The 7 Best Luxury Perfumes For Her, According To Fragrance Experts

One spritz of a beloved perfume can lift your mood. While scent is subjective, the best luxury perfumes share a few common elements that make them worth the investment. They’re often crafted by master perfumers, formulated using high-quality ingredients, and packaged in gorgeous bottles. Our top picks include woody and sensual Hermès Barénia (the newest fragrance from the brand), along with tried and true favorites like Frédéric Malle’s Portrait of a Lady, which pairs rose with earthy, spicy notes like patchouli and sandalwood.

“The packaging is part of the luxury experience,” says Linda G. Levy, president of the Fragrance Foundation, referring to the attention to detail given to every aspect of these high-end formulas. And while a well-designed bottle and atomizer are important, she says those won’t mean a thing unless the fragrance itself is magnificent, too. We tapped deputy editor Jane Sung and Levy to curate a list of the best luxury perfumes for her—from classic formulations to new and intoxicating scents.

7 PHOTOS

1. Best Hèrmes Perfume For Her
A Warm, Earthy Scent Inspired By An Iconic Bag

Hermès Barénia
$170

Christine Nagel, the renowned in-house perfumer at Hermès, spent years concocting the perfect chypre (a complex fragrance traditionally composed of citrus, florals, patchouli, and oakmoss) for the brand’s new perfume Barénia. Inspired by and named after the supple calf leather used in Hermès’ iconic bags, Nagel considers it a new classic. This contemporary version features notes of bergamot oranges that are harvested while still green and sharp; Madagascar butterfly lilies; and toasted oak wood that’s reminiscent of a delicious, warming rum. “It’s the first time she’s done a combination like this for the brand, and it’s fabulous,” says Levy.

2. Best Diptyque Perfume For Her
A Gritty, Cedar-Infused Scent

Diptyque Orphéon
$230

Diptyque’s Orphéon is one of Levy’s all-time favorites. “If I want to feel good, it just takes me to a very happy place,” she says. The sentiment is fitting considering the fragrance is an olfactory tribute to the Paris jazz club the brand’s founders frequented in the ’60s. So what did their happy place smell like? Cigarette smoke, gin cocktails, and a well-loved wooden bar top (plus a dash of sophistication, of course). Orphéon’s mix of warm and spicy tonka bean, woody cedar, and crisp juniper berries captures this beautifully.

3. Best Frédéric Malle Perfume For Her
A Dark, Sophisticated Rose Blend

Frédéric Malle Portrait Of A Lady
$295

A rose is still a rose, as Emily Dickinson once said, but this isn’t your average perfume scented with its petals. Frédéric Malle and perfumer Dominique Ropion created a dark, elegant interpretation of the classic floral note, combining Turkish rose with earthy, spicier notes like patchouli, sandalwood, and frankincense. Blackcurrant and raspberry add another fruity element to the formula that ties everything together. While it’s marketed as a woman’s perfume, Levy notes that plenty of men love to wear it, too.

4. Best Francis Kurkdjian Perfume For Her
A Showstopper Of A Fragrance Tinged With Jasmine And Cedar

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540
$335

If the glitzy women of the ’80s TV series Dynasty had a signature scent, it would be Baccarat Rouge 540. The fragrance is bold and strong—evoking bulky power suits of the time—yet glamorous, like the glittering sequin gowns its wealthy characters wore. The maximalist scent blends notes of jasmine, cedarwood, saffron, and ambroxan (an amber woody fragrance) to create a seductive and long-lasting aroma that’s perfect for a night out. It’s distinctive enough that it turns heads, says Levy. “And it’s very well made.”

5. Best Guerlain Perfume For Her
A Creamy, Powdery Perfume Infused With Hints of Spice

Guerlain Angélique Noire
$395

“This fragrance is so magnificent,” says Levy about Guerlain’s Angélique Noire, which is part of the brand’s L’Art and La Matière collection of perfumes made using the finest raw ingredients. A play on contrasts, the scent combines the green, herbal bitterness of the angelica flower with deliciously creamy vanilla. It’s also garnished with pink pepper, pear, caraway, and cedar for a unique scent that’s verdant, sweet and elegant at the same time.

6. Best Shalini Perfume For Her
An Earthy And Mysterious Fragrance

Shalini Jardin Nocturne
$500

When it comes to luxury scents, Levy says you can’t beat Shalini Parfums. Founder Shalini Kumar started her career designing for Valentino and takes a haute couture approach to fragrances. In addition to working with master perfumer Maurice Roucel, the brand uses only the purest botanical ingredients and bottles up its blends in opulent vessels topped off with an antique-style bulb atomizer, a pleated crystal, or an ultra-luxe Lalique flacon (that costs a whopping $3,000). The best-selling Jardin Nocturne, inspired by the night air in Dubai, blends oud from ancient Aquilaria trees in Assam with uplifting jasmine, smoky sandalwood, and spicy saffron for a fragrance that’s both mystical and sensual.

7. Best Byredo Perfume For Her
A Desert-Inspired Scent That Lingers On Skin

Byredo Mojave Ghost
$320

It’s been 10 years since Byredo’s cult-classic Mojave Ghost hit the scene. To celebrate this milestone, the brand launched a limited-edition eau de parfum reimagining the desert-inspired fragrance. Fans of the scent will still enjoy the medley of florals (nesberry, magnolia, and violet), woods (sandalwood and cedar), and musks that make up the iconic scent. However, now the formula nixes alcohol for a lighter, more subtle effect. Another notable difference is that the brand swapped out vetiver for amber, which adds a touch of sweetness. Ultimately, the skin-friendly formula—less likely to irritate easily reactive skin—lasts longer and can be misted all over your hair and body.