PERFUME has traditionally been about HOW you want TO SMELL. Instead, these REIGNING fragrances ask, HOW do you want TO FEEL?
Today’s perfume options are designed to be a part of a scent rotation and styled like any other accessory you own. “Consumers love the individuality of choos-ing a fragrance reflecting a mood or occasion,” says Givaudan perfumer Gwen Gonzalez. “Signature scents still have their place, but wardrobing and layering scents is an evolution of the concept.” The Bazaar Fragrance Awards winners below represent the perfumes we fell in love with this year, broken down by how we feel when we wear them. From sexy scents to delicious gourmands, fresh florals that go beyond the petal, and unorthodox yet cool takes on classic notes, ahead are the 24 bottles that deserve a spot on your vanity.
DELICIOUS
With notes that conjure buttered bread, vanilla bourbon, tiramisu, and juicy cherries, these are the addictive scents that will satisfy any sweet tooth.
1. Dior Rouge Trafalgar Esprit de Parfum ($470)
Francis Kurkdjian, Dior’s perfume creation director, reinvented the house’s Rouge Trafalgar scent by amplifying the red-fruit notes. The result is meant to evoke a juicy slice of berry pavlova. “It’s not syrupy,” he explains. “There is a balance between the yumminess and the backbone.”
2. Ferragamo Signorina Unica ($122)
The lightest gourmand on this list, Ferragamo Signorina Unica expertly balances fresh floral and citrus notes of bergamot, violet, and mandarin orange with the sweetness and warmth of pink sugar, vanilla, cashmere woods, tonka bean, and tiramisu.
3. Dolce & Gabbana Devotion Intense ($175)
With just three popular and simple notes— hazelnut, orange blossom, and vanilla—this bright gourmand scent packs a mouthwatering punch that lasts all day and all night.
4. Nest Vanilla Bourbon ($92; )
This scent envelops skin in notes like vanilla bourbon, orange bitters, brown sugar, jasmine, and sensual musk. It reminds us of sipping an old-fashioned next to a crackling fireplace while wrapped up in the softest cashmere.
5. Glossier You Rêve ($78; )
The signature Ambrox base of Glossier You gets an energizing upgrade with notes of plum butter, sandalwood, and toasted almond— perfect for the gourmand lover who prefers a subtle, skinlike scent.
6. Fendi La Baguette ($330)
This fragrance makes sophistication feel fun. Imagine the most decadent butter spread on warm bread, sweetened by a dash of Madagascar vanilla, then tamed by clean, powdery iris and a grounding leather note.
- Diptyque Lilyphéa ($330)
This eau de parfum is inspired by Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series, so it channels the ease of a delicate water-lily leaf coasting across a pond. The essence of galbanum combines with notes of fresh cardamom, saplike violet leaf, and rich Madagascar vanilla for a graceful, delicate scent. - Hermès Barénia ($170)
Like Hermès’s signature leather pieces, the brand’s first chypre fragrance is captivating and timeless. Upon first spritz, you’ll notice its robust butterfly-lily and miracle-berry top notes, which later dry down to a woodier finish, thanks to patchouli and oak wood. - Louis Vuitton LV Lovers ($320)
Sunlight captured in a bottle would probably smell just like Louis Vuitton’s crisp LV Lovers perfume. Its vibrant blend of green galbanum, spicy ginger, and earthy cedar and sandalwood embodies the shimmering vitality of sun-drenched skin. - MCM Crush ($110)
Although this scent falls in the fresh category, we would easily spritz on this flirty frozen-pear, pink-pepper, ambrette, and Rose de Mai fragrance before a date. - Marc Jacobs Daisy Wild ($160; )
We became instant fans of this greener take on Marc Jacobs’s classic Daisy scent as soon as we unboxed it. Its jasmine, vetiver, and banana-blossom notes put an instant smile on our faces, and so did its wildflower-bouquet-inspired bottle, which begs to be seen. - Prada Paradoxe Virtual Flower ($165; )
Featuring well-rounded notes of jasmine, neroli, musk, ambrette, and vert de bergamot, this fresh and floral eau de parfum blooms over time with your skin’s warmth. - YSL Beauty Libre Flowers & Flames ($165; )
This fresh floral feels sun-kissed, thanks to notes of coconut-palm and solar- lily flower. The warm, sweet vanilla base grounds the scent—so it feels more like dinner and dancing in Miami than a day spent in the sand. - Bulgari Le Gemme Sahare ($460)
Some rose scents are basic; this amber floral is anything but. Sweet Taif rose is balanced by ever-so-spicy myrrh and ambergris to deliver a mysterious fragrance that seemingly pulsates and evolves on your skin with each passing minute. - Michael Kors Pour Femme ($99)
An evocative scent for citrus lovers, this new Michael Kors creation opens with zippy mandarin orange, black currant, and pink pepper, mellows out with classic florals like jasmine sambac, lily of the valley, and Bulgarian rose, then leaves skin with the inviting warmth of musk, vanilla, and patchouli leaves. - Tom Ford Vanilla Sex ($405; )
Like its name, this perfume is polarizing— but that’s precisely why we love it. If you’re a fan of almond notes and you love a vanilla scent that leans dirty—a little sweet, a little earthy—then you’ll find yourself reaching for this bottle over and over. - Celine Zouzou ($280)
This new juice from Celine gets its sex appeal from vanilla, musk, patchouli, and benzoin, but overall this is a clean, soft, and powdery scent. As far as pulse-racing fragrances go, it’s more of a purr than a growl. - Burberry Goddess Intense ($173; )
A lavender top note and patchouli base bring sultry swagger to this otherwise gourmand scent, which includes four types of vanilla. Its intensity is almost masculine, but the vanilla keeps things sweet.
19. Tory Burch Sublime ($155)
This smells like the first day of spring. The sweet apricot notes from osmanthus flower, fresh mandarin, and earthy vetiver give an airy, radiant result.
20. Chanel Comète ($500)
Chanel offers a more sophisticated take on dessert-inspired fragrances with Comète, laced with a cherry-blosson accord and heliotrope, a powdery floral with traces of vanilla and marzipan.
21. Courrèges C ($149)
If you were to bottle up fresh linens at a five-star hotel, it would be Courrèges C. The clean-laundry accord is warmed up with woody Ambrox and jasmine, so it reads a bit sexier than your home detergent.
22. Balmain Beauty Bronze ($300)
Inspired by Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing’s healing journey after a fire accident, one of his debut fragrances toes the line between being both warm and cool—courtesy of cedarwood, black pepper, and patchouli— for a powerful yet balanced blend.
23. Lancôme Absolue Rose on the Moon ($270; )
This is not your grandmother’s rose fragrance. Rose on the Moon combines the classic floral with textural sandalwood and warm vanilla for a scent you would expect to smell on the streets of downtown New York City.
24. Ellis Brooklyn Dear Sky ($115; )
Sun-inspired scents usually conjure the beach, but this fruity floral, a blend of rhubarb, strawberry leaf, honeydew melon, and bergamot that’s tempered by spicy pink pepper, floral white peony, and musky ambrette, instead captures golden hour under the endless big skies of the American West.