I Do All My Perfume Shopping on Amazon—these Are The Scents to Buy

“I’m positive this new scent is going to become an instant classic, partially because I haven’t stopped wearing it since I first smelled it. I don’t usually gravitate toward lighter, brighter notes, but there’s something so mesmerizing about the sparkling lychee and magnolia blossom combo that’s lightly sweet and energetic. It reminds me of watching fireworks on a chilly summer’s evening.”—MARY HONKUS, CONTRIBUTING BEAUTY EDITORFeatures at a glanceNotesSparkling lychee, magnolia blossom, vanilla blueScent familyClean amber“This scent is very bright, like something I’d wear on the first sunny, 70-degree day of spring. But it doesn’t feel juvenile at all. On the contrary, it’s quite sophisticated. It feels like something my mom would have worn when I was a kid in the ’90s, actually, which makes sense that she enjoys it so much. There’s a nostalgia there that lends itself so well to the Estée DNA, but it’s not overly mature. I genuinely think anyone, of any generation, could wear this.”—BETH GILLETTE, BEAUTY EDITORFeatures at a glanceNotesRaspberry mousse, macaron rose, amber embraceScent familyAmbery floralAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below“This scent has been wafting through the Cosmo office since it arrived in our beauty closet, largely thanks to editor-in-chief Willa Bennett spritzing it at minimum once a day. And I’m not complaining! At first spray, it smells like you ripped open a pitaya and the juices ran down your hands. But then, the florals come in. They’re solar and soaked in the sun, though, not powdery or garden-like. And the butterfly bottle is so cute!”—BGFeatures at a glanceNotesPitaya, peony, vanillaScent familyFruity floral“Patchouli can be a polarizing note, but even those who are self-proclaimed patchouli haters will fall in love with this sensual oil. The deep, dark note is paired with creamy coconut water and sweet pistachio, and swirled with sunny mimosa flower. It’s essentially the antithesis of every patchouli scent you’ve ever smelled and paints the facet in a new glowing light. Since it’s so affordable—and tiny—I bought one for every purse.”—MHFeatures at a glanceNotesCoconut water, mimosa, patchouliScent familyWarm and earthyAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below“I own a lot of perfumes (ahem, upwards of 200+), and You is one of the longest-lasting scents in my collection. I swear, I can spritz this on a T-shirt and still smell it after it's been through multiple washes. It's like magic. And on my skin, it'll linger for days on my wrist, even after taking showers, washing my hands a gazillion times, layering on hand sanitizer, etc.”—BGFeatures at a glanceNotesIris, pink pepper, ambroxan, ambretteScent familyFresh and floral“Although Dossier now creates many of its own original fragrances, the brand started with affordable dupes to expensive, iconic perfumes. So it's no surprise to me that Ambery Saffron, its counterpart to Baccarat Rouge 540, smells the most similar of every dupe I've sniffed. It's not exact when you place them side by side, but on skin, I can't really tell that it's two different perfumes. With my beauty editor hat on, I'd say Ambery Saffron is a bit more woodsy than Baccarat, which dries down extremely sweet on my skin. But that's likely because it doesn't have the ambroxan and sugary notes that give BR that syrupy quality. However, I really do love the addition of orange blossom in this Dossier perfume. It creates a teensy hint of citrus that works well with jasmine and saffron.”—BGFeatures at a glanceNotesSaffron, orange blossom, jasmine, cedarwood, oak moss, fir balsam, amberScent familyFreshAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below"First off, can we talk about the bottle?! It's comparable to ancient Roman busts and belongs in an art museum. Even better, the perfume inside is just as gorgeous. This vanilla scent puts all other vanillas to shame with an expert blend of amber, warm spices, and a touch of red berries. It essentially smells—and feels—like a warm hug and instantly melts my worries away." —MHFeatures at a glanceNotesRed berries, vanilla, amberScent familyGourmand"Let’s be real, the original Light Blue is iconic for a reason. That crisp lemon-meets-green-apple top note combo? Chef’s kiss. But the eau de parfum relaunch turns the volume way up while still honoring the fresh DNA we all know and love. This time around, perfumer Olivier Cresp added creamy ambrette seed and a musky, woodsy base that lingers. The new and improved version is built for all-day wear, thanks to its richer base and smart reformulation."—JULEE WILSON, ASSISTANT BEAUTY EDITOR AT LARGEFeatures at a glanceNotesSicilian lemon, apple, cedarwoodScent familyFresh citrusAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below"This is actually one of my most complimented perfumes. It gives me that Rihanna effect—everyone I cross paths with can't get enough of my scent. In fact, the first day I wore it, a cab driver immediately asked for the link so he could buy it for his sister."—SAMANTHA OLSON, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORFeatures at a glanceNotesBergamot, white amber, muskScent familyGourmand"Before vanilla perfumes took over shelves, this was the first that sent me on a gourmand hunt. It's creamy and ultra sweet, opening with coconut water for a really smooth and not sickly sweetness. Cashmeran at the base makes it super cozy for winter, too."