14 best perfumes for women that will keep the compliments coming

Zara perfumes have generated quite a fanbase over the years, and now the brand has partnered with British perfumer Jo Malone. The collaboration spans 15 different scents, chief among which is waterlily tea dress. What does a “waterlily tea dress” smell like? According to Zara, “Soft jazz music plays in the background, picnics on the lawn, a vintage tea dress floats by in the gentle breeze.”

That sounded impossibly vague before I put it to the test, but I found an incredibly good perfume. It feels clean, with a light, soapy undercurrent. This sudsy layer stacks well against this scent’s earthy botanicals. While these notes on paper are sage, mint and basil, in practice, I found they translate to a grassy, dewy aroma.

The product is a great value, relatively long-lasting (around four hours), fresh perfume. Unlike other perfumes at this price point, it’s unique, and it smells much more expensive than it actually is.

If you're a fan of Mugler’s Alien (£97, Boots.com) or perhaps nostalgic for Abercrombie and Fitch’s Fierce (£34.80, Lookfantastic.com), Diem’s Dare You offers a mature, luxurious alternative. This scent offers a deeper, woodier, and more sophisticated twist on these cult classics. With sultry notes of oak and cedar, and the spice of saffron and cardamom, it’s a perfectly balanced blend that leans confidently unisex, with a rich, androgynous finish that lingers all day long. Expect both men and women to ask what you’re wearing with envy.

Diem’s standout concept is its “fragrance wardrobe” philosophy. Rather than a large, expensive bottle, Diem offers smaller, accessible 30ml sizes designed to encourage rotation and experimentation. This idea is that you can switch your scent to suit your mood, like changing your outfit. For £20 a month, you can have a new signature scent delivered via the Diem Club every month and save even more cash.

While the compact size means you might power through it faster (especially thanks to the addictive scent), the accessible price point softens the blow. The slim bottle also makes it perfect for travel or tossing in a handbag. However, 30ml won’t last long.

Chanel’s Coco mademoiselle is one of the brand’s most popular fragrances, offering a lighter, more delicate scent than the divisive floral bouquet of Chanel No. 5. With top notes of orange and a fresh, lightweight rose, it balances florals with a bright, outdoorsy vetiver.

This makes it perfect for both day and night wear, and its subtle sweetness layers beautifully with vanilla scents. It lasts from morning to night, too, so it’s a perfect all-day scent. I loved the elegant packaging, featuring 1920s art-deco gold accents, but you’d expect that for the high price – this scent costs a whopping £140-150 per 100ml.

However, if you like the scent, it’s also available in lots of cheaper forms. There’s a purse spray (£130, Johnlewis.com), body oil (£65, Theperfumeshop.com), and even a deodorant (£48, Johnlewis.com).

If you’ve been keeping atop the latest TikTok news, then you’ll know that Parfums de Marly’s valaya was the scent that influencer Ambar Lee wore for her South African wedding. Now that I’ve tested the fragrance myself, I can certainly see how it would slot into a wedding morning with its light, dreamy scent.

If you’re neither one for heady florals nor rich gourmands, valaya makes the perfect middle point with its powdery, sugar-dusted petal aroma. While I couldn’t detect all nine notes from the French perfumers’ description, I did pull out the nympheal, ambrofix, peach and musk.

I’m not always a fan of fruity fragrances, but the peach adds freshness rather than sweetness, making for a finish that’s delicately floral with echoes of milk and honey. It’s a sweet scent for those that don’t like sweet scents. It has remarkable staying power, too. I caught as many whiffs of it at 4pm as I did when I first applied it 8 hours earlier.

Balmain’s carbone perfume only launched in 2024, but it’s become a firm favourite. The central note is rose, but while some rose aromas can skew old-timey, this one leans on accompanying notes of suede and sandalwood to bring a more contemporary feel.

The marketing says that there are also notes of cumin, but I couldn’t detect any. It’s truly an investment, right down to the art deco bottle, but the good news is that carbone’s refill bottle (at three times the size, at 150ml) saves you around a quarter of the price when you compare per ml.

It’s also seriously strong, so you’ll only need a spritz on each of your pulse points (two on each wrist, two under the jaw), and you’ll be good to go for the day. In fact, I’ve had compliments on it at the end of a full day’s wear, so while it’s incredibly expensive, you certainly get your money’s worth.

My mum used Jo Malone’s lime, basil and mandarin scent as a bath oil when I was a child, and it has remained in my memories ever since. It lives up to its name with noticeable hints of citrus and green leaves. However, if you’re worried about smelling like a greenhouse, you’re in good hands. The basil is understated, providing an earthy balance to the sweet citrus notes.

Compared to other citrus scents like Calvin Klein one (£36.66, Boots.com) or D&G’s light blue (£59, Lookfantastic.com), it doesn’t lead with the sharpness of lemon but rather surrounds the lime and mandarin notes with warming amberwood.

This gives this scent a maturity and luxury often lacking from citrus scents, many of which can smell too much like mosquito repellent. Annoyingly, as much as I loved it, I didn’t find this fragrance lasted well on my skin, even with its high price, so you’ll need to top it up every few hours.

Penhaligon’s quercus is about as British as a fragrance can get. It’s part of the brand’s English garden collection, celebrating the country’s natural flora and fauna. Quercus is the Latin genus for oak trees, and the marketing for this scent says that it evokes the feel of a sunny day spent in the shade of the tree’s leaves.

Perfume marketing is usually off the mark, but this time it’s true - the aroma evokes nostalgic memories of crisp, clear-skied spring days. While the oakmoss mimics the scent of morning dew on grass, the mandarin and lily of the valley bring a freshness reminiscent of new blossoms at the start of March.

