine is perfectly balanced against the amber and spice for an overall warm, woody, and slightly sweet scent.”
Another one of Maltz’s favorites, this luxury perfume by D.S. & Durga smells like a magical forest with notes of Alpine cedar, cardamom and green mandarin. “Spray liberally on wrists,” he says. “I always tap my neck with my wrist. And, I like to wear it heavy sometimes, but you do you.”
D.S. & Durga Amber Teutonic Eau de Parfum
Marc Jacobs Daisy
Size: 3.4 oz
Scent profile: Fruity floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de toilette
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “Daisy isn’t supposed to be a really dramatic scent — it’s very light, simple, and clean smelling, like a breath of fresh air.”
If happiness could be bottled up, it might look (and smell like) like Daisy by Marc Jacobs. Effervescent, full-bodied and straightforwardly sweet (think honey-sweet, not cupcake-sweet), this perfume for women emphasizes crisp fruits and dreamy florals. You’ll find notes of strawberry, violet and jasmine offset with the teensiest touch of sultry sandalwood. Plus, this smooth scent can easily be mixed, matched and layered with other scents if you want to play master perfumer.
Marc Jacobs Daisy
Ellis Brooklyn Myth
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Floral ambrette
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “Myth is an interesting scent because it doesn’t really lean into one fragrance family or another; it’s pretty neutral. It smells like great shower soap or fresh laundry.”
“Myth is always a favorite of mine,” Shapiro says. “The combination of white musk, jasmine and white cedarwood is just my scent. It creates a beautiful, calm mood for me.”
Ellis Brooklyn Myth
Other Top Women’s Perfumes To Consider
Lancôme La Vie Est Belle
Size: 2.5 oz
Scent profile: Floral gourmand
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “La Vie Est Belle is one of those reliable fragrances that you can wear to any setting, day or night, and feel totally appropriate. Although if you don’t like sweet, floral fragrances, this probably isn’t the one for you.”
La Vie Est Belle is Lancôme’s bestselling perfume for women. It shines bright with feminine jasmine sambac, bubbling orange blossom, and is balanced with earthy, spicy patchouli. Like most eau de toilettes, it doesn’t have major staying power, but the layered scent is definitely full-bodied, so another light spritz in the late afternoon will easily take you through the night.
Lancôme La Vie Est Belle
Dior J’adore Eau de Parfum
Size: 3.4 oz
Scent profile: Fruity floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “J’adore is my go-to spring and summer scent. It’s a gentle floral and I love that it is formulated without alcohol, so it won’t irritate even super sensitive skin like mine.”
If you’re a woman of a certain age, there’s no way you didn’t see the dazzling J’adore commercials with Charlize Theron dripping in shimmery gold gowns. It was one of the first aspirational perfumes, and it worked (for me and seemingly many others, as it’s Dior’s bestselling perfume). Intensely floral, this fragrance is steadfastly feminine without a hint of deeper, darker notes.
Dior J’adore Eau de Parfum
Ouai Rue St Honoré Eau de Parfum
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “This fragrance is very chic and elegant, delivering a light floral scent that reminds me of honeysuckle in a fresh way. Plus, the magnetic closure and minimalist bottle is the cherry on top that adds style to my makeup vanity.”
Founded by celebrity hairstylist turned beauty biz mogul Jen Atkin, Ouai hair care and perfume brand became an instant hit — and we’re not surprised in the slightest. Their Rue St Honoré Eau de Parfum is a sexy floral fragrance that takes inspiration from Rue St. Honoré in Paris with top notes of violet and magnolia and middle notes of white gardenia and ylang-ylang; it’s grounded by a dose of warm white musk.
Ouai Rue St Honoré Eau de Parfum
Price: $60
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Guerlain Shalimar Eau de Toilette
Size: 1.6 oz
Scent profile: Floral ambrette
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “Just when I think I’d call it a ‘sweet’ perfume, the incense and amber notes reveal themselves for a truly layered, complex scent. I feel glamorous when I wear it — it’s easy to see see why it’s still being sold after all these years.
Guerlain’s masterpiece debuted in 1925 and was beloved by Hollywood icons Brigitte Bardot and Rita Hayworth. Shalimar opens with a sensation of warm and spicy notes, bergamot most notably, before settling into a powdery vanilla and iris base with notes of jasmine and rose. Despite being nearly 100 years old, Shalimar remains one of the most popular fragrances for anyone who loves a classic.
