The 30 Best Perfumes on the Market
Posted by Perfumer

Whether you're a floral, fruity or musky gal, there's a best-selling fragrance for everyone
Perfume shopping can be a tad overwhelming, we see fragrance after fragrance hit the virtual shelves, all of which have dreamy ad campaigns (I'm looking at you, Jo Malone), cute bottles (hiii, Glossier) and most importantly, in-cred-ible scents.
So, how do you pick the best perfume?
Take notes
Grab your favourite perfumes and spend a little time googling the key notes (hint: if in doubt, check out fragrantica.com for beginner-friendly scent breakdowns). Are there any common occurrences? Got a thing for figs? Love some patchouli? (Us too). Well, these are the notes you want to look out for when hunting down your next perfume purchase.
Discovery kits are key
Tonnes of brands (including the likes of Jo Malone, Penhaligon's and Diptyque) sell sets featuring mini versions of all their best-selling scents, pick one up and you’re guaranteed to find your next favourite (or four).
Find your family
Nope, this isn’t a sneaky plug for Ancestry, I’m talking about your preferred fragrance fam. Yup, most scent ‘families’ are characterised by an overall accord they share. This could be anything from woody to floral and aromatic to sweet, find your fave and it’ll help narrow down your search. For example, if you prefer a light, fresh fragrance, it could be worth opting for a citrus or floral family... A perfect example would be Jo Malone London's best-selling English Pear & Freesia Cologne which has a fresh scent of, yep, you guessed it pears and patchouli.
If you prefer something a bit sweeter, take a cue from Rihanna and try one of her favourite scents – Kilian's Love Don't Be Shy Eau de Parfum. Loaded up with sweet floral top notes of orange blossom and neroli, combined with and a base of creamy musk, vanilla and caramel. Yum, right?
Or, if you want to make more of a statement with your scent, a heady oriental oud or a rich spice-loaded scent could be the way to go. Tom Ford's cult Black Orchid for women has hints of bitter chocolate, spices and vetiver.
Decide how intense you want it
Listen, perfumes can be confusing, but as soon as you’ve got the facts, you’ll be able to easily navigate them online. In general, fragrances fall into one of two categories: eau de parfum (EDP) or eau de toilette (EDT). EDPs, aka parfums, are made with a higher concentration of perfume oils, and EDTs, aka toilettes, are made with less.
So if you like your perfume to smell as strong on hour 12 as it does at second one, you can opt for an EDP. But if you prefer your fragrance to smell light and subtle and you’re okay with it wearing off after a few hours, go for an EDT.
How to apply your perfume
The best way to apply your perfume is on your skin, which allows the scent to work with your natural body chemistry and create a unique fragrance. Perfumes were created to slowly develop on your skin and bring out different notes at different times, and spraying on your clothes alone won't produce this same effect. (However, if you like longevity, always do both.)
Experts recommend spritzing onto your pulse points (wrists, chest, and neck, or even inside your elbow), but never rub them together. This can break up the notes and change the scent. Instead, just tap your wrists together to distribute the juice. If you want your perfume to last a bit longer, make sure you're spraying onto clean, moisturized skin, which gives the scent something to cling to.
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