We’ve Judged Them All—These Are the 15 Best Fragrances Around Right Now
Welcome to Who What Wear UK’s Next in Beauty Awards 2025. Here, we are crowning and celebrating the very best in beauty, from game-changing industry innovators to the tried-and-tested classics that remain mainstays in our bathroom cabinets and makeup bags. To help us find the worthy winners, we called upon our esteemed panel of industry experts, hard-to-please editors and in-the-know influencers, who put each and every product to the test. We enlisted our judges to document and share their testing for every product they tried, so you can see all the winners in action—as well as those very important before-and-after results. After much testing, spritzing and reviewing, the results are in. Join us in celebrating the best fragrance products of 2025.
Who What Wear UK Next in Beauty Awards 2025: Best in Fragrance
When it comes to creativity, things don’t get much better than a collaboration between fragrance genius Frederic Malle and Swedish fashion house Acne Studios. This perfume has been a mainstay in every Who What Wear UK editor’s perfume wardrobe since its launch last year, and its creative, cleaner-than-clean aldehyde blend still stands unrivalled.
“This has been my signature fragrance for the past year,” says beauty director Shannon Lawlor. The fresh, soapy aroma is distinctly unique and somehow still manages to smell undeniably expensive. I have no feedback other than it is, in my opinion, perfect.” It’s a soapy hit of creamy freshness, but it also works as a wonderful layering scent.
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Nothing makes hitting the hay feel quite as luxurious as misting a fine pillow spray over your sheets, and this one really performs. Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax scent combines lavender, vetiver and sandalwood to deliver meditative levels of relaxation before the most blissful slumber.
“Sleeping soundly isn’t something I’m familiar with, or rather, it wasn’t until I discovered this pillow mist. The calming lavender aroma flicks a switch in my brain and has me snoozing soundly in a matter of minutes,” says Lawlor.
Fragrance expert Eudora Nwasike says, “I’ve used the Deep Relax Sleep Mist for four nights in a row, and I’ve had the most heavenly sleep ever. I usually struggle to sleep through the night, but that hasn’t been the case since I started using it. With just a few spritzes on your skin and pillow, your mind and body instantly relax, allowing you to drift into the best sleep of your life. This is truly what sweet dreams are made of, and I would 10/10 recommend it to anyone who struggles to get enough rest at night.”
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Aromatherapy Associates
Deep Relax Sleep Mist
Balmain Beauty launched its collection of Les Éternels de Balmain fragrances last year, but this isn’t the fashion house’s first time around the olfactory block. In fact, a number of the fragrances in the collection are reinventions of iconic Balmain perfumes from decades gone by. The one that has made the biggest splash is, without question, Carbone. The deep, rosy musk scent is totally hypnotic.
“A captivating fusion of musky suede and rose, accented by subtle woody undertones that linger gracefully on the skin, leaving a dreamy scent trail. I’ve worn it several times, and it never fails to draw compliments. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves refined floral fragrances that are elegant yet understated and perfect for any season,” says Nwasike.
And Lawlor agrees, “Carbone is a deep, smoky sort of musk—a musk lightyears away from the fresh powders we’ve grown accustomed to. It’s the sort of perfume that turns heads as soon as it enters a room.”
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Balmain Beauty
Carbone Eau de Parfum
Solid perfumes that sit close to the skin and feel beautifully intimate are no doubt having a resurgence, but it’s this new-for-2025 launch that is really leading the charge. Dior Beauty’s Miss Dior Solid Perfumes look like works of art in your handbag and have undeniable viral appeal.
“What a lovely product. It’s so perfect for a fragrance beginner, or someone looking for something that rests more intimately on the skin. I adore everything about them, from the packaging to the scent that the solid version conveys,” says host of Outspoken Beauty podcast, Nicola Bonn.
And despite her preference for punchy scents, Lawlor is inclined to agree. “I just love this cute little luxury. Carrying bottles of perfume in my handbag is such a chore, but this chic bullet is lightweight, effective and almost impossibly cool. Whenever I pull it out on the tube, I can sense everyone looking at me enviously,” she says.
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Dior Beauty
Miss Dior Eau de Parfum Mini Miss Solid Perfume
No brand does home fragrance like Diptyque—and that’s just a fact. It is almost needless to say, therefore, that Diptyque’s Reed Diffuser takes home this coveted award. They look chic, are refillable and throw the most expensive-smelling scents into any room.
