What’s popular in beauty can change in an instant, which is why our editors never stray too far from their phones. Thankfully, many of the best 2025 perfume trends have a long-lasting appeal that can supersede the virality of TikTok. “Consumers love the individuality of choosing a fragrance reflecting a mood or occasion,” Givaudan perfumer Gwen Gonzalez previously told Bazaar. “Signature scents still have their place, but wardrobing and layering scents is an evolution of the concept.”
While some of the scent families on our list below, including grand gourmands and enduring vanilla, can be elevated by layering, others, like earthy, musky florals, are best worn alone as a signature scent. But no matter how you decide to wear an eau de parfum or cologne, consider our short list of the best 2025 perfume trends a practically foolproof guide to smelling great all year long. Read on for a few of our favorites that continue to rise in notoriety, along with some of the top fragrances from each category to round out this year’s scent wardrobe.
Grand Gourmands
Like your go-to candy selection or tried-and-true dessert, gourmands can be a sweet treat in your fragrance rotation. Many of our favorite gourmand fragrances feature delectable food-related notes like citrus, vanilla, and buttercream, which adds to their timelessness. “Gourmand scents have known consistent popularity since the 1990s, due to their sweet, edible notes that evoke comfort and nostalgia,” master perfumer Carlos Benaïm explains. “Recently, there has been a surge in gourmand scents featuring more diverse and sophisticated food-related notes, such as specific fruits like mango and cherry, coffee, and pistachio.”
Earthy and Musky Florals
Earthy, musky floral perfumes aren’t the overly cloying or even “boring” one-note scents you may have smelled in the past. “So many rose perfumes lean too delicate or overly traditional, but we saw an opportunity to push the boundaries here by adding depth with leathery woods, a touch of spice, and a richness that lingers on the skin,” Phlur co-owner and creative director Chriselle Lim says of the newly launched Rose Whip eau de parfum. This new class of florals is still grounded by violet, iris, rose, and camellia, but it’s also combined with somewhat surprising notes like spicy amber and musk that lend to a departure from more traditional scents.
Oil-in-Water Wonders
One of the best perfume trends of 2025 has very little to do with a fragrance’s specific notes and everything to do with its overall formulation. Alcohol-free perfume and cologne blends are gaining in popularity, thanks in part to buzz from recent releases from top beauty brands like YSL Beauty and Dior and emerging ones like Bella Hadid’s Orebella.
Fruit-Forward Favorites
Body sprays and perfumes with fruity top, middle, or base notes are consistently popular for a reason. In 2025, these delectable favorites are bolder and more robust than ever. “Fruity fragrances have always been around, but for the longest time they were primarily in the body-splash space—very young, very fruit-forward, or very photorealistic,” Ellis Brooklyn founder Bee Shapiro explains. “Now, you have different ways of approaching fruit, where it’s super obvious [in the scent], and one of our challenges as a brand has been how to elevate it.”
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Kurky Eau de Parfum
Parfums de Marly Valaya Exclusif Eau de Parfum
Enduring Vanilla
It’s easy to think of the cozy notes of vanilla perfumes as the personification of a warm hug on your skin. “They convey a moment of nostalgia and comfort,” DSM-Firmenich principal perfumer Gabriela Chelariu previously explained. “Vanilla is a universally known and loved ingredient that transcends culture, time, and age.”
Historian and fragrance expert Elena Vosnaki agrees, adding that the enduring scent holds a particularly special place in the hearts of millennials. “The preponderance of vanilla body products in the 2000s meant millennials literally grew up surrounded by it,” she says. “They have shaped this vanilla bond with childhood and adolescent smells, tied to care-free times.” Subtle vanilla is a perfume staple that’s nowadays enhanced with rich and complex notes of liquor, spicy pink pepper, and coconut water.
Nest New York Vanilla Bourbon Eau de Parfum
Meet the Experts
- Gwen Gonzalez is a perfumer at Givaudan.
- Carlos Benaïm is a world-renowned master perfumer.
- Chriselle Lim is the cofounder and creative director of Phlur.
- Bee Shapiro is the founder of Ellis Brooklyn.
- Gabriela Chelariu is a principal perfumer at DDM-Firmenich.
- Elena Vosnaki is a historian and fragrance expert.
More Bazaar-Approved Scents
- The 55 Best New Perfumes and Fragrances of the Year
- Maison Francis Kurkdjian's New Perfume Is for Your Inner Child
- The Best Spring Perfumes to Keep in Rotation
- Bazaar Editors Are Feral for Phlur's New Rose Perfume
- Glossier’s New You Fleur Perfume Smells Like Spring
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