I'm Not Going to Lie—These Irresistible Perfumes Should Come With Caution Tape
You know those times when you're really feeling yourself? I'm talking about when you're wearing a great outfit, your makeup looks amazing, and nothing can stop you. Whether it's a night out or a daytime situation, you feel like everyone's paying attention to you in the best way possible. Well, might I suggest adding a sultry perfume to turn even more heads?
Maybe you want to add a little oomph before you head to that first date. Or maybe you want to impress your significant other or feel extra confident on a night out. That's when a sultry perfume will come in handy. These fragrances have a range of notes, from intense florals to gourmands to spices, but they all have one thing in common: They're absolutely enticing and seductive.
Take a look at some of the best sexy perfumes below, and just get ready for all of those compliments.
The Best Sexy Perfumes, Listed
- Best Overall: Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Parfum
- Best Sheer Spice: Byredo Slow Dance Eau de Parfum
- Best Woody Floral: Le Labo Jasmin 17 Eau de Parfum
- Best Spicy Floral: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum
- Best Gourmand Musk: Frédéric Malle Musc Ravageur Eau de Parfum
- Best Citrus Floral: Gucci Gucci Guilty Eau de Parfum
- Best Cool Spices: Dior Poison Eau de Toilette
- Best Gourmand Spices: Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette
Best Overall: Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Warm spices
Key Notes: Coffee, white flowers, vanilla
Longevity: 7 hours
This scent is so intoxicating and warm. With notes of coffee, white flowers, and vanilla, it's the perfect mix of sexy and sweet.
Customer review: "I received this as a sample and immediately fell in love with it. The notes are coffee, white flowers, and vanilla—and the mix is perfect! When I wear this I feel sexy and confident and receive compliments every time I wear it out."
Shop Other Excellent Choices
Best Warm Gourmand: Heretic Dirty Vanilla Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Spicy musk
Key Notes: Sandalwood, coriander, vanilla
Longevity: 5–6 hours
If you love an earthy scent, you'll appreciate this. It has notes of sandalwood and coriander. Vanilla adds a touch of sweetness to the mix.
Customer review: "Dirty Vanilla is my go-to fragrance. It’s delicious yet subtle enough for everyday wear, great for layering, and free from yucky synthetics. Love, love, love!"
Best Fruity Floral: Maya Nije Tropica Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Fruity floral
Key Notes: Ambergris, sandalwood, citrus, pineapple, Mediterranean fig
Longevity: 5–6 hours
This perfume will have you feeling like you're on an indulgent tropical vacation every time you spritz it on. The description reads, "A beach vacation in a bottle." It contains notes of ambergris, sandalwood, citrus, pineapple, Mediterranean fig, coconut, and iris.
Customer review: "In my opinion, this beautiful ambery floral fragrance is one of the best out there. I've tried many niche brands so far, but most of them were either too strong or too chemical, hence just didn't quite hit the right tone but this one definitely stands out."
Best Sheer Spice: Byredo Slow Dance Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Amber floral
Key Notes: Opoponax, geranium, labdanum, violet, vanilla, patchouli
Longevity: 8 hours
This unisex perfume is all about desire. It has top notes of opoponax (sweet myrrh); middle notes of geranium, labdanum, and violet; and base notes of vanilla and patchouli.
Customer review: "My all-time favorite perfume. I’ve never smelt anything that comes close to this or that could be copied. It’s sweet warm and lasts forever. This is my third bottle now and I will continue to buy this. [Everything] about [it] feels special. The packaging is gorgeous too!!"
Best Woody Floral: Le Labo Jasmin 17 Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Woody floral
Key Notes: Bitter orange, neroli, orange blossom, sandalwood, vanilla
Longevity: 7–8 hours
A new take on classic jasmine perfumes, Le Labo's fragrance also contains bitter orange, neroli, orange blossom, sandalwood, amber, musk, and vanilla. It's fresh, unique, and youthful.
Customer review: "This scent is elegant, with notes of Jasmine, Orange Flower, and a base note of Vanilla. It's subtle enough that it doesn't offend, but lasting enough that it creates a signature scent."