Quercus is as close as a fragrance can be to a freshly cut lemon and, in that sense, it’s entirely unisex – without sweetness or spice. The packaging is, as with all Penhaligon’s products, ornamental in itself. I just wish that the scent lasted a tad longer on the skin, especially at this price.

Aside from black opium, libre is YSL’s most famous fragrance. It’s deep and complex, combining lavender and orange blossom to create a botanical, warm fragrance like a jar of honey. The jasmine florals and tangerine give the scent a bright zing, which is undercut by vanilla for a more evening-appropriate feel.

On the whole, I’d say it has day-to-night wearability, but I think it’s most effective in winter or night. In the same vein, it’s a more mature scent and not one I’d look to as a first foray into fragrance.

The real draw of libre is its incredible staying power. It landed a spot in my longlist for this roundup after I repeatedly caught whiffs of it on a friend. After testing it, I can confirm that it lasts a long time, with the fragrance almost as pungent in hour eight as when I first spritzed it. However, this also means that it’s easy to overdo it on the spritzing – three sprays should suffice.

No perfume round-up would be complete without Creed. Love in white turns 20 this year, but it’s still one of the best scents on the market. Its bright, clean scent leads with the fresh powderiness of rose and orris butter, and it dries down with a bit of zing from the zest.

This latter element was reminiscent of freshly squeezed orange juice and gave this scent an uplifting daytime feel. It’s probably not suited to evenings or the cosier times of year.

Love in white’s staying power is nearly unmatched. Often, I find that fragrances fade for me as the wearer, while others still notice them; love in white, however, offers subtle whiffs throughout the day for both you and those around you to enjoy.

Though I wish its packaging was a little more distinctive, I love the uniqueness of this fragrance, and I think it’s a good choice as a gift to mark a special occasion. However, it goes without saying that Creed’s list price of £165 for 30ml is incredibly expensive.

Phlur describes its fragrances as inspired by memories, experiences and emotions. It’s not a particularly helpful description, and the brand’s soft spot eau de parfum is similarly subtle.

Its subtle waterlily floral notes lend this scent a remarkable lightness, but as it settles into the skin, it develops the warmth and complexity of amber.

Given that the perfume combines with the wearer’s natural skin scent, it’s hard to describe it accurately. However, after spritzing on my wrists, the aroma generated a clean and cotton-like undercurrent.

This understated vibe means that soft spot loses its strength within an hour or two, which is a little disappointing when you consider that it costs nearly £100. However, I can’t fault its originality.

Prada paradoxe is the brand’s most intriguing fragrance. Housed in a unique triangle bottle, the perfume has a floral scent that’s rounded off with a light sweetness.

Having recently tested YSL libre (£86.70, Boots.com), I was surprised to draw comparisons between the two scents, finding Prada’s scent a much more refreshing take. While YSL’s iteration has a headiness, Prada’s is better for those who prefer an understated perfume.

Unfortunately, this meant that it had faded by the end of the day, but it’s by no means alone in requiring a midday top-up, as lots of the perfumes I tried had faded by lunchtime.

While the aroma is undeniably feminine, it’s neither young nor old and adds a touch of glamour to anyone wearing it. That means it lends itself to both day and night scenarios, and the amber and tangerine notes mean that it will work well in every season.

Unlike the rich floral notes of Dior J’adore (£89, Boots.com), Miss Dior is a younger aroma with a lightweight approach to springtime notes. It’s the sort of scent that’s hard to dislike, with subtle nods to each of the fragrance realms: fresh, floral, sweet and woody.

While the sweetness (like hot sugar) affords it a feminine feel, the vanilla and sandalwood allow for evening and winter wearability.

The florals are completely at home in daytime settings, especially in spring and summer. While Miss Dior is available in an eau de toilette variation (£88, Johnlewis.com), it wasn’t particularly long-lasting in this eau de parfum format. It fades away in around two to three hours, so I wouldn’t want to lessen this limited staying power with an eau de toilette, even if it’s a little cheaper.

An edit of the best perfumes wouldn’t be complete without at least one fragrance from Tom Ford. Granted, these perfumes are an investment but, with a fan base spanning everyone from Taylor Swift to Harry Styles, there must be some method to the madness.

The brand’s vanilla sex scent is a “gourmand” – its main ingredients are derived from food scents. It more than lives up to it; this fragrance is practically edible, and has an aroma like a bakewell tart or maraschino cherries. It's sweet at first but dries down to a more complex, spirit-like aroma, reminiscent of whiskey or negroni.

While I commend the unique, creamy finish, I wish it lasted longer, especially for the price. Then again, fragrance longevity can vary based on factors like skin type and body temperature, so some might find this too strong.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian is known for heady, woody scents, especially baccarat rouge 540 (£245, Johnlewis.com). However, absolue pour le matin is a departure for the brand. French speakers will know from its name that it’s designed for the morning, and the brand compares it to “the sun’s powerful rays stream[ing] through louvred shutters”. Again, another overly poetic description, but this airy fragrance is much lighter than the brand’s muskier scents.

It opens with fresh lemon and powdery violet, evoking the smell of after-sun, hotel body lotion, aloe vera, and sun cream. Not suited for evening or winter, pour le matin is more of a spring/summer daytime fragrance, with an undercurrent of warmth from the woody accords.

Like the brand’s other scents, I could still smell it on my pulse points after multiple hand washes and more than eight hours of wear. However, as with many powdery scents, it’s more of a subtle skin scent rather than one that throws across a room.