19 Perfumes That Smell Like Fresh Laundry in the Best Possible Way

For when you need a clean slate.

perfume bottles
(Image credit: Future)

I think we can all envision what it means to smell dirty, but what about smelling clean? It's a harder concept to grasp since there are so many different interpretations of what it means to smell clean. To me, cleanness is the smell of fresh laundry straight out of the dryer, an empty street just after a rainstorm, or a squeeze of bright, fresh citrus.

I think the biggest thing about a clean scent, though, is that you know it when you smell it. I love finding the best perfumes, and I have plenty of scents I've labeled in my mind as "clean smelling" that I rotate through in my fragrance collection. The biggest similarity they have is that the best clean perfumes always make me feel fresh and new—like a blank slate. I wear them when I want to feel like I'm giving myself a new start. Keep reading to find my favorite clean-smelling scents. Some may even catch you by surprise.

1. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis Eau de Toilette

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2. Maison Margiela Replica Lazy Sunday Morning Eau de Toilette

3. Clean Reserve Classic Warm Cotton

4. Korres Cashmere Kumquat Eau de Toilette

5. Byredo Blanche Eau de Parfum

6. Ellis Brooklyn West Eau de Parfum

7. The Harmonist Sacred Water Parfum

8. Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Arancia di Capri Eau de Toilette

9. Boy Smells Flor de La Virgen Genderful Fine Fragrance

10. Skylar Salt Air Eau de Parfum

11. Philosophy Pure Grace Eau de Toilette

12. Demeter Linen

13. Le Labo Baie 19 Eau de Parfum

14. Maison Margiela Replica At the Barber's Eau de Toilette

15. Jo Malone London Nashi Bloom

16. Chanel Chance Eau Fraîche Eau de Toilette Spray

17. The Nue Co. Forest Lungs Fragrance

18. Maison Margiela Replica When the Rain Stops Eau de Toilette

19. Ouai Dean Street Eau de Parfum

This article was originally published on Who What Wear.

Katie Berohn
Associate Beauty Editor, Who What Wear

Katie Berohn is the New York City-based beauty editor at Who What Wear. She specializes in trend reporting, fragrance writing, and celebrity interviews, but also loves writing about all things beauty, from skincare to nails. Before working at Who What Wear, she worked at Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, and Prevention as the beauty assistant. Prior to that, Katie graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a major in journalism and minor in technology, arts, and media, and earned her Master’s Degree at NYU’s Graduate Program of Magazine Journalism. Katie has held editorial internships at Denver Life Magazine, Yoga Journal, the Hearst Women's Lifestyle Group, and Cosmopolitan, a digital editorial internship at New York Magazine’s The Cut, a social good fellowship at Mashable, and has freelanced for HelloGiggles. When she’s not obsessing over the latest perfume launch or continuing her endless search for the perfect shade of red lipstick (which she wears every day), Katie can be found in a hot yoga class, training for her next race, trying everything on the menu at New York’s newest restaurant, or hanging out at a trendy wine bar with her friends. If she's given the chance, Katie loves exploring how beauty intersects with politics, the climate, and culture.