“This is such a chic diffuser. I love that you can use the glass vessel again and again and buy refills of your favourite scent. It feels like you are buying something that will last forever rather than a diffuser that you throw away when empty. It’s expensive, but it definitely feels like more of an investment. The Amber scent itself is beautifully warm and sophisticated, perfect for this time of year,” says junior beauty editor Grace Lindsay.
And it doesn’t lose points for innovation, either. “This is the most innovative diffuser I’ve ever experienced. The packaging is unmatched, and I was so impressed by the process of filling the glass vessel; it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. Every detail feels thoughtfully designed, creating a true sense of luxury for the home. And the scent? Absolutely magnificent! An elegant blend of soft, creamy, warm notes that fills the space with an inviting aroma. It’s the first thing I smell when I wake up and the last thing I breathe in before bed. Truly worth every penny,” says Nwasike.
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Coty might be best known as a beauty conglomerate, but its more recent venture in the form of Infiniment Coty Paris, a fragrance house that champions both technology that boosts projection and longevity, as well as sustainability, deserves its own time in the spotlight. And this scent in particular is a real standout.
“I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I do. Everything from the technology to the scent to the packaging is so carefully considered—Infiniment Coty Paris is setting the bar for fragrance development in 2025, and Soleil D’Ikosim is probably the most beautiful solar scent that my nose has ever encountered,” says Lawlor.
Bonn agrees, “This is sunshine in a bottle, but make it luxe! This is a truly brilliant fragrance that makes you want to leap around with joy. I’ll be turning to this for happy summer memories as we enter autumn/winter.”
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Infiniment Coty Paris
Soleil d’Ikosim Parfum
Hair perfumes are no doubt having a moment in 2025, so it’s needless to say this category was a competitive one. However, Initio Parfums Privés has absolutely knocked it out of the park with Musk Therapy. It is warming, cosy, beautifully fresh and unquestionably expensive-smelling.
“I absolutely love this hair mist,” says international nail artist Julia Diogo. It lasts all day, and you wake up with your hair still smelling amazing. Soft, musky and inviting! I love it.”
And Lindsay agrees that it really is the best of the best. “This is the most gorgeous scent. It’s musky and alluring yet also fresh and citrusy, basically everything you would want from a hair perfume. It’s easily the nicest hair perfume I have ever come across,” she says.
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Initio Parfums Privés
Musk Therapy Hair Perfume
Nothing fills team Who What Wear UK with more joy that a Jo Malone London candle, and this one in particular totally blew us and our judges away. Not only is the limited-edition vessel, in collaboration with Little Greene, a truly beautiful creation, but the scent itself is otherworldly. A light but creamy and mind-soothing take on lavender fills the entire room after just a few minutes of burning.
“I find myself looking forward to coming home, just to be enveloped in the aromatic, musky embrace of Lavender & Moonflower. This candle is absolutely divine—one of the best I’ve ever tried. Whilst the price is on the high end, it’s worth every penny. The scent is rich, potent and lingers in the air for hours after the flame has been extinguished,” says Nwasike.
Lawlor adds, “I adore everything about this candle, from the soft blue vessel that oozes calmness to the totally mind-soothing soft lavender scent. This isn’t an intense, powdered lavender; it’s a soft, creamy kind that dances around your brain like a blissful lullaby.”
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Jo Malone London
Special-Edition Lavender & Moonflower Scented Candle
Many people are surprised when they hear that the best-selling product at Liberty isn’t a luxury handbag or even metres of fabric, but instead LBTY. Zephirine, one of the retailer’s own fragrances. But as soon as you smell Zephirine, you’ll understand its sell-out appeal.
“Zephirine deserves every ounce of its hype. It’s one of those if-you-know-you-know perfumes. It smells entirely unique, lasts on the skin all day and makes you feel like a million dollars when you wear it. It’s spicy, it’s smoky, it’s floral and it’s unmistakably sexy,” says Lawlor.
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Liberty LBTY. Fragrance
Zephirine Eau de Parfum
It’s no secret that team Who What Wear UK are big Maison Crivelli fans, and its latest launch, Safran Secret, blew our minds (and the minds of our judges, too). Whilst the notes remain a secret, the scent is spicy, intense and utterly unique. This one’s a keeper.