Best Resinous Floral: Sana Jardin Tiger by Her Side Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Spicy floral
Key Notes: Moroccanoil, rose, Indonesian patchouli, Somalian incense, amber
Longevity: 5 hours
First, can we acknowledge that this perfume's name, Tiger by Her Side, is just so cool? And it lives up to its cool name because it's both heady and intoxicating, with notes of Moroccan rose, Indonesian patchouli, Somalian incense, and amber.
Customer review: "A wonderful, warming oriental. Layers of resinous notes overlap each other in harmony. The rose note is beautifully judged here, not overbearing like rose can be, but wrapped in comforting vanilla and labdanum. Highly recommended."
Best Gourmand Floral: Ellis Brooklyn Sci Fi Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Gourmand floral
Key Notes: Vanilla, green tea, bergamot
Longevity: 6–7 hours
Think this is a regular vanilla perfume? Think again. It's warm and spicy with a blend of vanilla, green tea, and bergamot. This is a great option if your definition of "sexy" is fresh and carefree.
Customer review: "It smells exactly like drinking a warm cup of fresh vanilla oolong under an orange tree with a just peeled orange by your side. This is one of the most unique perfumes I've smelt, and it quickly became a favorite of mine. I get so many compliments when wearing the perfume."
Best Fresh Floral: Chanel Allure Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Fresh floral
Key Notes: Mandarin, May rose, vanilla, passionfruit, peony
Longevity: 5 hours
With a name like Allure, this fragrance is bound to get you some compliments. The classic perfume is infused with notes of mandarin, May rose, vanilla, passionfruit, and peony.
Customer review: "Elegant, distinctive, and long-lasting. Definitely a signature scent. It makes me happy each time I wear it."
Best Warm Wood: Maison Louis Marie No.04 Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Warm wood
Key Notes: Sandalwood, vetiver, amberwood
Longevity: 4 hours
Try this warm scent for something woody, earthy, and mysterious. It has key notes of sandalwood, vetiver, and amberwood.
Customer review: "Absolutely love this fragrance. I love Another 13 by Le Labo and was looking for something lighter for the summer. This is it! Woody, with notes of santal, but very light and airy at the same time. Will definitely be a staple in my collection."
Best Earthy Woods: DedCool Fragrance 01 Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Earthy woods
Key Notes: Bergamot, white florals, cassis, vanilla, amber
Longevity: 5–6 hours
DedCool's best-selling fragrance is a sweet and sensual blend of bergamot, fresh dew, floral, cassis, vanilla, and amber. It makes for a great everyday fragrance, too.
Customer review: "A fresh, clean, slightly green vanilla. The musky amber comes out more in cold weather. The green and slightly floral or dewy aspects come out more in warm weather. This has lasted on me seven hours so far today."
Best Spicy Floral: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Amber floral
Key Notes: Jasmine, saffron, cedarwood, fir resin, warm amberwood
Longevity: 7–8 hours
This one is just so sumptuous and rich. The warm and spicy blend contains scents of jasmine, saffron, cedarwood, fir resin, and warm amberwood.
Customer review: "I've gotten so many compliments on this perfume since I started wearing it. Complete strangers recognize it which took me by surprise. Definitely money well spent."
Best Warm Floral: Tom Ford Black Orchid Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Warm floral
Key Notes: Bergamot, black orchid, black plum, gourmands, patchouli
Longevity: 6 hours
The words used to describe the notes in this fragrance are "aphrodisiac," "effervescent," and "sensuality." Notes include black truffle, bergamot, black orchid, black plum, noir gourmand accord, and patchouli.
Customer review: "This is one of my must-have perfumes. It is very distinct and stands out in the crowd. Not your run-of-the-mill floral. It is dark, spicy, and very sensual. I LOVE IT!"
