Out of 67 "Best-Ever" Perfumes, Our Editors Tested and Chose the Top 16

Average rating: 9.3/10

Notes: Rhubarb, lychee, bergamot essence, Turkish rose, peony vanilla, musk

This scent in three words: "Soft, warm, feminine." — Anna LaPlaca, senior fashion editor

Longevity: 6 hours

Testing notes: "I spritzed it on twice—once on my wrists and once at the collarbone—at noon, and by 6 p.m., I noticed that it had faded out. If I were to head out in the evening for dinner or drinks, I would definitely want to re-up with another application. I didn't notice any big difference between how it smelled out of the bottle versus how it did on my skin, which I appreciated. I felt like what I was spraying was the scent I was going to be wearing. If anything, I thought it softened a little bit once it sank in, and it lost the initial citrus note that I detected coming out of the bottle." — LaPlaca

Average rating: 8.7/10

Notes: Lemon, ginger, black pepper, apple, tangerine, jasmine petal

This scent in three words: "Refreshing, juicy, and clean." — Yusra Siddiqui, associate fashion editor

Longevity: 4 to 5 hours

Testing notes: "I find that it didn't change too much on my skin vs. me spraying it. Both times it had that fresh, sweet smell with a touch of spice. The fruity essence calms down a little on the skin but in a subtle way. I usually go for floral perfumes because I find that most fruity perfumes smell too strong (like the hand sanitizer you used in middle school), but this one is just divine." — Siddiqui

Notes: Black leather, violet flower, jasmine flower

This scent in three words: "Musky, warm, intoxicating." — Jamie Schneider, senior beauty editor

Longevity: 12+ hours

Testing notes: "Introducing the scent my fiancé and I have both been spritzing on repeat. It's very leather-forward (something to note if you don't like rich, warm, musky scents), but if you like more of an edgy fragrance, you will go wild for it. I personally think it's so sexy to share perfume with your partner, and this fragrance is the perfect pick." — Schneider

Average rating: 8.3/10

Notes: Turkish rose, Moroccan rose, schinus molle, saffron, geranium, patchouli, amber

This scent in three words: "Sexed-up rose.” — Katie Berohn, beauty editor

Longevity: 8+ hours

Testing notes: "I sprayed on this perfume before a friend’s birthday party, and I could still smell it on me at the end of the night. I’m not a big rose girl, but I’ve never smelled a rose this good before—it’s musky, it’s spicy, it’s truly got it going on. When I asked my boyfriend what he thought about it, he paused and said, ‘I love it. It’s subtle but powerful.’ Coming from a man who loves fragrance almost as much as I do and has no qualms telling me when he thinks a perfume I’m testing isn’t working, this is a major compliment.” — Berohn

Average rating: 7.9/10

Notes: Ambrette seeds, sea salt, sage

This scent in three words: "Light, sweet, warm." — Natalie Gray-Herder, editor, branded content

Longevity: 3 to 4 hours

Testing notes: "This perfume is my favorite from the brand and has been in my rotation for over five years now. So while my review may be biased because I'm already a fan, I promise it's worth testing. Once applied to my wrists, I pick up on the woody notes most. I prefer warmer, smoky wood scents and tend to stay away from more floral, sweet scents. But I find this perfume is the perfect mix of light, sweet, and warm. It's super elegant, and I would consider this a 'neutral good' in the world of fragrance." — Gray-Herder

Average rating: 7.7/10

Notes: Vanilla, almond, tuberose, jasmine sambac, cocoa, tonka bean

This scent in three words: "Victoria's Secret Angel." — Ana Escalante, assistant shopping editor

Longevity: 4 to 5 hours

Testing notes: "Straight out of the bottle, it's like an ode to 2010 malls, Victoria's Secret Push Up Bra campaigns, and 'Umbrella' by Rihanna. A lot of my fragrances are from niche houses, so going with something more commercial, I expected to be put off by the overly floral and citrusy scents found in most mass-produced scents, and yes, to some degree, it is that but it feels a bit more refined and glamorous in my opinion. Sometimes, I want to smell like Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan on a red carpet in 2007 and be okay with it!" — Escalante

Average rating: 7.6/10

Notes: Fresh fig, bergamot, plum leaves, pear, jasmine, orange blossom

This scent in three words: "Beachy, flirty, fresh." — Grace O'Connell Joshua, assistant editor

Longevity: 2 to 3 hours

Testing notes: "If you asked me to describe this perfume, I would say it smells like vacation. My friends told me I smelled like a mix of lime, suntan lotion, and coconut, which is a heck of a compliment if you ask me." — O'Connell Joshua

Average rating: 7.3/10

Notes: Neroli accord, lemon sfumatrice, mandarin essence, bergamot essence, jasmine buds, tuberose

This scent in three words: "Light, floral, springy." — Copelyn Bengel, freelance fashion and accessories editor

Longevity: 2 to 3 hours

Testing notes: "I feel like it was lighter and more floral when I sprayed it versus a little bit richer on my skin, which I liked." — Bengel

