Sweet Perfumes Can Have a Bad Rep, But These 12 Smell So Good

When it comes to fragrance keepsakes, I know many perfume lovers who continue to cling to 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 still reminisce about my first fragrance: Avril Lavigne’s Black Star Eau de Parfum, which combines 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 subtler notes of pink hibiscus, black plum and dark chocolate spoke to me—and have been inspiring my fragrance choices ever since.

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(Image credit: @itsvanesem)

Sure enough, over a decade later, my signature scents continue to be anything sweet and floral. However, now that I’m in my late 20s, I've found that the key to preventing sweet perfumes from veering into cloying territory is 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.

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(Image credit: @livpurvis)

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.

1. Ouai Rue Street Honoré

2. Huda Beauty Kayali Utopia Vanilla Coco 21

3. Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia

4. Jimmy Choo Floral

5. Lush Rose Jam

6. Ariana Grande Thank U, Next

7. Glossier You

8. Molton Brown Mesmerising Oudh Accord & Gold 

9. Britney Spears Fantasy

10. YSL Black Opium

11. Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb

12. The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Strawberry Kiss