Guerlain Shalimar Eau de Toilette
Clinique Happy
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Fruity floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “Happy brings back so many memories! I still love this perfume and the fact that it’s sold at an accessible pricepoint so everyone can enjoy it. It’s a simple, no fuss fragrance that smells refreshing and clean, and is easy to wear.”
Worn by nearly every girl in my high school, Clinique’s Happy is a crowd-pleaser and often an entrypoint into fragrance for teenage girls. Simply put, it just smells great and, indeed, cheerful, with notes of ruby red grapefruit, bergamot, spring mimosa and Hawaiian wedding flower. It’s also one of the first clean perfumes, formulated without parabens or phthalates.
Clinique Happy
Kilian Paris Love, Don’t Be Shy
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Floral gourmand
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I’m a big fan of Kilian, and this perfume smells youthful and fun. It’s definitely one of the sweeter, more candy-like fragrances I’ve ever sniffed, almost like an elevated creamsicle or cotton candy.”
Intended to evoke the innocent memories of your first love, Kilian’s floral gourmand, Love, Don’t Be Shy, opens with soft orange blossom absolute, honeysuckle and rose before transitioning into a sweeter-than-sweet marshmallow sugar accord with a warm amber base. Plus, the gleaming, luxurious packaging and gold topper look endlessly chic on a vanity.
Kilian Paris Love, Don’t Be Shy
Oscar de la Renta Alibi Eau de Parfum
Size: 3.4 oz
Scent profile: Floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “It’s a nice floral scent without being cloying or sickly sweet. It’s a clean, fresh, light floral that is especially great to wear in the spring and summer.”
“Gourmand notes can have a negative perception as being heavy or sticky,” notes Lauren Shyman, Head of Evaluation at Robertet, the historic worldwide provider of raw fragrance materials. But Oscar de la Renta’s notes of fresh mandarin and earthy musk come together with bursts of floral from the vanilla orchid and ginger blossom middle notes, all grounded by a mix of woods and gourmands, including amberwood and creamy praline, to finally, and deliciously, put that misconception to bed.
Oscar de la Renta Alibi Eau de Parfum
Byredo Eyes Closed
Size: 100ml
Scent profile: Woody
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “This complex scent is woody, earthy, and powdery with a dose of warm spices. While most autumnal fragrances tend to be super rich or heavy, this new release hits all the right notes for someone who prefers a cleaner, lighter scent.”
Byredo’s new fragrance, Eyes Closed, is a genderless woody floral scent that features cardamom, oris, and patchouli notes. It was designed to conjure a feeling of warmth, tenderness, and familiarity — similar to the cozy feeling during the beginning of fall.
Byredo Eyes Closed
Tory Burch Essence of Dreams Mystic Geranium
Size: 3oz
Scent profile: Fresh aromatic
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “Overall, this fragrance smells like a magical meadow of flowers. The bright bergamot note gives it a distinctive citrusy green tea-like note without bitterness. It’s a cheerful everyday scent that I plan to wear to work.”
Tory Burch’s Essence of Dreams collection inspired wearers to follow their dreams and visualize a better world. Specifically, Mystic Geranium is designed to instill joy with its light and floral aroma, consisting of the unexpected contrast between geranium leaf, bergamot, and rich cedarwood.
Tory Burch Essence of Dreams Mystic Geranium
Calvin Klein Ck One Eau de Toilette
Size: 6.7 oz
Scent profile: Fresh
Type of fragrance: Eau de toilette
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I have worn CK One for 20+ years and I get compliments all the time. The scent is light and unique — not too sweet, not too musky. I will wear this forever.”
If you’re looking for a new optimistic scent, look no further than Calvin Klein’s Ck One. Opening with a blast of citrus and tropical fruits, such as lemon, papaya and pineapple, Ck One is the epitome of a light and refreshing aroma. The green tea and hint of cardamom add a soft, spicy dimension. Like all eau de toilettes, don’t expect a spritz of this to hang around in the air for too long. Not only is this fragrance one of the best fresh perfumes for women out there, it’s also earned an exclusive spot as one of the top 10 greatest fragrances of all time.
Calvin Klein Ck One Eau de Toilette
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Ambrette
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I love that this scent isn’t a ‘girly’ fragrance — it’s a full body scent. It’s strong for the first few minutes then it calms down, but don’t use more than two sprays or you’ll overpower even yourself.”