“Keeping the notes a secret made me appreciate this fragrance more and made me think about the assumptions we can make about a scent from the notes before we’ve even smelled it! In a world where it’s so easy to look up the notes, this perfume created excitement and intrigue as I went in totally open-minded—you have to applaud the fragrance house for taking this stance and allowing everyone to have their own interpretation of the scent. To me, it feels very smooth and woodsy, lightly spicy and smoky but not overpowering, and shrouded me in a cosy haze of warmth throughout the day. It’s a very seductive and hypnotic scent that smells luxurious,” says beauty editor Eleanor Vousden.
Bonn says, “I love this take on saffron. It’s never too much and envelops the wearer in a bubble of security and sensuality. It’s really balanced with high-quality ingredients.”
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Maison Crivelli
Safran Secret Extrait de Parfum
Baccarat Rouge 540 requires no introduction, and that is why it deserves every bit of its modern icon award status. “You can’t deny that Baccarat Rouge 540 is deserving of every ounce of praise it has received in recent years. It has set the bar for every perfume that has come after it. So much so that fragrance houses the world over are trying to replicate its success. Years later, and it still hasn’t been done. It is the reigning monarch of the fragrance world,” says Lawlor.
Nwasike agrees, saying, “Overall, Baccarat Rouge remains a timeless masterpiece, cherished by those who truly understand the art of perfumery.”
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Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum
You might not be overly familiar with Malin + Goetz room sprays, but you’re about to be. This tomato-scented home spray impressed every judge who spritzed and sprayed it. It is crunchy, fresh and neutralising all at once.
“Wow, this tomato scent is so stunning! It’s really herbaceous, green and fresh, and a great scent for the kitchen or dining room. It smells like a realistic tomato leaf from the greenhouse rather than artificial, and instantly freshens any room. It doesn’t mask odours, but actually helps to eliminate them too, so it’s particularly good if you’ve been cooking or just want to freshen up your space. The packaging is also luxe, so it’s something you can proudly display on a surface,” says Vousden.
And the odour-eliminating abilities really do stand up to the test. “As a trial, I had lunch in my room and decided to put the product’s claims to the test, since my food had quite a pungent smell. To my surprise, it worked like magic! There wasn’t a trace of food odour left behind. Instead, the fresh scent of tomatoes with green accents filled the room, leaving it light, airy and clean. This is a fantastic product that can be used anywhere in the home. I would 10/10 recommend,” says Nwasike.
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Malin + Goetz
Tomato Home Spray
The floral fragrance market is no doubt saturated, and it is becoming increasingly hard for fragrance houses to make their mark. It goes without saying that Marc Jacobs’ iconic Daisy has long led the way with its lighter-than-air, crunchy floral, and this new variation might just be even better than the original.
“This perfume might have a sweet kick at first, but it blooms into a beautiful green bouquet of fresh stems,” says Lawlor. “It smells like springtime joy and is the perfect partner for a white-shirt-and-jeans outfit. I’d bathe in it if I could.”
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Marc Jacobs
Daisy Wild Eau So Intense Eau de Parfum
With the demand for unique-smelling perfumes that generate compliments getting higher and higher, it’s fair to say we had our work cut out for us judging this year’s new fragrance category. In fact, it felt impossible to judge at times, but we managed it, and this fragrance came out on top as a result of its truly unique blend, unrivalled longevity and undeniably moreish scent.
“The way this scent pairs together two unlikely notes in black pepper and milk foam creates a wonderful sort of magic—it’s a sweet, warm, magnetic perfume that shouldn’t work but totally does. It smells like putting on a pair of sky-high stilettos before the ultimate girl’s night out,” says Lawlor.
“This is what lactonic dreams are made of, and it’s safe to say it’s the best on the market. Expect an alluring, chic milky vanilla with a whisper of warm spices in the background,” says Nwasike. “It is perfect for autumn/winter when the temperature has dropped, but you’re wrapped in the sweet cosiness of this beautiful fragrance. Bravo, Valentino!”
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Valentino Beauty
Sogno in Rosso Eau de Parfum
Heritage British fragrance houses are having a resurgence in 2025, and whilst House of Creed might be Anglo-French, it is a fine example of the genius created when British olfactory craftspersonship is combined with French fragrance expertise. Queen of Silk is a punchy, powdered scent that is guaranteed to stand the test of time.
“The powdery prowess of Queen of Silk is steeped in Creed’s rich heritage. It smells classic and modern at the same time, it turns heads and oozes luxury,” says Lawlor.
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House of Creed
Queen of Silk
