Our choice of fragrance can hold a lot of meaning. After all, perfume can transport us to a specific place, person or memory—it really is time travel for the senses. Whether it be a holiday perfume that reminds you of a treasured place, or perhaps a wedding perfume that makes you fondly remember your special day, there’s no denying the power of scent. And if you’re yet to find your signature scent, you’ll know the fun of trying the best perfumes in the search of finding The One.
Trying a new perfume can be like trying on an alter-ego, or a spritz of confidence when you want to feel your best. And sometimes there’s nothing like wearing a fragrance that generates admiration every time you wear it. Tell me a higher beauty compliment than someone asking what perfume you’re wearing—I’ll wait. To find out the most-complimented perfumes of all time, I asked beauty editors and the Who What Wear UK team to share the fragrances that always generate comments when they wear them—positive ones of course! I’m talking about the scents that have people chasing you down the road to ask what perfume you’re wearing or garner the most attention in restaurants, bars and bathrooms.
Scroll ahead to see the fragrances that bring in the compliments for us, and you can thank us later.
Having tried a lot of fragrances in my job (you should see my buckling perfume shelf), I’ve noticed a distinct correlation between a certain brand and the many compliments its fragrances garner when I wear it. The perfume house in question? Diptyque. When I wore Eau Capitale out to dinner recently, the woman on the table next to me leant over to ask what perfume I was wearing and promptly made her husband write down the name in his phone. It’s a rose scent, but this is no powdery floral. Instead, it’s a moody take on rose, combined with earthy patchouli that makes it all the more mysterious. When I smell this, I imagine a bouquet of dark, velvety red roses.
L’Eau Papier, on the other hand—which is one of the brand’s newest scents—has also gotten me compliments every time I’ve worn it. Centered around musk, it has a creamy and clean quality—a nod to the crisp minimalism of paper, no doubt. Blonde wood and musk are combined with a creamy rice steam note, which gives a hazy, creamy and skin-like quality that feels like a comforting hug in fragrance form. It makes for a great everyday fragrance, and judging from the compliments, it’s a real crowd-pleaser too.
“Mine is Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540,” says Joy Ejaria, social media editor at Who What Wear UK. “I got the Eau De Parfum and Extrait de Parfum for Christmas a couple of years ago, and every time I spritz the Extrait people ask what I’m wearing. It has such strong staying power and is an expensive-smelling scent that commands attention.”
“De Los Santos by Byredo,” says Rebecca Rhys-Evans, branded content editor at Who What Wear UK. “Between my husband and I, we have many Byredo fragrances, but none bring in the compliments quite like De Los Santos. Musky, earthy and with strong top notes of sage, it’s definitely a winter-friendly fragrance, one that reminds me of forest walks, roaring fires and Christmas candles. Give someone a smooch under the mistletoe wearing this and they’re guaranteed to say ‘Oof, you smell nice!'”
“Mine is Floral Street Ylang Ylang Espresso,” says Grace Lindsay, junior beauty editor at Who What Wear UK. “This is my go-to, date-night fragrance for the winter months. Whenever I spray this, someone will come up to me and ask me what perfume I am wearing, thanks to the unique blend of ylang-ylang, jasmine, coffee and fresh cream. Trust me, this rich, sweet, woody scent will earn you so many compliments.”
“I always get compliments when I wear Escentric Molecules Molecule 01, which is weird because I can’t always smell it very strongly on myself,” says Grace Day, Who What wear UK beauty contributor and esthetician. “As a skin scent, it’s designed to adapt to and enhance the natural smell of each individual wearer, so it can smell different on everyone and is hard to put into words—but for the most part is a warm, clean, and comforting fragrance with a hint of sexy muskiness. No exaggeration, when I wear this I cannot leave the house without someone asking me about my perfume. I once witnessed someone purchase it immediately after passing me in the supermarket, and it’s the only perfume my boyfriend compliments me on every time I wear it.”