Shapiro calls this perfume “a masterpiece,” as it “nails the Chanel aesthetic and has beautiful structure, composition and lift.” Falling squarely in the Ambery fragrance family, it’s one of Chanel’s best perfumes featuring hints of fresh, energizing orange with accords of jasmine and May Rose, topped with vetiver’s grassy accents.
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
Yves Saint Laurent Libre Eau de Parfum
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Warm floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “YSL Libre is such a sexy and sophisticated scent. I love wearing it for a night out and the balance of sweet and musky made it the perfect scent to transition from summer to autumn.”
When shopping for a new women’s perfume, Slatkin says to “wait for the perfume that physically moves you when you experience it. If it makes you smile or say, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s amazing!’ out loud, that’s a good thing.” And we bet you won’t be able to help but smile once you give this perfume, brimming with notes of Moroccan orange blossom, vanilla extract and lavender essence, a whiff. In fact, it’s one of the best lavender perfumes — bar none.
Yves Saint Lauren Libre Eau de Parfum
Cartier La Panthère Eau de Parfum
Size: 2.5 oz
Scent profile: Floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “If you’re looking for something well-made and well-rounded, this is it. I can smell specific notes, like apricot, gardenia, musk, moss, and patchouli, but it smells spicy too. I love to wear it to brunch and to go shopping in vintage stores.”
Cartier launched La Panthère in 2014 to much fanfare — and rightfully so. This strong scent quickly became, and still is, their bestselling fragrance. Not to mention, it looks chic on a vanity with its fierce glass vessel featuring the sculpted face of a panther, the brand’s longtime symbol. Tangy top notes of rhubarb, strawberry, anise are swirled with a blend of dried fruit and balanced with oakmoss, musk, leather and patchouli.
Cartier La Panthère Eau de Parfum
Tiffany Rose Gold
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Fruity floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “It was love at first spray for me, which is funny because I’m not usually into floral scents, but it makes me feel energized, happy, and feminine.”
This fruity-floral number from Tiffany was crafted “around a brilliant multi-faceted floral bouquet,” says Shyman, adding that it’s a modern interpretation, rather than the “linear approach we are seeing in the marketplace.” She credits a trio of blooms — blue rose, rose essential oil and jasmine petals — along with juicy blackcurrant and pink pepper, all wrapped in ambery woods, that create “a soft and addictive landing on the skin and gives a remarkable texture to this scent.”
Tiffany Rose Gold Eau de Parfum
Vilhelm Parfumerie Smoke Show Eau de Parfum
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Warm + spicy
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “If you like your scents to smell like a smoky backroom at a jazz club in Paris, this is perfect for you, especially if you like a more androgynous perfume. It is very strong when first sprayed, but then ages into a warm, smoky, leathery aroma.”
Unapologetically seductive, Smoke Show is a spicy, woody scent and hands down the one to reach for when you’re looking to make a striking statement. Some say it has an opulent, “Gatsby-esque” sensibility, likely due to the masculine notes of leather, vetiver, cedarwood and agarwood, yet it is lightened with a touch of feminine rose oil, creating a scent that is as mysterious as it is refined.
Vilhelm Parfumerie Smoke Show Eau de Parfum
Jo Malone London Earl Grey & Cucumber
Size: 3.3 oz
Scent profile: Fresh
Type of fragrance: Cologne
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “This scent is refreshing, easy to wear, and it pairs well with a lot of other more powerful fragrances, if you’re into layering.”
Inspired by the mid-afternoon British ritual of High Tea, this perfume from Jo Malone blends notes of traditional Earl Grey with cucumber as a nod to those mini cucumber sandwiches that typically accompany the tea. Even if this unique scent may not seem like an obvious choice, cofounder of D.S. and Durga David Maltz recommends trying it anyway. “Never fear making mistakes — it’s no big deal,” he says. “It’s like anything else; try everything and learn as you go.”
Jo Malone London Earl Grey & Cucumber
D.S. & Durga St. Vetyver
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Earthy, fresh
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I’d describe this fragrance as spicy-green. It’s a strong, earthy scent that is still somehow easy to wear, despite smelling a little bit ‘dirty,’ but in the best way possible with a spoonful of sweetness.”
“I personally love old-fashioned fragrances, like St. Vetyver,” Moltz says. “You know what you like.” But yet, don’t close yourself off to a scent profile because of one or two notes — you may be surprised about what the formulation brings. As Moltz says, “Be excited about exploring.”
