We asked, you answered: these are the absolute best perfumes and colognes for having as your signature scent.
Last week, we asked you about what your signature scent is. As a big fan of perfume, I was so curious to know which eau de toilette, Niche Fragrances, Eau de perfumes, colognes, body sprays, or creams were everyone’s absolute favorite. After all, isn’t one of the number one ways to discover new scents being told by somebody else about them?
And the responses were wonderful! So many of you shared amazing products that none of us had heard of, so in order to share your fantastic scent secrets with everyone in an easy way, we’ve compiled a list of all the awesome answers we received. If you’re looking for a brand new fragrance to try, this is certainly the place to find it.
1. Savanna: “Burberry Brit! I love that it’s not too floral. It’s distinct but subtle. On me, it smells both sweet and spicy. I’m a curious person, especially when it comes to beauty products. I could have something that works great, and I’ll buy something else anyway just to see if it’s good. But I haven’t worn anything but Brit in years!”
2. Mj: “Aveda products! I get the most compliments, and it always is my hair. I walk into places, and people know I’m there because they smell my hairspray. And the best part is it is not overpowering. I use the Shampure shampoo and conditioner and the Brilliant hairspray.”
3. NYCNanny: “I LOVE the hairspray smell!! Sometimes I just spray it in the air to scent up the room.”
4. Jane: “I do too! Banana Republic actually makes a unisex body spray that smells exactly like Aveda products. In all its plant-based botanical glory.”
5. Charmless: “I went on a quest to find a signature scent, but I realized that I like variety. I have a bunch of the Demeter perfumes because they’re cheap, and you can layer them, especially the ones that are just one note. If I spritz Amber on top of one of my lolita fantasy perfumes, it makes it a bit more rich. Demeter Amber and Body Shop Vanilla are a great combo as well. When I feel like going a bit granola, I have a great Nag Champa body spray I got from an Etsy shop called Ten Digit Creations. She also makes one called Vampire Venom that is gorgeous and sexy, even if it seems to be Twilight-inspired.
“My current favorite perfume is from Maison Martin Margiela’s Replica collection, and it’s called Funfair Evening. It still smells very sweet, but it’s a bit more complicated than ‘I SMELL LIKE A CUPCAKE!’ For the price, I would hope so. I also picked up Jazz Club, even though it’s supposed to be a men’s cologne. I sprayed it on myself in a shop in Paris, and a French stranger commented on how nice it smelled within a minute (which only didn’t creep me out because I was standing in front of a wall of perfume and I feel like it’s fair to comment on how somebody smells when she’s juggling three perfume bottles).”
6. Lynn: “My signature scent is the sadly discontinued I Loewe You from Loewe; they have new versions that just don’t work for me. I’ll see if Loewe still carries Quizás, Quizás, Quizás that smells awesome too. My second favorite is Moschino’s l’eau Cheap and Chic (the green and orange bottle). It is fresh and makes me feel that I just got out of the shower, even though it doesn’t smell anything like soap. Those are Eau de toillete; my favorite parfums are Juicy Couture too and Magnifique by Lancome.”
7. JJ: “For a while it was Bulgari Pour Homme Soir. Recently it has been either L’Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme Extreme or Cuir Ottoman from Pafrum d’Empire.”
8. Jennifer: “My two stand-bys are Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel and Vanillary by Gorilla Perfumes for Lush. Vanillary is a fantabulous, complex vanilla scent that works beautifully with my body chemistry. A lot of vanilla-based perfumes don’t work for me, but this one is aces. Others in my rotation are Black by Bvlgari (technically a unisex cologne) for when I want to smell dudely or Laura Mercier’s Almond Coconut Eau Gourmande for when I want to smell like cake.”
9. Alexandra: “What I wear depends on the season. For fall and winter, I tend to wear Black Amethyst by Bath & Body Works and usually wear their Sensual Amber for lotion. In spring and summer, I switch between Harajuku Lovers G, which is the perfect fresh coconut smell for me (I am VERY picky about the coconut), and Bombshell Summer Mist by Victoria’s Secret, which is a limited edition (sad).”
10. Isana: “I definitely like to mix it up depending on the mood, occasion, and time of year, but I’ve had about four on serious rotation and am looking to add something muskier with maybe tobacco for the evening. But the four I use are: Jo Malone Blackberry and Bay (holy grail, obsessed, all-year-round perfect tart fragrance), Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Fresh Citron De Vigne, and the under-appreciated Tom Ford White Patchouli. I don’t like most sweet scents, but the Coco and Tom Ford have other notes that make them irresistible.”
11. Couch and pants: “For a long, long time, it was Narciso Rodriguez, and honestly, it is the best perfume I have ever worn. People used to stop me to ask me what I was wearing; it just works perfectly with my body chemistry. But, alas, many members of my family are allergic to it. Figures. I’ll return to it at some point, but now I wear them (sadly discontinued) Dolce&Gabbana #2, The Bateleur, and Eau des Merveilles by Hermes.”
