The days of having a signature scent are over. I have a collection of perfumes that I wear depending on how I feel that day, just like most people. When I’m really in the mood for something feminine, I always choose a white floral scent. Flowers with white petals, like jasmine, tuberose, gardenia, orange blossom, magnolia, ylang-ylang, narcissus, and lily of the valley, are the most common types of fragrances. Most of the time, white floral perfumes smell sweet and strong, and they last a long time. (Who doesn’t love a lot of sillage that doesn’t need to be reapplied?)
That’s a pretty big group, so I like to choose white floral scents based on how I’m feeling that day. White florals can smell like citrus, water, sweet, or musk, depending on what else is in the blend. This wide range of white floral scents shows that. Below are the best white floral perfumes to add to your collection of scents:
Miutine Eau de Parfum
Best White Floral Perfume with Fruity Scents
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$108 for Miu Miu Miutine Eau de Parfum at Sephora
$146 Nordstrom $108
Bloomingdale’s
With this scent, Miu Miu did what every fashion house wants to do with their perfume: it smells just like the brand would smell if it were a person—sweet, sassy, and very whimsical yet classy at the same time. That’s Miu Miu in a bottle. I can’t get enough of the milky fruity floral scent that is very feminine but also very carefree.
Notes: brown sugar vanilla accord, wild strawberry, and gardenia
Missing Person Eau de Parfum
Best Skin Scent with White Flowers
£99 for Phlur Missing Person Eau de Parfum at Sephora
Also think about Amazon ($84) and Nordstrom ($84).
When a scent becomes popular, I usually look the other way and try to find something different. But Missing Person is one that I fell for like everyone else because it has a soft warmth and a sense of mystery that stays with you. The skin scent smells a little different on each person, which gives it a personalised touch. It’s sheer and delicate, and I wear it all the time.
Skin musk, bergamot nectar, blonde wood, jasmine, and orange blossom are some of the notes.
Miss Dior Essence
Miss Dior Essence
Dior Miss Dior Essence is the best sweet white floral perfume. It costs $134 at Ulta Beauty, $139 at Nordstrom, and $198 at Sephora.
Thanks to Celia Shatzman for Cosmopolitan
The famous Miss Dior perfume (named after Christian Dior’s sister) has been made many times, but this one might be the most daring. It gives the flower bouquet a microphone. It’s just as beautiful on a vanity. I love how the frosted houndstooth glass pays homage to the fashion house.
Blackberry, elderflower, jasmine, and oakwood are some of the notes.
Un Jardin Sous La Mer Eau de Toilette
The Best White Floral Perfume for Water
$124 for Hermés Un Jardin Sous La Mer Eau de Toilette
This beautiful scent from Hermes smells like an underwater garden, with white flowers and aquatic notes. The bright blue juice is just as beautiful as it smells, bringing to mind coral reefs and tropical buds. If I were a guest on the first season of White Lotus, I would wear this one in Hawaii. Christine Nagel, a Hermés perfumer, got her ideas from the Polynesian island of Taha’a, which makes perfect sense.
Notes: minerals, tiare flowers, and tamanu nuts
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1272 Coltrait Perfume
Best White Floral Citrus Perfume
Coltrait Perfume by Perfumehead 1272
Now 15% Off $235 $200
Nordstrom
Perfumehead founder Daniel Patrick Giles has done just that by basing his whole line on Los Angeles. I’m always interested when a fragrance visionary wants to take you on a journey. This time, 1272 takes you to Wexler House, which is where architect Donald Wexler lives in Palm Springs. It has sharp citrussy notes that remind you of a dry climate and show off the architect’s clean lines and the desert. It was inspired by the orange flowers in the air, the wood beams of the historic property, and the Japanese pine trees in the driveway.
Verbena, orange blossom, Indian jasmine, cistus absolute, and sandalwood are some of the notes.
Lift Me Up Extrait de Parfum
The best white floral perfume with amber notes
Lift Me Up Extrait de Parfum by INITIO Parfums Privés
$365 Now 15% Off at Nordstrom
Also think about $430
Bloomingdale’s
This perfume smells like the sun beating down on your skin and warming it, which is one of my favourite things about summer. The ambery white floral musk will help you keep summer in your heart no matter what time of year it is. It has a bright radiant quality that lifts your spirits, and the vanilla adds just the right amount of sweetness.
Ylang-ylang, bergamot, magnolia, tonka bean, vanilla, and musk are some of the notes.
Cashmere Mist Eau De Parfum
The Best Classic White Floral Scent
Sephora has Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Eau De Parfum for $78.
$130 at Amazon and $115 at Nordstrom are also good prices.
Cashmere Mist is one of the most famous white floral perfumes of all time. It has earned its place as a classic. The powdery floral explosion is light but warm, and you can tell what it is right away. The bottle is just as famous. It was designed by sculptor Stephan Weiss, who was married to Donna Karan at the time, and it is meant to look like a woman’s body in glass lines.
Notes: sandalwood, Moroccan jasmine, and lily of the valley
Why should you believe Cosmopolitan?
Celia Shatzman is a journalist who lives in Brooklyn and has written about beauty for 20 years. She has a collection of perfumes to prove it. (We don’t want to brag, but there are hundreds of bottles.) She loves the smell of the desert after a rainstorm, which is called petrichor for people who like scents.
