I have always been one of those people who love perfumes and fragrances. Oftentimes when we’re talking about the cherry on top of an outfit, people think of shoes or a great pair of sunglasses, which are important parts of an outfit, don’t get me wrong, but the real cherry on top is a great fragrance. Your scent says just as much about you as your outfit choice does. I love fragrance so much I bring a travel size perfume in my purse with me everywhere I go. I’m a believer in mixing perfumes too. Certain brands, such as Jo Malone London, are designed to be mixed and matched with their entire collection of scents. I personally love the combination of Wood Sage & Sea Salt mixed with English Pear & Freesia. I’m currently wearing a mix of Rose 31 from Le Labo and Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming. They balance each other out so well, with the Le Labo perfume being a little smoky and masculine and the Dior being light and sweet.
Certain fragrances gain the attention of fragrance lovers and become cult favorites. Some that come to mind are Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge or Le Labo’s Santal 33. Now whenever I hear about a new fragrance everyone can’t get enough of, I have to be the judge myself. I have high standards when it comes to perfume, and I need to really love a scent to spend the money on it, especially considering great fragrances aren’t usually cheap.
For me to invest in the right fragrance, it has to check four main boxes. It has to last a long time (for me, that’s at least five to six months), it has to be sweet but not overwhelmingly so that you would mistake me for a high school cheer captain, it has to be a little woodsy or smoky but not so that you’d mistake me for someone’s grandfather, and it has to have character and personality. I rounded up 30 fragrances that I’ve tried and believe are worth the hype and have earned the title of “cult-favorite fragrance,” including all of my current favorites that sit on my vanity while I write this.
Keep scrolling to see which fragrances made the cut.
This perfume is one that I have been wearing right now and can’t get enough of. It’s a strong perfume, so I usually only need one or two sprays of it. I always mix it with a sweeter scent.
This perfume is a classic and is always a good choice. There are a few variations of the Miss Dior fragrance, but Absolutely Blooming is my favorite. This scent is definitely on the sweeter side. I mix it with Rose 31 from Le Labo, but it’s amazing on its own.
Lately I have been finding myself reaching for this perfume all the time. It’s so mysterious and dreamy. I think this may be one of my new favorites.
If you haven’t tried Santal 33, you’re missing out. This scent is everyones favorite for a reason. One of the reviews for this scent reads, “I’d take a bath in this scent if I could afford it. I hope I’m buried with a bottle when I die.” I’d have to agree.
This Prada perfume has taken TikTok by storm, and when I first got my hands on it, I could immediately see why. It’s a warm floral perfume that’s super long-lasting.
All of my most fashionable friends can’t get enough of this perfume. I just got my hands on it a few weeks ago and I have to say, I understand the hype. I always get asked “what perfume are you wearing?” whenever I have this on. It’s a woody scent with notes of bergamot, lemon, pepper, and juniper berries.
A cult favorite I think every fragrance lover has or has at least tried, it’s a long-lasting perfume that everyone should try.
This perfume smells exactly like you just stuck your nose in a rosebud. I also love that it comes in a candle. If you’re a fan of smelling like a rose, I’ve found your new favorite perfume.
One of our beauty editors said she would bathe in this scent if she could, so yeah, it’s good.
This scent is so light and floral, and one of my favorite Jo Malone London scents. I recommend mixing it with Wood Sage & Sea Salt.
Another favorite of mine from Jo Malone, this one is great to mix with one of the lighter, more floral scents. It’s definitely on the muskier side.
I’m a huge fan of rose scents, and this Diptyque perfume doesn’t disappoint.
This scent was inspired by the scent of water on a woman’s skin. It’s light and clean, and the bottle looks like a work of art.
This scent has won me over. I have been wearing this non stop since I got it, it blends nicely with Rose 31 from Le Labo. I’m new to trying Byredo but so far from the scents I have tried, I’m obsessed.
No surprise this perfume smells just like bergamot.
Libre is a classic Saint Laurent perfume. I have smelled it a few times but never owned a bottle myself. It’s on the floral side and is light enough to layer with other scents but smells great on its own. I’m into it.
This is one of the more popular Margiela scents for a reason. It smells so fresh and comforting. It’s a great everyday perfume.
Tom Ford Lost Cherry is a fan favorite hands down. It’s a strong scent that’s warm and sultry and, to be honest, delicious.
This may have been your favorite perfume back in high school. It’s light, fruity, and floral and looks great
This one is for those who like a woody scent or at least like to have a woody scent in the mix.
Black Opium used to be my go-to fragrance for years, and while I have moved on to other scents, it still has a special place in my heart. It’s very sweet and warm and a little spicy.
When I first tried this perfume, I was so impressed. I got a sample of scents, and this one was in it, and ever since then, I’ve been obsessed. It’s a sensual fragrance designed for the modern woman. What’s not to love?
Inspired by the Mojave Desert, this is one of Byredo’s most popular scents.
My sister swears by this perfume. I have this scent in a candle, and it’s so cozy and smells amazing. I also love the price point.
A warm scent by Mugler meant to make you feel like a goddess.
This perfume is inspired by the mix of roses in Tom Ford’s private rose garden, and who doesn’t want to smell like that?
If you’re looking to smell rich, look no more.
Flowerbomb is one of those perfumes everyone’s tried, and you either love it, or you hate it. I’m in the camp of loving it. It’s super floral (hence the name) with a mix of cattleyas, freesia, sambac jasmine, and rose perfumes.
I’ve smelled this, one of Gucci’s classic floral perfumes, so many times, and you really can’t go wrong with it.
This was my roommate in college’s favorite perfume, so I’m always nostalgic when I smell it. This scent has been around forever and is a classic I’ll always love. It’s on the sultry, sweet side.