—BGFeatures at a glanceNotesCoconut water, bergamot, jasmine, vanilla, cashmeranScent familyGourmandAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below"While it was difficult to name only one of Sol de Janeiro's ~delectable~ fragrance mists as the best overall, Cheirosa '62 cinched the top spot because it perfectly encapsulates the essence of joyful, summer days. It smells warm, nostalgic, and familiar (which makes sense considering it's the same scent found in the iconic Brazilian Bum Bum Cream). And though it features just three key sweet notes—pistachio, salted caramel, and vanilla—it manages to leave a big impact on the skin without veering into headache-causing territory. Seriously though, fragrance mists usually don't last long, yet I can still catch a faint whiff of this hours after I spritz it on."—MHFeatures at a glanceNotesSalted caramel, pistachio, vanillaScent familyWarm and sweet"I’m legit obsessed with Le Monde Gourmande, an affordable line of fragrances that includes this light and sweet vanilla perfume. It’s definitely decadent—hello, vanilla, brown sugar, and apricot—but the amber and jasmine help tone it down a bit from being too rich and heavy. I actually wear this in big crowds a lot without worrying it’ll give someone a headache. But although this is an eau de parfum (which usually means it is denser and has a stronger scent profile, meaning it’ll last longer), this perfume is fairly weak, which I actually prefer for days when I just want a slight waft of my fragrance."—BGFeatures at a glanceNotesVanilla, brown sugar, amber, jasmine, apricotScent familyGourmandAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below"In my opinion, Father Figure is Phlur's magnum opus. Its balanced blend of green fig, dewy florals and cozy sandalwood works for literally every season, occasion, and time of day. It's clean and fresh but not too fresh, courtesy of some powdery iris notes that give it a lived-in quality. Not only is this my favorite Phlur fragrance, but it’s one of my favorite fragrances of all time. I have at least 40 full bottles of perfumes in my collection, but I’ve almost gone through the entire bottle of Father Figure in less than two years. I don’t have a signature scent, but this comes pretty damn close."—LAUREN GRUBER, ASSOCIATE COMMERCE EDITORFeatures at a glanceNotesFig, water lily, iris, orris root, sandalwood, vanillaScent familyWoody, warm"If it's good enough for Olivia Rodrigo, it's good enough for me—that's my motto. But actually, I was wearing this O.G. Idôle perfume for a long time before I found out Olivia loved it. It lasts such a long time on my skin. One spray on my wrists in the morning, and I can still smell the rosy scent wafting through the air in the afternoon."—BGFeatures at a glanceNotesRose, jasmine, white muskScent familyFresh floralAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below"If you wanna be able to whip your hair back and forth and make everyone around you go 'woah, who smells so good,' grab this. With a few spritzes, even in my lil French bob haircut, and I can smell the ripe cherry and vanilla notes for hours."—BGFeatures at a glanceNotesBlack cherry, vanilla, raspberry, jasmine, sandalwoodScent familyFruity gourmand“I wore this perfume almost exclusively from 2020 to 2022, and it reminds me of those treasured nights out we got during the pandemic. This makes sense, considering the whole speakeasy vibe of the scent. It’s forbidden and deep—kinda how it felt to finally go get a drink at a bar after we all got vaccinated.”—BGFeatures at a glanceNotesRum, tobacco, vanilla, pink pepper, vetiver, lemonScent familyWoody, spicyAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below"Lattafa is a Middle Eastern fragrance brand that makes delicious scents with incredible performance, and Khamrah is easily their most well-known (and one of my personal favorites). The scent is sweet with vanilla and cinnamon, but most of all, it smells incredibly rich and lasts, truly, all day long. And it also happens to be one of the most affordable perfumes I own at less than $30 for a full-size bottle—the price of many of my tiny lil travel sizes."—BGFeatures at a glanceNotesVanilla, warm spices, amber, cinnamonScent familySpicy gourmand“This is simply epitome of a clean and fresh scent. When I spritz this on, I just feel like the most confident version of myself (hence the name). It's also slightly juicy and sweet, while still being genderless and not overly feminine. When I go on long trips and can only pack one scent, I always choose this one.”—JASMINE HYMAN, ASSISTANT BEAUTY EDITORFeatures at a glanceNotesPink pepper, white flowers, osmanthus, magnolia, musk, ambroxanScent familyMusky and floralAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWhy Trust Cosmopolitan?Mary Honkus is a beauty contributor for Cosmopolitan with over eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing beauty stories. She is an authority in all beauty categories, but has a sweet spot for fragrance with a collection of over 600 scents. While researching for this story, she tested dozens of perfumes on amazon to bring you the most captivating options that are totally blind-buy safe.Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan and has eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing skincare stories that range from reviewing Glossier perfumes to Le Labo Santal 33 dupes. She regularly tests and analyzes perfumes while working with the industry’s top fragrance experts to assess new formulas, brands, and trends.Mary Honkus is a freelance writer who covers beauty, home, fashion, health, and wellness (just call her a jack of all trades!). She has held staff roles at Real Simple, People, and InStyle, and her bylines can be found in numerous other publications. When she's not testing the latest and greatest products, she can be found chilling on her Hell's Kitchen rooftop, checking out NYC's hottest new restaurants, or recording her podcast Good Trouble NYC. Follow her on Instagram.Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.