Best Gourmand Musk: Frédéric Malle Musc Ravageur Eau de Parfum
Key Notes: Gourmand musk
Key Notes: Vanilla, amber, bergamot, tangerine, cinnamon, musk
Longevity: 7–8 hours
Musk and vanilla are the hero notes in this fragrance, so it's definitely your classic sensual perfume. It's balanced with notes of amber, bergamot, tangerine, and cinnamon.
Customer review: "A seductive workhorse perfect for date nights. Musk and vanilla is a destructive combination when it comes to seduction, and adding cinnamon boosts the 'I can't leave your hug' effect this fragrance has on your counterpart."
Best Citrus Floral: Gucci Guilty Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Citrus floral
Key Notes: Mandarin, pink pepper, lilac, amber, patchouli
Longevity: 5 hours
Try this light and fresh perfume if you're not into spicy or warm fragrances but still want something seductive. It has top notes of mandora (like mandarin) and pink pepper, a middle note of lilac, and a base note of patchouli.
Customer review: "I love the notes in this fragrance. It makes me feel warm and sexy. The bottle is sleek as well, and it lasts a long time with only a few spritzes needed. It has notes of amber and lilac. Absolutely perfect!"
Best Citrus Woods: Kilian Playing With the Devil Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Citrus woods
Key Notes: Blood orange, lychee, jasmine, pepper, sandalwood, vanilla
Longevity: 6 hours
Kilian's perfume is inspired by forbidden fruit, so you can expect something a little mysterious and sweet. It has top notes of blood orange, lychee, and peach; middle notes of pimento, jasmine, and pepper; and base notes of sandalwood, patchouli, and vanilla.
Customer review: "This scent is somewhat similar in composition to 'freshly shaven' masculine scents. The juxtaposition of the citrus opening (the peach and black currant meld together to read more like 'grapefruit' rather than separate on me), herbal undertones (cedar and patchouli), and a touch of clean musky floral notes create this feeling/quality."
Best Cool Spices: Dior Poison Eau de Toilette
Scent Type: Spicy floral
Key Notes: Coriander, tuberose, plum, amber, musk
Longevity: 6 hours
Dior's Poison is a total classic, and it still turns heads. The spicy, fruity, and amber blend has notes of coriander, tuberose, and opoponax.
Customer review: "There's nothing like this plummy, ambery, spicy musky scent. It drives me crazy smelling myself. I'm fortunate that my skin wears this scent well. I have a lot of fragrances and this is my favorite."
Best Gourmand Spices: Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Toilette
Scent Type: Amber woods
Key Notes: Orange blossom, osmanthus, rose, peach, amber, vanilla, vetiver
Longevity: 7 hours
The star note here is sensual musk, so you know it's going to be inviting. The fragrance is also infused with orange blossom, osmanthus, rose, peach, amber, vanilla, and vetiver.
Customer review: "I love this scent. It is sweet, spicy, and sexy all at the same time. A little goes a long way and lasts all day. I have been wearing it for 10 years and continue to get compliments. Definitely worth trying. One thing to note, all fragrances smell different on different people, as it interacts with our individual oils and skin. Enjoy!"
Best Classic Floral: Yves Saint Laurent Libre Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Classic floral
Key Notes: Lavender, light florals, orange blossom, musk
Longevity: 5–6 hours
This is a warm twist on a floral perfume and combines lavender essence, orange blossom, and musk accord. It's the right mix of fresh and sexy.
Customer review: "I tried a sample of this a few months ago and finally decided to buy a full-sized bottle! I love how luxurious this smells, and it's perfect for layering with another vanilla-based perfume."
Discover More Fragrance Favorites
This article was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
Sarah is lifestyle writer and editor with over 10 years of experience covering health and wellness, interior design, food, beauty, and tech. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she attended New York University and lived in New York for 12 years before returning to L.A. in 2019. In addition to her work at Who What Wear, she held editor roles at Apartment Therapy, Real Simple, House Beautiful, Elle Decor, and The Bump (sister site of The Knot). She has a passion for health and wellness, but she especially loves writing about mental health. Her self-care routine consists of five things: a good workout, “me” time on the regular, an intriguing book/podcast/playlist to unwind after a long day, naps, and decorating her home.
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