The 22 Best Perfumes for Women

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Most Robust Floral Perfume

Gucci Bloom Eau de Parfum For Her

Most Robust Floral Perfume

Gucci Bloom Eau de Parfum For Her

Rangoon creeper, tuberose, and jasmine combine to create this robust and top-rated Gucci floral fragrance. And just like flowers do, its notes are meant to bloom overtime, revealing more of its unique notes.

Best Vanilla Perfume

Heretic Dirty Vanilla Eau de Parfum

Best Vanilla Perfume

Heretic Dirty Vanilla Eau de Parfum

Best Fashion-Inspired Perfume

Loewe 001 Woman Perfume

Best Fashion-Inspired Perfume

Loewe 001 Woman Perfume

Featuring notes of jasmine, linen and musk, this timeless, Spanish-made perfume from Loewe is designed to combine with the brand's 001 Man Eau de Parfum for a signature fragrance blend.

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Best Fruity Perfume

Dior Miss Dior Eau de Parfum

Best Fruity Perfume

Dior Miss Dior Eau de Parfum

Dior perfumes are so iconic, they even inspired a documentary. This modern classic truly has a bit of everything: juicy blood orange and mandarin, fresh lily of the valley, and earthy patchouli.

Best Mildly Sweet Perfume

Chanel Chance Eau de Parfum

Best Mildly Sweet Perfume

Chanel Chance Eau de Parfum

Chance was introduced in 2002, and it’s been in heavy rotation ever since. Thank the floral base of iris and jasmine, which is rounded out by sweet vanilla and white musk—plus, pink pepper adds an unexpected touch of spice.

Best Luxury Perfume

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum

Best Luxury Perfume

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum

Created as a collaboration between the perfumer and Baccarat to celebrate the crystal manufacturer’s 250th birthday, this popular scent is, frankly, a masterpiece. A combination of woody notes, amber, jasmine and other florals, it's sophisticated and never overpowering.

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Best Gourmand Perfume

YSL Beauty Black Opium Eau de Parfum

Best Gourmand Perfume

YSL Beauty Black Opium Eau de Parfum

Rich coffee and vanilla create a sweet and warm base for YSL Beauty's coveted gourmand fragrance, while a floral heart lightens things up. It's excellent during cooler months, but can be worn year-round if you please.

Best Viral Perfume

Le Labo Santal 33 Eau de Parfum

Best Viral Perfume

Le Labo Santal 33 Eau de Parfum

This sexy fragrance became one of the biggest perfume crazes of the last decade, and for good reason: It’s musky, spicy, and a bit smoky (but not overwhelmingly so), and the genderless quality makes it ideal for sharing.

Most Enduring Perfume

Chanel N°5 Eau de Parfum

Most Enduring Perfume

Chanel N°5 Eau de Parfum

Celebrating its 100th birthday in 2021, Chanel No. 5 is perhaps the most famous fragrance of all time. Heavy with may rose and jasmine, it was the first perfume to be layered with aldehydes, a now-commonplace practice that lends the fragrance an airy quality. Game changing then, iconic now.

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Best Value Perfume

Glossier Glossier You

Best Value Perfume

Glossier Glossier You

Named You as a nod to the fragrance’s ability to smell different on each wearer, this blend of floral iris, spicy pink pepper, and warm ambrette seeds became an instant hit for Glossier, and remains the brand’s one and only fragrance.

Best Fragrance for Beginners

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Toilette

Best Fragrance for Beginners

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Toilette

The daisy-adorned bottle became an instant sensation, but what’s inside is pretty fabulous as well. With notes of strawberry, sandalwood, and jasmine, Daisy is a light floral that’s become a rite of passage for teens (and teens at heart).

Most Popular Perfume

Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb Perfume

Most Popular Perfume

Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb Perfume

As the name suggests, this top-rated fragrance from Viktor&Rolf is a cult favorite thanks to its floral notes of jasmine and rose, plus scents of warm vanilla and patchouli for added depth.

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Best Eco-Friendly Perfume

Mugler Angel Natural Refillable Spray

Best Eco-Friendly Perfume

Mugler Angel Natural Refillable Spray

We don’t know what’s more recognizable: the refillable star-shaped bottle or the perfume that’s inside. Mugler's Angel features a patchouli base and fruity bergamot top notes, and is layered with sweet praline and vanilla—yet somehow never smells too sweet.

Best Every Day Perfume

Kai Eau de Parfum

Best Every Day Perfume

Kai Eau de Parfum

Kai has earned a devoted following over the years for its clean, tropical, gardenia-based fragrance. For rose lovers, there’s also a spin-off scent, called (you guessed it), kai rose.

Best Transitional Perfume

Giorgio Armani Sì Eau de Parfum Fragrance

Best Transitional Perfume

Giorgio Armani Sì Eau de Parfum Fragrance

If you’re looking for a sweet, strong floral scent, you may have found it in the Mediterranean-inspired Sì. It starts out fruity with top notes of black currant nectar, followed by a freesia and Rose of Mai heart, finishing with a musky, vanilla-tinged base.

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Best Unisex Perfume

Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne

Best Unisex Perfume

Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne

You don’t have to live by the beach to appreciate this surf-inspired scent (and one of Jo Malone’s best sellers). With notes of sea salt, sage, and ambrette seeds, it’s simple, sophisticated, and genderless.

Best Soft Floral Perfume

Chloé Eau de Parfum

Best Soft Floral Perfume

Chloé Eau de Parfum

A bouquet of florals—rose, lily of the valley, freesia, magnolia—give way to amber and cedarwood, which lend a sensual, warm air to the overall light scent. Plus, this one is loved equally for the bottle (topped with a hand-tied ribbon) and for what’s inside.

Best Cult-Favorite Perfume

Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum

Best Cult-Favorite Perfume

Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum

Not even the fragrance-averse can resist Byredo’s chic, cylindrical bottles, particularly this scent inspired by the Romani, or Gypsy, lifestyle. The woody scent features intoxicating notes of bergamot, lemon, incense, pine needles, and sandalwood.

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Best Celebrity Perfume

Fenty Beauty Fenty Eau de Parfum

Best Celebrity Perfume

Fenty Beauty Fenty Eau de Parfum

Rihanna has been name-checked as the best-smelling celeb by just about everyone on the planet, so it was only natural that she create her own signature scent. It instantly sold out, but if you’re lucky enough to snag a bottle of this elevated blend of magnolia, musk, tangerine, blueberry, Bulgarian rose absolute, geranium, and patchouli, know that it’s worth all the hype.

Most Sensual Perfume

Tom Ford Black Orchid Eau de Parfum

Most Sensual Perfume

Tom Ford Black Orchid Eau de Parfum

Like all things Tom Ford, this scent is undeniably sexy and glamorous. The namesake black orchid is surrounded by ylang-ylang and citrus, black plum, patchouli, and vanilla. It’s deep, dark, and elegant, especially for evening.

Lindy Segal is a beauty writer and editor. In addition to regularly contributing to BAZAAR.COM, she also writes for Glamour, People, WhoWhatWear, and Fashionista, among other publications. She lives in New York City with her Chihuahua mix, Barney.

Tiffany Dodson is currently the associate beauty commerce editor at Harper’s Bazaar, where she specializes in trend forecasting, building relationships with major and emerging brands, and crafting shopping stories—from holiday gift guides to product road tests. Tiffany's work has previously been featured in outlets like SELF, Bustle, and Teen Vogue, and she's been quoted as a commerce and beauty expert in publications and platforms like The Business of Fashion and NPR’s Life Kit podcast.

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