When it comes to fragrance keepsakes, I know of many a perfume lover that continues to cling onto a dusty bottle (or two) of their saccharine, coming-of-age scent—purely for nostalgia’s sake. After all, is there anything more comforting than a vanilla-infused spritz of the fragrance that saw you through your teenage years? To this very day, I I still reminisce about my first ever fragrance: Avril Lavigne’s Black Star Eau De Parfum. Combining two of the ’00s most vital perfume ingredients (a celebrity endorsement and a syrupy aroma) even just a glance at the star-shaped bottle takes me back to 2009. Yes, the scent itself was sickly-sweet, but the more subtle notes of pink hibiscus, black plum and dark chocolate spoke to me—and have been inspiring my fragrance choices ever since.
Sure enough, over a decade later, my signature scents continue to be anything sweet and floral. However, now that I’m in my late twenties, I’ve found that the key to preventing sweet perfumes from veering into cloying territory are to choose fragrances that combine honeyed sweetness with hints of musk or sugary top notes with a spicier base. Sweet perfumes, but with a grown-up twist
So, whether you too are a lover of sweet scents or are looking for a sugar fix when it comes to your next perfume purchase, allow me to convince you. Ahead, keep scrolling for the 12 best sweet perfumes to try now. Trust me, these ones are anything but sickly.
I love it when a fragrance has the ability to take you back to one of your favourite memories, and Ouai have managed to beautifully do so with this perfume. Inspired by a summers evening spent wandering the streets of Paris, the sweet floral scent captures exactly this with its top notes of violet, ylang-ylang and white musk.
Kayali can do no wrong with their fragrance launches and Utopia Vanilla Coco is no exception to that, thanks to its sweet-yet-mature scent. It has a perfect blend of honeysuckle, Italian jasmine and sandalwood and each scent from Kayali is designed to be worn alone or layered up for an even more unique scent.
This is a newbie to my collection but nonetheless, it fits in perfectly with its floral yet delicate sweet scent. It wasn’t just the fact that Miley Cyrus fronted the campaign that sold me on it either, but the dreamy pink bottle, embossed gold cap and Gucci’s signature floral pattern might have had something to do with it. The scent is inspired by the gardenia flower and melds beautiful white florals with juicy pear blossom and just a touch of sweet brown sugar.
Jimmy Choo’s Floral holds a super special place in my heart as it was the fragrance I purchased during my first holiday to Paris, and for this very reason it will always remind me of warm croissants, beautiful views and happy memories. It’s got a fruity-yet-musky blend of notes including bergamot oil, sweet pea, apricot flower and magnolia flower oil. Delicious.
Anyone who adores a floral scent is sure to fall in love with this as Rose Jam really packs a punch with its blend of Sicilian lemon and rose oils. Plus, the lasting power is incredible and easily takes you from day to night!. If you just can’t resist the scent (like me) then it’s also available in a body spray, shower gel and bubble bar.
I’d describe this perfume as a strawberries and fizz picnic on a summer’s day. Packed with top notes of white pear and wild raspberry, there’s a sweet blend of juicy and musky notes. And, while broken hearts don’t often symbolise something cute, please don’t even get me started on how adorable broken heart-shaped bottle is.
Glossier’s You fragrance certainly needs no introduction as the pink pepper and floral scent has continued to dominate the perfume world since its 2017 release. As many people describe it, it has a truly warm, softly-sweet, familiar feel to it. No matter the season or time of day it’s sure to fit in no matter the scene.
An oudh perfume might not feel like the most likely fit in a line-up of sweet scents, but hear me out. Have you ever smelt a sample size of a fragrance and instantly fell so in love that you just had to buy the full-sized version? Well, that’s exactly how my love for this stunning scent from Molton Brown came about. The unique blend of warm cinnamon leaf, elemi and black tea gives off an amazing sweet-but-spicy spritz, that isn’t overpowering in the slightest.
I’m sure at some point or another we’ve all had a bottle of Britney Spears’s iconic Fantasy perfume—a super-rich floral fragrance with top notes of lush red lychee, golden quince and kiwi. If you’re someone who can only handle your sweet perfumes in small doses then this one probably isn’t for you, but if that is your thing you’ll instantly be hooked.
It only takes one sniff to understand why YSL’s Black Opium continues to be in such high demand. Its heady blend of pear accord, mandarin essence, vanilla, white musk and patchouli is truly captivating. If you’ve had this on your wishlist, bite the bullet as you will not regret it—it’s a modern classic.
Bursting with fruity and floral notes from sambac jasmine, patchouli and amber, Flowerbomb is a whirlwind of super-sweet sensations. But that’s not to say that it’s sickly-sweet. In fact, the floral notes mean that every time I spritz it I’m inclined to imagine myself running through a field of flowers wearing a long floral dress. Dreamy.
The Body Shop has managed to create an affordably sweet fragrance infused with the scent of Japanese cherry blossoms—the national flower of Japan. It’s the perfect summery scent with notes of pink peony, amber and strawberries. If The Body Shop fancy making this very fragrance into a line of body care, I will gladly invest. Up next: I wore a different perfume every day for a month—these 7 earned me compliments.