Average rating: 6.7/10

Notes: Freesia, plum, amber, cashmere woods, vanilla beans

This scent in three words: "Three drinks in.” — Berohn

Longevity: 12+ hours

Testing notes: "This has been one of my all-time favorite scents since it launched. It's based around vanilla, which can typically be sweet or cloying, but this is vanilla in its flat-out sexiest form. It's heady and provocative but still versatile enough to wear in nearly every situation. Whenever I ask my boyfriend what fragrance I should wear, the answer is nearly always Vanille Antique—and it's no surprise why.” — Berohn

Average rating: 6.6/10

Notes: Lavender blossom, juicy pear, bergamot, crème de coconut, vanilla orchid

This scent in three words: "Sweet, youthful, musky.” — Eliza Huber, senior fashion editor

Longevity: 10 to 12 hours

Testing notes: "When I asked my boyfriend to smell this perfume, he was shocked at how much he loved it. He’s a big Margiela Jazz Club guy, so I wouldn’t have expected him to love it as much as he did, but I can’t say I disagree. It has a much louder, brighter, sweeter scent when you smell the bottle or first spray it. However, as it sits on the skin, it really mellows out. It remains sweet but in a more relaxed way. It becomes a bit muskier too. I would say it gets better with age.” — Huber

Average rating: 6.5/10

Notes: Lily of the valley, centifolia rose, soft musk

This scent in three words: "Feminine, sexy, unexpected." — Huber

Longevity: 5+ hours

Testing notes: "This scent really is a compliment waiting to happen. As I was leaving my apartment on the first day of wearing it, I was politely stopped by my regular UPS delivery guy, who asked what I was wearing so that he could buy it for his partner. That's never happened with any other scent I've worn—ever. This scent stays pretty much the same on the skin, though it gets slightly sweeter as it sinks in and mixes with your natural scent. I think the biggest shock is how the bottle looks compared to the actual scent. Though it's feminine as the bottle appears, it's not 'girly' at all. It feels very mature and sexy." — Huber

Notes: Jasmine, saffron, cedarwood, ambergris

This scent in three words: "Unbothered rich woman.” — Berohn

Longevity: 12+ hours

Testing notes: "I mean, at this point, Baccarat Rouge 540 is synonymous with smelling good. The scent exploded on TikTok, and it’s constantly mentioned as one of the best scents out there. The people I actually know in real life who consistently wear it are some of the most successful people I’ve ever met. It’s always fun to wear this fragrance and emulate them for a day. This scent feels like a power play in a bottle.” — Berohn

Notes: Grapefruit, jasmine, neroli, orange blossom, white musk, ylang-ylang

This scent in three words: "A citrus delight.” — Aniyah Morinia, editor, branded content

Longevity: 12+ hours

Testing notes: "I went to dinner the other night and stopped by a bakery for dessert, and the cashier asked what perfume I was wearing. There’s nothing better than getting complimented on your scent by a stranger, especially in a place that already smells so amazing. The fact that my scent was strong enough to overpower the mouthwatering smell of cookies is extremely telling. When I first sprayed this into the air, it was a lot harder to catch a whiff of the notes of grapefruit. I took note of the orange blossom hints, but it was definitely more fragrant on my wrists and neck. The scent is definitely more floral when applied to the body while still having a touch of musk. It’s safe to say that I can’t stop smelling my wrist. Smelling good is such an underrated confidence booster.” — Morinia

Notes: Pink pepper essence, orange flower absolute, clove oil, chestnut accord, Gaïac wood oil

This scent in three words: "Cozy, inviting, warm.” — Sierra Mayhew, associate editor

Longevity: 10 hours

Testing notes: "When I spray it, I get more of the sweet notes that accompany the fragrance, especially the vanilla notes. This surprised me because I have the candle, which smells woodier and has a lot of spice. Once I sprayed it on my wrist, I felt like the scent was the meeting point between what I initially smelled by spraying the fragrance in the air and the familiar smell that I get from my favorite candle.” — Mayhew

Notes: Freesia accord, rose accord, jasmine, patchouli oil

This scent in three words: "Sweet, fresh, glamorous." — LaPlaca

Longevity: 12+ hours

Testing notes: "I don't know what kind of skin-gripping formula they dreamt up, but I was pleased to see how long the scent lingered. I spritzed it on in the morning and wore it all day at work. Even after walking out of a (particularly sweaty) Spin class post-work, I swear I was still catching a whiff of it. It exploded with bold floral notes when I first spritzed it into the air, and my first reaction was how sweet and youthful it smelled, but once it hit the inside of my wrist, it transformed into a deeper fragrance, and the vanilla and musk notes became more emphasized, which I thought lent it a more mature vibe than that of my initial impression." — LaPlaca

Notes: Ambrette seeds, Sichuan pepper, orris, Damascena rose, musk

This scent in three words: "Floral but mysterious.” — Berohn

Longevity: 12+ hours

Testing notes: "Young Rose is a floral fragrance for people who don’t like floral fragrances. With a dash of Sichuan pepper, it has some major bite, which gives it an interesting twist. It’s like if a rose were mixed into an experimental cocktail at the coolest bar in town—unexpected and delightful.” — Berohn