It’s easy to find the one with our guide to the best perfume on the market right now
With a plethora of fragrances to choose from it can be a daunting, almost impossible, task to find the best perfume for women – let alone one that could end up as your signature scent.
But once you do land on one that you love, it’s an incredible moment. And that’s because of the power of fragrance – it has the ability to evoke emotion, bring back important, yet forgotten, memories, and remind you of your very best days (we’re looking at you, wedding day perfume).
Types of perfumes
There are quite a few types of fragrances – from the potent perfume oil to eau Fraiche (the lightest type you can get), but these are the most common types…
Eau de Cologne
This is a really light type of perfume, with a small concentration (between 2-4%) of perfume oil in the juice. It’s commonly considered to be a masculine formula, but that’s mainly a marketing thing. It lasts for a short amount of time – up to two hours – so the bottles tend to be bigger, as you need more. It’s not as common as an EDT or EDP.
Eau de Toilette (EDT)
This is the most common and popular type of fragrance. It’s more affordable than the below EDP. If you’re after something light and airy, then this is the formula you should be looking at. It has between 5 and 15% concentration of perfume oil and lasts between two and four hours. A handbag essential for top-ups throughout the day.
Eau de Parfum (EDP)
This is a punchier juice because the concentration of perfume oil is greater than in an EDT – a whopping 15 – 20%. It tends to last longer too (approx. six to eight hours), so if you’re after a stronger scent with longevity an EDP might be just what you’re looking for.
Scent families
There are four perfume families – woody, floral, oriental and fresh – and within each family you’ll find common notes that should help guide you toward finding the right scent for you.
Woody
Common notes: Oak, Sandalwood, Cedarwood
Floral
Common notes: Jasmine, Rose, Iris and Lily of the Valley
Oriental
Common notes: Amber, Tobacco, Spices, Vanilla and Orange Blossom.
Fresh
Common notes: Lemon, Grapefruit, Neroli and Bergamot
How to choose a new scent
But how do navigate through the beauty halls and their endless bottles of scent? We recommend doing your research. Take stock of what you enjoy. What have you smelled in the past and loved? What memories resonate with particular aromas? All these things will help you choose the right perfume for you.
‘You should always be looking for the notes that resonate with you, and only you’, says fragrance supremo, and founder of the Fragrance Society, Lorna McKay. ‘For instance, if you enjoy the smell of freshly cut flowers, you should look for notes of white flowers. If you prefer something warm, that almost hugs you, try something with amber.’ Choosing a new perfume is completely personal.
Once you’ve got that down, then you can spray – but take your time. Start with a blotter first (you don’t want to end up with a scent you hate on your skin), if you still like it then move to a spritz your wrists. Oh and don’t rub your wrists together – that’s a cardinal sin in the laws of how to make perfume last longer.
One thing we would urge you to avoid, is being drawn into the gendering of fragrance. Some of the very best perfumes for women aren’t marketed as such, but are in fact unisex. Because it shouldn’t matter your gender, if you like the scent, then you like it.
And don’t worry about being without your favourite fragrance when you’re off on your travels, the best travel fragrance kits will see you through.
The best perfume for women in 2022
Whether you’re looking for a new scent or drawing inspiration from the most popular perfume on the market to choose your signature, here are all the best perfumes for women you need to know about in 2022.
To get you started, we’ve pulled together the best perfume for women on the market right now, along with everything you need to know about them. From the go-to Bvlgari to super cool Byredo, as well as Aesop (you’re probably obsessed with their hand wash) and one of the most popular perfume brands, Jo Malone London, let us help you find a new scent the year ahead. And when you’re done here, read how perfume became the soundtrack to one editor’s lockdown.
Consider the hard work done for you.