D.S. & Durga St. Vetyver
Ralph Lauren Ralph’s Club
Size: 3.4 oz
Scent profile: Earthy, herbaceous + woody
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “This perfume is like a full-on hug from a sexy man, even though it’s unisex. It’s a mature scent that reads masculine and smells like the great outdoors. It’s definitely for someone who appreciates herbaceous and woody tones with a dose of floral.”
“I am really loving Ralph Lauren Ralph’s Club right now for fall,” says Barry of this herbaceous aroma of cedarwood, patchouli and lavandin. Forget the ‘men’s fragrance’ label — plenty of women wear “masculine” scents when they want to feel powerful.
Ralph Lauren Ralph’s Club
Tom Ford Lost Cherry
Size: 1 oz
Scent profile: Sweet + spicy
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I love that there are so many layers to this scent: when you first apply, you can definitely smell the cherry before it settles into more of a musky scent. It’s expensive, so I save it for special occasions and truly savor it.”
Lost Cherry, one of the best Tom Ford perfumes for women, is a beautiful masterpiece of contradictions: A cocktail of decadent black cherry and bitter liqueur are infused with Turkish rose and Arabian jasmine to offer an explosion of warm and spicy notes, creating a full-bodied perfume intended to provoke imagination and sensuality.
Tom Ford Lost Cherry
Byredo Bibliothèque
Size: 3.4 oz
Scent profile: Floral woody
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I have a soft spot for Bibliotheque because it was my first Byredo perfume and wearing it still makes me happy. I go back and forth about which note — the vanilla, leather, or wood — is the strongest, but it’s really all three at the same time.”
Designed for both men and women, one of Byredo’s best-selling fragrances conjures a fantasy of walking through an old, beautiful library, complete with aromatic wood panels and tables, musty old paper and books with rich leather bindings. All of these elements create a luxury fragrance that is simultaneously comforting and exciting.
Byredo Bibliothèque
Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Earthy, fresh
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “By far the most versatile perfume I’ve ever owned. I’ve found that mixing this perfume with others boosts their longevity or takes its uniqueness to the next level. It’s a perfume for people who don’t like perfume.”
Ah, the perfume for the people who don’t wear perfume. Everything about this perfume is different down to the way it’s formulated, ensuring that it smells literally like no other perfume out there. Skipping the standard notes process, this perfume is made of just one ingredient, cetalox, which smells like the Earth — but not dirt or trees, per se. Just try it and you’ll see what we mean.
Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume
Ellis Brooklyn Super Amber
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Spicy ambrette
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “Super Amber smells like a delightful walk in the woods and it strikes the perfect balance of spicy and sweet. I can see myself wearing it as an everyday fragrance because it’s just so smooth and soft.”
“Right now with the colder weather, I’ve been gravitating towards cozy fragrances, like Super Amber,” says perfumer and founder of Ellis Brooklyn, Bee Shapiro. “It’s musky and has a cashmere feel that makes me feel comfortable.”
Ellis Brooklyn Super Amber
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood
Size: 2.4
Scent profile: Woody floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I’m a stan for deeper fragrances and this oud is distinct and simply delicious. I love that it lasts for days, which is the mark of a terrific, well-crafted perfume.”
“I think it’s best to throw the whole idea of specific notes out the window,” Shapiro says. “Instead, think of what mood you want to be in. Is it warm and cozy? Is it effervescent and flirty? Then, seek out scents with that same vibe. You may find something that surprises and enchants you.” And that goes for this fragrance, too — it feels mysterious and thrilling, as if you’re vacationing somewhere on the other side of the world or tasting a new, exotic dish. It’s one of the best oud perfumes around.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood
Chloé Atelier des Fleurs Papyrus
Size: 1.7 oz
Scent profile: Woody, fresh
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “This perfume is a very rose-forward fragrance and you can expect it to smell the same from the moment you first spray it on until it trails off towards the end of the day. One time when I wore it, a friend told me that I smelled like I just stepped out of the shower — I’ll take it!”
Inspired by a gift from his grandparents — a papyrus covered in hieroglyphs — perfumer Alexis Dadier set out to capture the refreshing and smoky papyrus scent for Chloé. The result is a dry, gently woody women’s perfume, offset with verdant, lush notes, that’s light enough for daytime wear and can easily be layered for a sultry evening scent. All in all, it’s one of the best perfumes for young women in their 20s.
