Last year, the fragrance note to watch was undoubtedly vanilla. We saw vanilla emerge in scents like we’d never seen it before—think smoky and animalic (à la Byredo’s Vanille Antique) or reminiscent of freshly blended frosting (à la Ellis Brooklyn’s Vanilla Milk). This year, however, a new fragrance trend is finding its footing, and just like the trend before it, it’s still good enough to eat.
We’re calling it: The fragrance trend du jour is juicy fruit. From cherries to grapes (and even more unexpected fruits like tangerines), this year’s best perfumes are freshly squeezed. Not only that, but they’re also reimagined takes on fruits you’re probably already familiar with.
For a long time, fruit in fragrance was considered almost childish. Fruity scents were reserved for teenagers spritzing on gobs of body spray, not mature people hoping to smell elevated. These days, however, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Fruity notes are getting mixed in with musks, ambers, and earthy accords.
Keep reading to find out this year’s hottest, juiciest perfumes to spritz, plus some old favorites that are getting their well-deserved time in the limelight. See what I did there?
Key notes: morello cherry, jasmine, musk. This airy fragrance is light and invigorating—like the first crisp spring day. It feels like an easy way for anyone to try a fruit scent that won’t overpower.
Key notes: tangerine, lemon, amber. Somehow, Phlur managed to bottle the exact scent that hits the air when you first begin to peel a tangerine. It’s the most captivating citrus scent out there right now.
Key notes: black currant liquor accord, Isparta rose petal, patchouli. This effervescent, grape-forward fragrance is like drinking wine at a vineyard on a sticky summer day with someone you really, really like.
Key notes: dark cherry, saffron, osmanthus, smoked wood accord. Electric Cherry’s sultry counterpart is heavy on woods and spices. It’s the fragrance equivalent of trying to tie a cherry stem with your tongue at a cigar bar.
Key notes: basil grand vert, rose, white musk, lychee. Lychee takes this fragrance to the next level. Meant to smell like rose petals in jelly, this scent is just sweet enough without being cloying.
Key notes: mango, jasmine, vanilla. Mango in a perfume is tough to do right. That is, unless Paco Rabanne is doing it. This ultra-juicy scent is warm and alluring and has tons of longevity.
Key notes: apricot, black currant, bergamotto, black cherry, mandarin, palma violet, strawberry super fluid extract, far off incense, poplar crates. Yes, it’s expensive, but if you’re a frag head, this limited-edition scent is worth it. I audibly gasped when I got to smell this perfume recently. It’s sun-ripened strawberries, mandarins, and black currants in a bottle, and the result is an explosion of color for your senses.
Key notes: black currant, peach nectar, white musk. Leave it to Clean Reserve to create a scent called Sparkling Sugar that isn’t cloying. This subtly sweet fragrance is layerable, light, and fresh.
Key notes: Corsican clementine, honeysuckle, moss. Like a fruit plate on a Mediterranean vacation. What more could you want?
Key notes: peach, blood orange, and patchouli. Tom Ford’s Bitter Peach perfume smells so good you’ll want to drench yourself in it. It basically smells like a peach that was freshly plucked from the tree.
Key notes: lemon, ginger, rose, musk. Burberry Her is an iconic fragrance that’s a favorite for nearly every Londoner. Lemon and ginger make it reminiscent of an afternoon tea.
Key notes: blackberry, bay leaves, cedarwood. With unexpected notes like bay leaves, this perfume transports you to picking wild blackberries.
Key notes: red berries, white datura flower, white musk. What would you give if you could bottle Paris’s energy? This perfume is an encapsulation of the city’s heady romance.
Key notes: grapefruit, rose. Refreshing grapefruit makes this fragrance refreshing and bubbly. Rose helps round it out.
Key notes: yuzu, pomegranate, peony, lotus flower, magnolia, vegetal amber, acajou, musk. Yuzu isn’t often used in perfumes, but one whiff of this will convince you it’s high time the fizzy citrus fruit was added to more scents.
Key notes: citrus, kalamansi accord, coriander, musk. Take this one on the go with you. It’s like falling asleep under a lemon tree in the summertime.
Key notes: mandarin, lemon, neroli, jasmine sambac, musk, cotton candy. This is the perfect summer day lounging in Central Park in a bottle. Byredo’s Sundazed starts with citrus scents like mandarin and lemon and is layered with neroli, jasmine sambac, and musk. And for a sweet infusion, cotton candy is also added to the base.
Key notes: pear, sweet Italian orange, tiger orchid, Indonesian patchouli, and caramel. This bold and sensual fragrance is for someone who wants to stand out. It’s sweet with just the right amount of spice.
Key notes: pear nectar, musky ambrette, woods. This is the ideal summertime scent. Pear nectar makes it smell alluringly sweet.
Key notes: fig, jasmine, vanilla. Inspired by a sun-soaked vacation, Ellis Brooklyn’s take on fruit is unique and juicy. Fresh fig takes center stage here, lending this scent richness and sweetness.