12. Little bird: “Beauty by Calvin Klein. Also, Chanel’s no. 18 and 21. They all have a glorious, velvety vegetal musk element that I can’t remember the name of. When I was 19 and working two jobs, I spent an afternoon selecting my’ signature scent’ because I needed a treat!”
13. Merida13: “I have loved using Gardenia by Elizabeth Taylor.”
14. Sabina: “I like Visa by Robert Piguet and Red Door.”
15. CMJ: “I go back and forth between Angel by Thierry Mugler, and Bond No. 9’s I Love New York for All.”
16. Linda: “I’ve been wearing Chanel 19 forever, used to have to spray it on my daughters’ pillowcases when I had to work away from home because they wanted ‘mummy’s smell.’ Recently though, I’ve been wearing 2 Molton Brown scents, Lijiang and Singosari, from their Navigations Through Scent range. I always get comments when I wear them, and I’m particularly smitten with Singosari – really warm and spicy.”
17. Hayley: “I wear Dot by Marc Jacobs on a day-to-day because my partner loves it. I like Daisy better, maybe, but I save it for nicer occasions.”
18. Ellie: “Oh, you guys. Bond No. 9 New Haarlem is my JAM. Coffee, Patchouli, Vanilla, some more glorious things. Kind of unisex, it makes you smell delicious and magical and spicy and a little bit like cookies all at once. It’s my signature scent for the rest of my life, forever and ever.”
19. Kirsten: “Marc Jacobs’ Dot and Joe Malone’s Nectarine Blossom & Honey! I used to be in love with L.A.M.B.’s Music, too. AND Escada’s Rockin’ Rio for clubbing, obvi.”
20. Loser_sneeze: “Oh perfume. I do so love you. I have a few go-to fragrances. Lemme see…Dior J’Adore, Stella by Stella McCartney, Miss Dior and Chanel Chance Eau Tendre. I also throw Givenchy Ange Ou Demon Le Secret into the mix every so often. I tend to stay away from super sweet smells. I love anything with jasmine or rose. Maybe some light citrus notes.”
21. Kat: “Bond No. 9 Bleecker Street. I’ve never met anyone who wears it, let alone anyone who has even heard of it. It’s slightly masculine, but it makes me feel the most like myself. Plus, it has a pretty green bottle, and I love anything green.”
22. Amelisha: “I only wear Vanille Abricot from Comptoir Sud Pacifique.
“It smells like it sounds…just a lot of vanilla, but the sweet rather than the floral-y or musk-y kind. People near me tend to say things like, “are there cookies around?” which works for me. My boyfriend is allergic to lots of scents, but not this one, and I like it because it doesn’t smell so much like perfume if that makes sense.”
23. Lily: “Chance Eau Tendre by Chanel is my go-to perfume. It isn’t overpowering, and I always get compliments when I wear it.”
24. Alana: “I used Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy for all of college, but I think I’m ready to break free of the Juicy and check out some other less overwhelmingly fruity perfumes.”
25. Elizabeth: “My go-to scents are Hermes Jardin en Mediterranee, Marc Jacobs (just the standard ‘Marc Jacobs Woman,’ I don’t really love Lola or Daisy or the others), Chanel No. 5, and almost anything from Histoires de Parfums. I also really love this discontinued Urban Decay perfume oil called Sin, but it’s so old it’s turned to sludge in the bottle, and I can’t get more.”
26. Lizzie: “I second the Hermes Jardin en Mediterranee! I switch between that Cartier’s Baiser Vole, Givenchy’s Eaudemoiselle, Hermes Elixir des Merveilles, Elizabeth, and James Nirvana White, and Creed Spring Flower. I may have a bit of a perfume addiction.”
27. Heather: “I like to try different scents, but I have a stockpile of Marc Jacobs. It helps that the bottles are so cute, too.”
28. Alexis: “I use Escada, which is a double-edged sword because I love pretty much anything they make, but every perfume is a limited edition, so if I get hooked on something, it’s just a countdown until I run out.
“RIP Ibiza Hippie. Gone but not forgotten.”
29. Jana: “I am a sucker for [Viktor & Rolf] Flowerbomb. Sheisedo used to make an ‘energizing’ scent, it came in an orange bottle, and I would just die to get my hands on it. It was sadly discontinued a few years ago. I can find it on Amazon, but it seems like maybe the scent would be different being older.
In the event, you’re looking to make your own signature scent, try out one of these easy perfume DIYs! And if you haven’t already, tell us your signature scent in the comments. We can always try more! Clearly, I have a problem with perfume hoarding, but that’s okay–I’m just, er, discovering new stuff.
Iskra Banović is our seasoned Editor-in-Chief at Blufashion. She has been steering the website’s content and editorial direction since 2018. With a rich background in fashion design, Iskra’s expertise spans across fashion, interior design, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and culture.