Chloé Atelier des Fleurs Papyrus
Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette
Size: 1 oz
Scent profile: Woody floral
Type of fragrance: Eau de toilette
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I was expecting this to be like all eau de toilettes, meaning it won’t stay on your skin for very long, but I was shocked that with just two spritzes, this perfume stayed all day. To me, it smells very powdery and fresh, so it’s more of a daytime perfume for me.”
A longtime favorite among beauty editors, this essence features an extravagant mingling of floral, amber and woody notes, resulting in one of the best long-lasting perfumes that is truly intoxicating, memorable and timeless.
Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette
Diptyque Eau de Minthé Eau de Parfum
Size: 2.5 oz
Scent profile: Fresh, herbaceous
Type of fragrance: Eau de parfum
Perfume Testing and Review Notes: “I had never smelled a mint-toned perfume before and after smelling this one, I don’t know why more perfumers aren’t including the note in their composition! It’s fabulously unisex, although it comes across as slightly more masculine, and I find the light spearmint scent to be refreshing but also calming, like a nice aromatherapy candle.”
“I love the idea of fragrance bringing joy,” Shapiro says. “There is magic in our sense of smell; it can literally stop and seemingly reverse time with just a sniff. It can also open up a whole new world — an invisible one, for sure — but so powerful all the same.” Everyone knows what mint smells like, but this Diptyque perfume for women turns that notion on its head with a reimagined take, resulting in a lively, thoroughly modern — and definitely joyful — geranium and patchouli-infused mint.
Diptyque Eau de Minthé Eau de Parfum
What to Keep in Mind When Shopping for the Best Perfume for Women
Parfum: Also known as pure perfume or extrait de parfum, this type of perfume is concocted with the highest concentration of fragrance, landing somewhere between 20 and 30%, making it the rarest and most expensive option. It’s also the longest-lasting, as the ultra-refined notes and raw materials release over time. You can expect a parfum to last for at least 10 hours, and usually far more.
Eau de parfum is the strongest type of fragrance among the three most common varieties, says Slatkin. “It has a higher concentration of fragrance oil than an eau de toilette or eau de cologne.” An eau de parfum will offer a more intense aroma than any other kind of perfume, except for the rare parfum. You’ll still pay a pretty penny for an eau de parfum, due to its potent composition of fragrant ingredients, but it will also last quite awhile on your skin — at least 8 hours — before needing a refresher. Be forewarned that the top notes tend to disappear quickly and an eau de parfum does not play nicely with delicate fabrics, like silk, so be sure to mind where you spritz.
Eau de toilette is composed with a lower concentration of perfume oil than an eau de parfum or parfum, causing their scents to lean more light and fresh, versus heady or rich, like the two above options. An eau de toilette will also smell slightly different than an eau de parfum, even if they are produced by the same brand with the same notes, because the chemical makeup of each is unique. You can anticipate a simpler, lighter scent from an eau de toilette that won’t last more than a few hours. To make an eau de toilette last all day, you will need to lightly reapply every few hours. Many eau de toilette fragrances are considered the best inexpensive perfumes for women and those who love to switch up their perfumes often.
Eau de cologne clocks in as the gentlest type of fragrance. “In the fragrance world, the order of highest to lowest concentration is parfum, eau de parfum, eau de toilette then eau de cologne,” says Slatkin. Because an eau de cologne has the lowest concentration of aromatic notes, it disappears rather quickly, requiring several more spritzes per application than one of the stronger above options. Because you need to spray more product to achieve your desired effect, most eau de colognes are packaged in larger bottles, but its lightness makes it a favorite for sunny days.
Fragrance Families
Light and fresh: If you tend to like your perfumes smelling like a ripe, just chopped lemon or a valley of wildflowers, it could be that you favor the sweet citrus or floral families.
Intense and dense: If you like spicy over sweet or deep over light, then a heady, exotic oud, vetiver or woodsy aroma could be up your alley.
Most Popular Perfumes for Women
There have been hundreds of thousands of perfumes over time, but there are a few fragrance families that have stood the test of time. Within each fragrance category, there are varying intensities and combinations that will bring out different sensibilities, depending on which top and middle notes are mixed with the base. Use our perfume scents list below to learn about each specific fragrance family, including what notes you can expect for each and why they make the best smelling perfumes.