“I get compliments pretty much any time I wear a Diptyque perfume with favourites including Fleur de Peau, Eau Rose, and L’Eau Papier. But there’s one that always has people asking what I’m wearing: Eau Capitale,” says freelance beauty journalist, Tori Crowther. “Inspired by Paris, for Diptyque, only a classic chypre would do and it’s truly special. Rose is the star of the show here but it’s certainly not your typical rose scent, it opens with bergamot balanced with peppercorn and patchouli feeling modern, clean and bold. I choose this when I want to feel confident for a day of work — that fake it till you make it type of confidence — but it’s also a beautiful date-night perfume,” she says. “It has great lasting power on its own, but my trick is to dab on the scent in its solid form and then spritz the parfum over the top. With impressive sillage, it always gets compliments.”
“Mine is 100% Fig and Lotus Flower from Jo Malone,” says Maxine Eggenberger, deputy editor at Who What Wear UK. “I have been asked about it in restaurant bathrooms, by my friends at parties, my mum bought it after asking for a quick spitz of whatever I had in my handbag, and it’s the only perfume my husband compliments me on every single time I wear it. As the name suggests, it’s fruity and floral, but woody notes cut through it to give it a warm, complex finish. I’ve read reviews saying it doesn’t have staying power but I’ve found I can smell it on my skin hours after I apply it.”
“No fragrance has ever earned me more compliments than Maison Matine’s Bain de Midi,” says Morgan Fargo, freelance beauty editor. “With warm and floral with notes of gardenia, ylang-ylang, bergamot and coconut, Bain de Midi reminds me of the first summer afternoon that’s warm enough to decamp to the nearest green space and fall asleep in the sun. Elegant and warm without being sweet or cloying, people are (happily) shocked when I tell them it’s £55, not £255.”
“One fragrance guaranteed to get people talking is my signature scent of choice—Kayali’s Lovefest Burning Cherry 48,” says Lollie Hancock, content writer at Professional Beauty. “It smells so good that I’ve had half of my office buy it for themselves based on my recommendation (does this make me an #influencer?), and on multiple occasions I’ve been stopped by strangers to ask for the name. The perfect balance between sweet, warm, and spicy thanks to notes of praline, guaiac wood and jasmine sambac, the black cherry really comes through with a sharp sweetness that’s almost edible.”
“I know that people swap to more sultry scents come winter, but I like to smell like a clean baby’s bottom all year round. A sophisticated one, mind, and Per Sē by 27 87 smells like the most expensive fresh hotel sheets on earth,” says Humeara Mohamed, freelance beauty editor. “Then there’s L’Eau Papier by Diptyque. I was initially drawn to it due to the name, what with being a writer and all, but the scent itself is deliciously comforting and clean. It’s a little warmer than Per Sē, which makes it perfect for days when you want to feel toasty and hugged. Neither of these scents are overpowering – a bit like skin scents – so you can liberally douse yourself without worrying about choking someone in a lift, and then just wait as the compliments come rolling in, because they will.”
“Although I am well-known for my affinity to deep fragrances, my most complimented perfume is what I like to call the head-turner,” says Ata Owaji-Victor, freelance beauty journalist. “Be it walking through the street, on dates or even once leaving a petrol station, when wearing this scent I know I am likely to not only be complimented but equally lambasted to the point of scribbling down the name. The perfume in question is Bvlgari’s Splendida Tubereuse Mystique. It’s an elegant and richly scented fragrance, featuring a heady tuberose middle note rounded off with vanilla and myrrh. It remains my most purchased scent to date.”
” My most complimented perfume has to be Atelier Cologne’s, Santal Carmin,” says Fani Mari, freelance beauty and wellness journalist. “It’s a very warm and woody scent with a touch of leather and spice. I love that it’s quite unique and not too heavy. It includes amber which I love (especially for winter) as well as white musk, lime and bergamot. It’s one of my favourite products!”
