The best fragrances of 2025

Every final text begins with a lament about how difficult it is to choose the best of the good. In 2025, there were even more good perfumes than usual, although the overall number of launches was 20 percent lower due to logistical issues and the general economic downturn.

In the traditional luxury category, I'd like to highlight Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Forever men. Fresh, cheerful, with seaweed and grapefruit, and without a hint of toxic masculinity. I stumbled upon it by chance in a store and froze in surprise. Good! Even excellent!

With a hint of masculinity, but also a fair amount of humor, rum and cola turned out to be Giorgio Armani Absolutely Stronger With You. These two inspire hope that men's fragrances can someday change.

In the women's luxury category, I'd praise the berry chypre Izia la nuit Sysley. I considered buying it for 15 seconds. The embodiment of the idea of ​​comfortable fragrances is Cedar Violet Aerin.

The beautiful red Rouge L'Interdit Givenchy. It has the same lush orange blossom as the main L'Interdit, plus patchouli. A spectacular and stunning perfume in every sense. I wouldn't want to be stuck in an elevator with it.

Among the best women's fragrances, the almost unsweetened flanker Black Opium Extreme by Yves Saint Laurent, the tenacious powdery Narciso Rodriguez Grace, and the red slipper by Carolina Herrera with its lush roses and berries are also excellent flankers.

Now, apparently, is the time for flankers and collections. It's impossible to hold a buyer's attention with just one fragrance. You have to clutter entire shelves with rows of bottles.

Sometimes there's no other way. The Rivieres de Cartier collection, dedicated to rivers, brings living water back to city dwellers. Sparkling spray in the sun, a quiet swamp, and a lazily slithering river snake. All three fragrances in the collection are about the same thing, and all three are different.

We'll be talking about the Estée Lauder collection for a long time. It's the beginning of something big and important in the brand's history. Completely new fragrances, new ideas, new bottles, and practically no citations from the past.

Bulgari's Allegra collection, made up of eau de parfum and enhancing essences, could have been half the size. The idea of ​​mixing fragrances on the skin to enhance them isn't my cup of tea. We're unlikely to do better than Jacques Cavallier. But if you throw out a few things and overlook the whimsical bottles, the Italian spirit will burst forth in the collection, with wonderful Aperol, rose, and blackberry musk. Regarding other collections, you often want to say, "Let's not boil it."

The best in the niche in 2025 is located at two poles. On the one hand, bold, truly unusual:

— mineral, sculpted from biscuit porcelain, cosmic Tubereuse Nue by Tom Ford,

— pure, unadulterated childhood happiness by Lost Alice by Masque Milano,

— slippery pirate devil and dead man's chest by Cypres by Pantelleria Armani,

— salt cave for bronchitis sufferers by Eden Roc by Dior,

— green fairy of decomposition (c) L`Heure Verte by Kilian.

At the other extreme, true classics are returning to us in a new interpretation:

— a new life for vintage Diorissimo in Dusita's Cavatina Parfums,

— a hall of fame fragrance for Estée Lauder and the IFF perfume company, Synthetic Jungle by Frederic Malle,

— incense, pepper, and burnt wood like in the first niche perfume by Comme des Garcons, only more transparent in Tom Ford's Ebene Fume,

— turpentine and oleoresin, the essence of life, once celebrated by Fendi in Tom Ford's Costa Azzura,

— the fragile, living chrysanthemum from Estée Lauder's Private Collection, embodied in Evonimo Rubeus Milano.

Who said the vintage trend wouldn't survive?

In the mass market, I'd like to highlight Brocard's Lilac After Rain, Mary Kay's fresh, aquatic, and citrusy Infinite Glow, and Oriflame's innovative and bold collection, Swedish Experience, for this segment.

Memorable bottles: Ginza Shiseido, Loubiprince Christian Louboutin, Kadine Guerlain

Yes, Guerlain, which I had already cursed, buried, and buried, unexpectedly delighted me. For many years, I hadn't brought money to their corners, but in 2025, I was able to order Shalimar Philtre de parfum, and now I'm here buying Nahema, Mitsouko, Apres L'Ondee, and L'Heure Bleue perfume from the legendary collection. It's almost entirely beautiful. Recent hits have found attractive bottles, while older ones have been carefully reimagined. In addition to the waters, incredibly beautiful perfumes have been released in their original bottles. Even the collection's boxes are reminiscent of the great past.

Liu Guerlain Parfum Vintage of the Year.

The year's anniversary wasn't the Chanel No. 5 centenary, which turned into some kind of circus circus, but the modest yet fiery launch of the red Habanita Molinard. Without much resources, the brand performed with restraint and grace.