Floral Perfumes: Historically one of the most popular types of fragrance, the best floral perfumes are immediately recognizable, with many using rose, jasmine, lilies and peonies, for a delicate, sweet scent. Floral notes are also used to dilute or add complexity to a more intense perfume.
French Perfumes: French perfumes have a certain je ne sais quoi and prestige about them. Grasse, the quaint hillside town in France, is thought to be the fragrance capital of the world, as many of the most popular notes are sourced from their rolling fields of flowers, including jasmine, May rose, tuberose and lavender.
Vanilla Perfumes: Vanilla is used in a majority of perfumes, whether you can identify it or not. It is incredibly versatile, pairing well with nearly any other note, and it can either lighten or deepen a perfume’s overall composition and scent. You can be sure that with vanilla as a key note, the perfume will undeniably have a more layered aroma.
Rose Perfumes: Often called “the perfumer’s essential ingredient,” rose can be used as a heady absolute or a lighter perfume oil for a finish that ranges from powdery to fruity to musky, depending on the other notes which envelop it. The best and most popular roses in perfumes are the Turkish rose, the Damask and Rosa Centifolia.
Woody Perfumes: Woody scents are considered warm, and counts cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver and amber as their most prominent notes. The woody family further splits into sub-categories — mossy woods and dry woods — which utilize earthy, sweet undertones and leathery smokiness, respectively, which makes the entire family an especially trendy option to wear at night.
Ambery Perfumes: Also referred to as the Ambrette fragrance family, you can expect such a scent to feel warm and sweet, with a sometimes spicy finish. Their peppery notes of cardamom, cinnamon and vanilla are usually swirled with florals like jasmine, orchid and orange blossom, to create a deeper and richer aroma than other families, leading many to believe that an Ambery perfume is the most luxurious. Their compositions are also more complex and will keep you on your toes, as they can be combined with other families to create floral Ambery, soft Ambery and woody Ambery scents.
Fresh Perfumes: Generally, the telltale notes of a fresh scent are aquatic, citrus and green, which will leave you feeling refreshed and energized. Citrus notes are lemon, mandarin and bergamot, while seamoss is a water note and herbal, leafy greens, like rosemary, lavender or basil, are considered ‘green.’
How to Apply Women’s Perfume
Where and how you spray perfume is everything. To ensure your scent lasts all day, spritz directly onto the skin. Don’t do the spray-then-walk-into-it thing — all that will do is waste your expensive perfume.
Focus on the pulse points, which are the warmest parts of your body, with the go-to spots being the wrist and neck. However, there are plenty of other lesser-known areas that will maximize your perfume’s longevity and intensity, like behind the ears and in the elbow creases.
Fragrance also attaches best to hydrated skin, which is one more reason to moisturize regularly and in humid climates (and is also the reason why everything smells a little bit more in the summer, for better or worse).
Meet the Experts
Eduardo Valadez is a self-described perfume junkie who has more than 20 years under his belt working at the storied French fragrance house, Diptque. He’s had a front-row seat to every new fragrance development and launch at the brand and he possesses an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the fragrance world.
Ross Barry serves as the national perfume artist for Aterlier Cologne. Barry is light years ahead of the curve when it comes to predicting and crafting fragrance trends. He inherently understands the power of perfume, especially the notes and combinations that make us tick.
Bee Shapiro: Shapiro is the best kind of multi-hypenate: Style writer at the New York Times and founder of Ellis Brooklyn, the clean perfume house with a delightful range of aromas that we simply can’t get enough of.
Laura Slatkin is a former Wall Street exec who ditched the stock market for fragrance, launching the beloved brand, Nest New York. What started as exclusively a luxury home fragrance line, Slatkin oversaw the company’s meteoric rise and expansion as the founder and executive chairman.
Lauren Shyman heads up the Evaluation department at Robertet, the perfume world’s go-to source for new — and sustainable — raw materials. She spends her days studying the fine fragrance marketing and working side by side with perfumers to develop new scents — AKA the best job ever.
Meet the Author
Kaitlin Clark has been a fragrance fanatic since she walked into Bath & Body Works for the first time in middle school. Kaitlin has spritzed hundreds of classic and new perfumes, cultivating a sophisticated nose, and prides herself on testing every new perfume that lands on her desk. She believes there’s a time and a place for every kind of scent, and she personally tends to lean toward rich ouds and deep woody notes.
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