A concoction of intoxicating essential oils and organic compounds, perfume evokes a feeling, story and character. When chosen carefully it has the ability to capture the wearer's personality.
Searching for a signature scent can be daunting, especially when there are hundreds of options available. To find the perfume best suited for your personality and lifestyle, think about the notes you like. Also consider the perfume's strength, sillage and longevity. Price is also another consideration.
Our team has evaluated various perfumes for women available in different retailers like Amazon, Adore Beauty, MECCA and Chemist Warehouse to help you pick the perfume most suitable for your personality. We chose options based on customer reviews and ratings. We also picked products for each category based on their features like price, sillage, notes and even packaging design.
Lanvin Eclat D'Arpege is our pick for the best overall perfume, garnering a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 3,000 reviews.
A fruity-floral scent, Eclat D'Arpege is a cult classic that offers a bright blend of Sicilian lemon, lilac, green tea leaves, peach tree leaves and cedarwood. It also has musky floral base notes that provide an intimate sillage, perfect for people looking for a subtle yet intoxicating signature scent.
Reviews described this perfume as a sophisticated but joyous fragrance that opens up with top notes reminiscent of spring and dries down to become a comforting and familiar scent. Longevity is quite good, too. People said it lasts all day. This fragrance is a must-try for aficionados who love fruity and floral notes, but others might find it too sweet for their liking.
For the best citrus-scented perfume, we recommend Clinique Happy. On the Myer website, it has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars.
Created in 1998, Clinique's Happy is a favourite among young and old alike. It is a "mixture of emotions" – a blend of vibrant notes of ruby red grapefruit, bergamot, Hawaiian wedding flower and spring mimosa. The result is a fun and fresh everyday scent with a strong sillage that is intoxicating to the senses.
This perfume is a well-balanced play on citrus, fruity and floral notes, creating a fresh signature scent for everyday wear. The middle notes are lily-of-the-valley, freesia, orchid and rose. It dries down smelling of mimosa, lily, magnolia, musk and amber. Customers said it is best used during spring and summer, capturing the vibrancy of the seasons. It doesn't have the complexities of more expensive perfumes, but it's still a great staple to have in anyone's perfume collection.
Jo Malone's English Pear & Freesia is our recommendation if you love fruity scents. On MECCA and Myer, it has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
Created by Swiss perfumer Christine Nagel for Jo Malone in 2010, English Pear & Freesia features a sophisticated blend of ripened pears, freesia and patchouli. It opens up with pear and melon notes and mellows down to evocate the smell of freesia and rose as the middle notes. The dry-down offers nuance base notes of musk, patchouli, rhubarb and amber. For $215, you get 100ml of a refreshing cologne housed in an elegant glass bottle.
The general sentiment is that English Pear & Freesia is a solid perfume that offers moderate sillage and longevity. It is a fresh fragrance with soft floral and vibrant fruity notes. It has clean notes which makes it a great daytime perfume, but it also has a subtle complexity that makes it ideal for night-time, too.
Our pick for the best floral perfume is Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb, which has an average rating of 4.85 out of 5 stars on Amazon and Myer.
Housed in a grenade-like glass bottle, Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb is an explosion of complex floral notes. It opens up with tea, osmanthus, mandarin and bergamot notes. The middle notes are sambac jasmine, freesia and centifolia rose. For the base notes, the scent offers a complex mixture of patchouli, vanilla and amber.
Customers praised the product's strong sillage, nuance notes and sleek packaging. It's a great date night scent that gives a mysterious yet inviting aura to any wearer. Other reviews said 2 to 3 sprays are enough to get the most of the fragrance. The sillage also allows you to leave a pleasant-smelling trail wherever you go without causing irritation. However, several others said it only lasts for about 3 to 4 hours.
Tom Ford's Oud Wood is our choice for the best earthy perfume. On Myer, it has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from more than 400 reviews.
Launched in 2007, Oud Wood is a fragrance for men and women. It is a complex blend of exotic and smoky woods like rare oud, sandalwood, rosewood, eastern spices and amber. It is housed in a smoked-grey glass bottle and is available in 50ml and 100ml.
The general sentiment is that Oud Wood is an expensive, niche fragrance that may be too intense for the faint of heart. It has a strong sillage that leaves a smoky, earthy perfume trail. It is a distinct mixture of warm, comforting and earthy notes in a bottle, resulting in an intoxicating scent for everyone. It's the ideal signature scent during the colder months, but this may be a bit overpowering for the summer.
With a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon, we picked the Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Perfume as the best budget option.
Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea Perfume is a versatile citrusy scent suitable for all year round. The top notes are lemon, bergamot, mint, orange peel and rhubarb. The middle notes are oakmoss, carnation, fennel musk and white amber. In the dry down, you'll get a whiff of the base notes – caraway, musk, amber and cloves. It is housed in a simple bottle and is available in 50ml and 100ml.
Launched in 1999, Green Tea is a fresh, everyday fragrance that lasts over 8 hours. While it's not the most unique scent out there, it is simple and inoffensive. Many customers said it works for any occasion and from day to night. However, it's got a weak sillage.
Today's Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Eau Parfume deals
Le Labo Santal 33 is our pick for the best high-end perfume. It has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Chemist Warehouse and MECCA.
Created by perfumer Frank Voekl, Le Labo's Santal 33 has gained a cult following since its launch in 2011. It is a unisex perfume with notes of cardamom, iris, violet and ambrox. It also features notes of Australian sandalwood and cedarwood.
