Everyone Deserves at Least One Luxury Perfume—These 14 Are the Best

In recent decades, niche and specialist fragrance brands have topped the the perfume charts—the likes of Diptyque, Creed, Le Labo, and Jo Malone have become household names, while TikTok has sent new and lesser-known brands such as Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Escentric Molecules viral. Even more recently, we've seen influencers dabble in the fragrance space—take note of Huda Kattan's Kayali and Michelle Lim's Phlur—two extremely successful brands which have quickly established themselves in an industry typically rooted in heritage.

While the landscape of fragrance is changing, it's important to pay homage to that heritage. Rewind thirty years and designer perfume brands we all we knew. Putting their names to perfumes and beauty products was a tactic that fashion brands (think: Chanel, Dior, YSL) have used for decades to market their brands to the masses. Granted, a Tom Ford lipstick or a Gucci perfume may still be expensive, but they're a lot more accessible than say, a Tom Ford handbag or a pair of Gucci loafers. 

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(Image credit: @EMMAHOAREAU)

Perfume has long since been a way for us to treat ourselves to the finer things and experience a small slice of luxury on an everyday basis. And after all, some of the master perfumers behind your favourite niche perfumes built their careers creating some of the cult classic designer perfumes that we still know and love today.

More recently, however, our trustworthy designer brands have seriously upped their game. In fact, as some of our niche cult favourites become more and more popular, designer perfumes have had to rise to the challenge of maintaining their popularity—which means releasing new, trend-driven fragrances, and updating old-school classic to feel modern and relevant.

Now, it seems, designer perfumes are more impressive than ever—and not to be overlooked or underestimated. After all, these designer brands have been in the game for a long time, and they know how to make a really good perfume. From forgotten classics to up-and-coming stars, these are the 14 best designer perfumes to buy right now.

1. Marc Jacobs Daisy

2. Dior Miss Dior

3. Chanel Chance

4. Byredo Bibliothèque

5. Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia 

6. Tom Ford Black Orchid

7. Loewe Solo Atlas

8. YSL Libre

9. Issey Miyake L'Eau d'Issey

8. Maison Margiela Replica Lazy Sunday Morning

10. Narciso Rodriguez For Her

11. Chloe Atelier Des Fleurs Santalum

12. Prada Infusions Oeillet

14. Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia Cologne

Next Up: Trust Me: This Chic French Fragrance Will Earn You Endless Compliments

Freelance Beauty Editor

Grace Day is a beauty editor and content creator. She has over 10 years of beauty-industry experience, spanning editorial, retail, and e-commerce, which gives her a unique understanding into how people shop for their beauty routines.

While studying for a history degree (specialising in the history of beauty) and working as a beauty adviser in department stores, Grace started writing her own beauty blog in order to share the products she discovered while dealing with acne. After graduating, she moved to Beauty Bay as beauty editor and content manager. Grace is currently a beauty contributor to Who What Wear. She has also written for Hypebae and PopSugar and works as a brand consultant and copywriter.