The Best 2024 Perfumes Put a Spin on the Classics

If you’ve long been a fan of Aerin’s Mediterranean Honeysuckle, which originally launched in 2015, I strongly encourage you to try the brand’s new twist on the classic scent: Mediterranean Honeysuckle Tiare. Like the original, you’ll find citrus notes like grapefruit, a hint of floral with gardenia, and a bit of sweetness via honeysuckle. But Tiare, which translates to mean “a strong fragrance,” includes an extra tingly sensation of citrus and an added bit of warmth, courtesy of the Tiare flower. 

Customer Review: “I liked this fresh scent. It's light but lasts a long time, the pleasant citrus of lemon is refreshing, it's just the perfect perfume for the warm season. It’s refreshing like water with lemon on a hot day.” — Nordstrom

I am deeply fascinated by Future Society, a truly innovative company that brings scent profiles back from the dead. Specifically, they use biotechnology to recreate the aura of extinct flowers through DNA sequencing. Their latest release isn’t actually a fragrance at all, but rather a primer. The hydrating, slightly tacky product is powered by a biotech ingredient called aeonome. It creates the ideal pH on the skin, so the fragrance of your choosing lasts hours longer than usual. 

Customer Review: “I cannot express enough how much I adore this fragrance primer! It has completely transformed my perfume game. The primer not only prolongs the scent of my favorite perfumes but also enhances their notes, creating a captivating aroma that lasts all day long. It's like magic in a bottle!” — Future Society

For the uninitiated, Escentric Molecules specializes in finding unique single notes and bottling them up into a sophisticated fragrance. They’re highly selective, with only three Molecules to their name. Their latest features a spicy-meets-earth blend courtesy of Vetiveryl Acetate, a hybrid ingredient that highlights the fresh grassiness of vetiver by softening the traditionally warmer note with a hint of ascetic acid. It gives me a little connection to nature on days when I’m cooped up in an office thanks to its warm, woodsy composition. 

Customer Review: “It's heaven for those that love a citrus twist with a spicy hit. It melts into the skin and gets musky and skin scented, and you won't want to stop smelling it. Warm, not sickly, and gets woody after a while.” — Mecca

The epitome of juxtaposition, the latest addition to the Hermessence family contrasts the heaviness and deepness of oud with the airy sweetness of rose. “This is not a perfume for somebody who doesn’t like to assert themselves,” Hermès perfumer Christine Nagel previously told Marie Claire. This heady fragrance is strong and demanding by nature, almost entering a room before you do. That all being said, it’s not the abrasive oud that’s somewhat synonymous with the note—it adopts a more mystical, softer tone after sitting on the skin.

Customer Review: “On the test strips the rose is strong and dominant while on the skin (mine at least), it kinda steps back and the oud kicks in. It is not the kind of oud most people don't like. It's opulent, it's sexy, and definitely unlike other rose oud accords.” — Fragrantica

One of the most interesting scent profiles I’ve tried this year, Killian’s Born to be Unforgettable straddles the citrus, gourmand, and spicy fragrance families. It’s constantly evolving on my skin. Sometimes I get a hint of warm cinnamon, occasionally a whiff of lime, and, when it fully settles, a grounding base of cedarwood. It was designed to smell like a bubbling Coca Cola, and I can confidently say it achieves its goal. My main takeaway? I will get stopped on the street when I wear it. 

Customer Review: “This scent is very different. It’s very bold and masculine. You can smell the vanilla. Has some sweetness but not overwhelming. Not something I would wear everyday but definitely for special occasions.” — Sephora  

There haven’t been too many new floral fragrances in 2024, but Armani's latest version of My Way is the exception. Unlike the original fragrance, which launched in 2019 and is classified as an intense vanilla floral, this rendition is a lighter, fruitier option. Still, it keeps its sophisticated, mature aura. It strikes a balance between the crisp, freshness of pear with the brightness of tuberose. If floral is your go-to, you can’t go wrong with this gorgeous bottle.

Customer Review: “I was pleasantly surprised by this perfume. I tend to find perfume overpowering and go for a light body spray. This is great for in between. I don't feel like it's heavy or for just day or night.” — Sephora

If a unique scent is what you're after, consider this Guerlain perfume. I’ve never smelled anything quite like it—the scent is particularly intense and spicy, fitting for a fragrance inspired by Morocco. Neroli makes up the base, but it’s the blend of spices, ranging from cinnamon to tumeric, that give the end result a kick. 

Customer Review: “An initial, spicy blend of ginger and turmeric evolves after about 20 minutes into a sophisticated composition of spicy Neroli and orange blossom, finally transforming into a spicy, slightly soapy sandalwood. It is ideal for the spring season .The vibrant opening of ginger creates a zesty entry, awakening the senses.” — Guerlain 

I’ve always loved a fresh, warm scent that's reminiscent of a summer vacation. That being said, it’s difficult to find a perfume in that category that smells elevated and sophisticated, instead of synthetic. Enter: Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb Tiger Lily. The scent combines the sweetness of coconut milk with the freshness of mango and tiger lily to create a perfume that’s warm and inviting without being artificially sweet. Plus, it’s Emily Ratajkowski’s favorite—and that counts for something. 

Customer Review: “Love love love this scent! I'm typically not a coconut girl, but the coconut with the floral mix gives it a very bold yet flirty and sexy feel which I love. This is a perfect every day scent for someone with a bold personality and can be taken from day to evening and across seasons.” — Sephora

“I’m not typically fond of citrusy scents, even in the summer. Their sweetness always strikes me as saccharine and even nausea-inducing, and they never feel as balanced as their more flora, woody, or musky counterparts," says Gabrielle Ulubay, Beauty Writer. One of this year's best new scents changed her mind. "This launch from Parfums de Marly, however, strikes the perfect balance. Its top notes do, indeed, consist of grapefruit, blackcurrant, and bergamot, but the fruity elements are balanced out by the woodiness and warmth of dry woods, cashmere wood, balsam fir, and tonka bean. The combination is anything but sickly-sweet, and is perfect for this time of year, when the sun is setting later and spring is nearly here.”

"If you bottled up the best scents of nature," Associate E-Commerce Editor Brooke Knappenberger says, "you would get this fragrance. Aptly called 'In This World,' this perfume is equal parts floral, woody, and herbal, and it all combines into a subtly sophisticated scent. Upon application, you’re first hit with fruity notes of blood orange and fig, but once it dries down, you’re left with earthy notes of lavender, sage, and Tonka wood. It's a surprisingly calming scent, too, and would make an especially good fragrance for spring when you want something more fresh and light."

Brooke Knappenberger, Associate E-Commerce Editor, considers herself a vanilla fragrance girl through and through, with 7 Virtues' Vanilla Woods as one of her all-time favorite scents. "When I found out the brand came out with another new vanilla fragrance, I obviously had to try it," she says. "Amber Vanilla combines warm amber, sweet vanilla, and a hint of carnation to create a natural, second-skin finish. While some vanilla perfumes can read overpowering and sugary sweet, this one is more subtle and warm, making it an ideal everyday fragrance, which is perfect for layering." Sounds like a new favorite.

Customer Review: “Absolutely stunning warm vanilla scent. As a picky person with a sensitive scent palette I was skeptical but after a wear test the warm vanilla scent is perfect, inviting, and lasts for 24 hours. 100% purchase again.” — Sephora