Santal 33 is a woody and spicy scent with a moderate sillage, capturing the spirit of the old American West. It starts with strong smoky and woody notes and dries down into a powdery yet comforting musk that lasts all day. Users also loved the minimal apothecary-inspired bottle, which conceals the true complexities of each spray. It's an expensive perfume, but one that many aficionados consider a must-try.
Amazon prices last updated on 28 April, 2024 at 11:09 ameBay prices last updated on 27 April, 2024 at 10:05 pm
How did we pick this list?
33 Brands considered
124 Products compared
7 Best products chosen
Why you can trust our picks
For this list, we looked into heaps of perfumes for women sold on Amazon, MECCA, Adore Beauty and Chemist Warehouse. We examined options from these brands:
Ariana Grande
Burberry
Bvlgari
Byredo
Calvin Klein
Chanel
Clean
Clinique
Dior
Dolce and Gabbana
Diptyque
Elizabeth Arden
Giorgio Armani
Gucci
Hugo Boss
Jo Malone
Juliet Has a Gun
Lacoste
Lavin
Le Labo
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Maison Martin Margiela Replica
Marc Jacobs
Moschino
Paris Hilton
Philosophy
Prada
Ralph Lauren
Salvatore Ferregamo
Tom Ford
Vera Wang
Versace
Viktor & Rolf
We narrowed down our choices based on customer ratings and reviews (as of March 2022). We also considered each model's key product features, including sillage, packaging and value for money. We came up with what we believe are the 7 best perfumes for women you can buy online.
What is perfume?
Perfume is formulated with a blend of essential oils and other organic compounds to create a distinct smell that is usually pleasant. It comes in various strengths and offers different notes.
What does perfume do?
Perfume is used to give a pleasing scent to the body. But more than that, it tells a story, a feeling and a characteristic. It is a small representation of the user's personality and how they want to be perceived.
Perfume strengths
Not all perfumes are created equal. Some options are stronger and more concentrated, while others are more subtle.
Eau de parfum options are the most concentrated with about 20% to 40% concentration of perfume oils. These produce a stronger sillage and are often long-lasting. Eau de toilette perfumes have a 15% to 20% concentration of perfume oils. They are also quite long-lasting with a moderate sillage.
Eau de cologne and eau de fraîche perfumes are more subtle compared to parfum and toilette concentrations. Colognes have 2% to 5% concentration of perfume oils, while Fraîche perfumes have 1% to 3% concentration. These are typically not long-lasting with a weak sillage.
How to compare perfumes
Consider the following factors when choosing your signature scent.
Occasion and season
While you can technically use any perfume for any occasion and season, some options may be overpowering.
For daytime, citrus and fresh perfumes may be your best bet. They are not as overpowering as woody or spicy fragrances. Date nights and events call for perfumes with more complex notes and a strong sillage. You might want to choose a fragrance that will make you feel more confident and focused.
Light and fresh perfumes with citrus, floral and fruity notes are also more suited for spring and summer. Because these seasons are warmer, intense perfumes might be overpowering. For colder months, options with earthy, woody and smoky notes may be better, creating a feeling of warmth and cosiness.
Notes
Consider the notes you'd like to smell in a perfume. Citrusy and fruity perfumes often have notes of lemon, green tea, rose, patchouli and amber. If you love musky perfumes, look for leather, vanilla, musk and bergamot notes. Earthy perfumes usually have notes of cedar, tobacco and burnt wood, while clean-smelling perfumes are typically made with notes of musk, vanilla and vetiver.
Strength
Eau de parfum options have the most perfume oil concentration, while eau de cologne and fraîche are more subtle. More concentrated perfumes are typically more long-lasting than those with lower perfume oil concentrations.
Sillage
Sillage is the scent trail left in the air when you pass by. A perfume with a strong sillage means your perfume leaves a strong whiff when you walk across a room. A perfume with moderate sillage means another person can smell the scent when they stand close to you, while perfumes with a weak sillage diffuse the scent less widely.
How to apply perfume to make it last longer
Here are some top tips to make your signature scent long-lasting:
Apply a couple of sprays to your pulse points. These are areas where the veins sit closest to the skin like the inside of your wrists, inner elbows and behind your ear lobes. The warmth of your pulse points will help the perfume linger all day.
Moisturise first. Use an unscented lotion after showering and before spraying your favourite perfume to make it last longer. A well-moisturised skin gives the perfume oils something to stick onto so that it lasts all day.
Properly store your perfume. Never place your fragrance where it can come into contact with water or steam. Water and humidity can damage the integrity of your perfume. Store it in a cool, dark and dry place to preserve its quality and longevity.
Frequently asked questions
You can mix 1 tablespoon of mild detergent and 1 tablespoon of vinegar with 2 cups of water to remove perfume stains. Use a clean microfibre cloth dampened with the solution to blot the stain from your clothes. Gently blot the solution until the stain is completely removed.
While there is no definite answer to this question, 3 to 4 sprays of your favourite perfume might be enough. Excessive perfume application can be overwhelming and irritating.
Most manufacturers recommend replacing perfume after 1 to 3 years. However, it is still best to check the label for your perfume's shelf life.
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Ericka Pingol is a writer for Finder specialising in reviews. She has previously written articles about property investment, finances, and health. She’s a huge fan of Tina Fey, bubble teas and dogs. Ericka has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of the East, Manila and is currently writing her thesis for a Master’s degree in Communication
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