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Fragrance is incredibly subjective. What smells good to me might smell like New York City street trash to someone else—and vice versa. Not only that, but asking people to pick their favorite fragrance can be like asking them to pick their favorite child. Some people are fragrance loyalists who never stray from their signature scent, while others (like me) match their fragrance to their mood, cycling through different perfumes on a whim.
Despite everyone’s different scent preferences, there are a few fragrances that consistently top every list of best fragrances. These scents are universally loved, even by the toughest critics. So, we decided to put the most beloved fragrances to the test.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum
Notes: Jasmine, saffron, cedarwood, ambergris
This scent in three words: Unbothered rich woman.
Longevity: 12+ hours
Testing notes: I mean, at this point, Baccarat Rouge 540 is synonymous with smelling good. The scent exploded on TikTok, and it’s constantly mentioned as one of the best scents out there. The people I actually know in real life who consistently wear it are some of the most successful people I’ve ever met. It’s always fun to wear this fragrance and emulate them for a day. This scent feels like a power play in a bottle.
Flowerbomb Eau De Parfum
Notes: Freesia accord, rose accord, jasmine, patchouli oil
This scent in three words: “Sweet, fresh, glamorous.” — LaPlaca
Longevity: 12+ hours
Testing notes: “I don’t know what kind of skin-gripping formula they dreamt up, but I was pleased to see how long the scent lingered. I spritzed it on in the morning and wore it all day at work. Even after walking out of a (particularly sweaty) spin class post-work, I swear I was still catching a whiff of it. It exploded with bold floral notes when I first spritzed it into the air, and my first reaction was how sweet and youthful it smelled, but once it hit the inside of my wrist, it transformed into a deeper fragrance, and the vanilla and musk notes became more emphasized, which I thought lent it a more mature vibe than that of my initial impression.” — LaPlaca
Miss Dior Eau De Parfum
Average rating: 6.5/10
Notes: Lily of the valley, centifolia rose, soft musk
This scent in three words: “Feminine, sexy, unexpected.” — Huber
Longevity: 5+ hours
Testing notes: “This scent really is a compliment waiting to happen. As I was leaving my apartment on the first day of wearing it, I was politely stopped by my regular UPS delivery guy, who asked what I was wearing so that he could buy it for his partner. That’s never happened with any other scent I’ve worn—ever. This scent stays pretty much the same on the skin, though it gets slightly sweeter as it sinks in and mixes with your natural scent. I think the biggest shock is how the bottle looks compared to the actual scent. Though it’s feminine as the bottle appears, it’s not ‘girly’ at all. It feels very mature and sexy.” — Huber
Parfums de Marly Delina Eau de Parfum
Average rating: 9.3/10
Notes: Rhubarb, lychee, bergamot essence, Turkish rose, peony vanilla, musk
This scent in three words: “Soft, warm, feminine.” — Anna LaPlaca, senior fashion editor
Longevity: 6 hours
Testing notes: “I spritzed it on twice—once on my wrists and once at the collarbone—at noon, and by 6 p.m., I noticed that it had faded out. If I were to head out in the evening for dinner or drinks, I would definitely want to re-up with another application. I didn’t notice any big difference between how it smelled out of the bottle versus how it did on my skin, which I appreciated. I felt like what I was spraying was the scent I was going to be wearing. If anything, I thought it softened a little bit once it sank in, and it lost the initial citrus note that I detected coming out of the bottle.” — LaPlaca