Finding a signature scent that reflects both your personality and range of favorite notes can be a years-long process. It's no surprise that fragrance is one beauty essential that's well-known for being extremely personal, with each one smelling unique on the wearer themselves. While we understand that it can be tedious to narrow down your top choices, a great place to start is with some of the best-selling and most iconic perfumes, ever.
Shop the Best Perfumes of All-Time
Best Vanilla Perfume
Heretic Dirty Vanilla Eau de Parfum
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Best Fashion-Inspired Perfume
Loewe 001 Woman Perfume
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Best Luxury Perfume
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum
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Best Gourmand Perfume
YSL Beauty Black Opium Eau de Parfum
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From those that have stood the test of time, like the tried-and-true classic Chanel No. 5 and warm, gourmand Prada Candy Eau de Parfum, to more recent favorites from Glossier, Byredo, and more, the following perfumes have earned a forever space on our vanities until the end of time—or at least until they're discontinued. Whether you prefer floral perfumes, cult-classic celebrity favorites, or something else entirely, we're betting there's a perfect match on this list for you. Keep reading to discover your new (or old) favorite among our list of the best perfumes of all time.
Related: The Sexiest Fragrances of All-Time
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 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 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.
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.
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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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).
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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.
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.
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
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
Associate Beauty Commerce Editor
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.