Emma Vernon, one of PerfumeTok's preeminent voices, boasts a following of over 110,000 for her informative yet irreverent takes on all things fragrance. A comedian and former matchmaker, Emma uses her sense of humor and innate people skills to make her encyclopedic knowledge of perfume and perfumers approachable and accessible to all.
As the host of fragrance podcast Perfume Room, a PerfumeTok creator, and an all-around fragrance fanatic, I smell a lot. In fact, there was not a single day this year that I didn’t sniff perfume. To be fair, this wasn’t a particularly difficult feat: With over 4,000 new perfume launches in 2023, there was plenty to keep my nose occupied.
But not all scents are created equal. Smell is subjective, of course, but for a jaded fraghead like myself, it’s inevitable that certain perfumes stand out and others fall short. Ahead, eight fragrances of 2023 that wowed me — and represented some of the year’s biggest olfactive trends.
THE FRAGRANCE: The Maker - Lover
THE TREND: Skin scent+
There’s a time and place for a barely there skin scent, but for me, it’s always the time and always the place for a nothing but *something* skin scent. You know, a fragrance that’s noticeable and distinct, but still gentle and cocooning. Released just in time to make this end-of-year roundup, Lover’s suede-like softness, toasty nuttiness, and fresh yet milky fig heart make it an instant standout in a sea of skin scents that offer a little something extra.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Jovoy Musc Pallas, Chasing Scents Rain Tea, Diptyque L’Eau Papier
THE FRAGRANCE: Officine Universelle Buly - Caribbean Sweet Potato & Afghan Carrot
THE TREND: Hearty soup, but make it perfume
2023 was the year of nutritious gourmands. Nut, vegetable, wheat, and milk (AKA lactonic) notes abounded, creeping into many perfumes I had the pleasure of sampling. Officine Universelle Buly’s Caribbean Sweet Potato & Afghan Carrot certainly wasn’t the most popular release (it was a limited-edition release from a brand with an already limited global distribution), but it was my favorite. Its starchy, chewy iris heart is the olfactory equivalent of kinetic sand. With spicy, soil-y vetiver and a dash of green, bready fig, the scent smells just like root vegetables at a farmer’s market: Slightly sweet, still dusted with a little dirt, earthy, round, and warm.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Frapin Attendre & Espérer, Frédéric Malle Heaven Can Wait
THE FRAGRANCE: Creed - Carmina
THE TREND: Pass the liqueur
Am I easily swayed by a pretty perfume bottle? Yes. Does Creed’s boysenberry-colored bottle match the juice inside? Absolutely. Carmina’s berry-stained bottle caught my eye, but the scent’s tart yet jammy mélange of blackcurrant and cherry — which pops against a powdery heart of violet, rose, and saffron — kept me sniffing. It's an opulent, fruity floral that recalls lipstick, Red Vines, and Crème de Cassis.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: L’Objet Oh Mon Dieu!, Strangers Parfumerie Cherry Amaretto
THE FRAGRANCE: Ourside - Nostalgia
THE TREND: Vintage floral revival
As the clock struck midnight on Dec 31, 2022, I closed my eyes, pressed my hands together, and prayed for the return of big, vintage-inspired florals. Ourside Nostalgia answered my prayers. Cool, contemporary hints of mint, green violet leaf, and juicy grapefruit nearly conceal the raunchy, indolic jasmine that Nostalgia so beautifully tempers. You can’t miss it — the fragrance is bold, unwavering, and feels like your grandma. That is, if your grandma dresses better than you.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Marissa Zappas x Ruby McCollister Tragedy, Creed Spring Flower, Chasing Scents Tea Service
THE FRAGRANCE: Snif - Crumb Couture
THE TREND: Girlcore
Crumb Couture is so on trend, it might as well have been spit out by an algorithm. Inspired by the aroma of doughy croissants slathered in wildberry jam, this fragrance smells hot pink — like girlhood in a bottle. It evokes nostalgic, comforting memories of strawberry milk, warm bread, and the hyper-specific scent of plastic doll heads, which is why I wore it to see Barbie.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Atelier des Ors Pink Me Up, Jousset Accidente à la Vanille Crème de la Berry, The House of Oud Bonbon Pop
THE FRAGRANCE: Armani - My Way Parfum
THE TREND: Iris overdose
Flankers are rarely mainstays for me, but in this instance, I enjoyed the spin-off far more than the original. The original My Way and and its previous iterations have erred on the side of grapey white florals, but My Way Parfum is a welcome portal to a land of fluffy iris clouds and chalky powder puffs, grounded by familiar white florals, sparkling orange, and a warm, woody base.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Guerlain Shalimar Millésime Iris, La Vie Est Belle Iris Absolu
THE FRAGRANCE: Elorea - Gentle Shower
THE TREND: Touch (smell) grass
I’ll admit it: I’m chronically online. Gentle Shower, inspired by the smell of an unanticipated rain shower over a field of greens, tickled my plugged-in brain in all the right places. At its heart is a spicy, herbaceous perilla leaf accord, surrounded by notes of zesty ginger, soothing water, and moss. This scent feels like a spa retreat or a visit to the well-tended garden of someone with a much greener thumb than mine.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Forte Nerolia Vetiver, Universal Flowering Death of a Ladies Man, Headspace Absinthe
THE FRAGRANCE: Electimuss - Vanilla Edesia
THE TREND: Avant-gourmand
When I first came across this scent, I buckled up and prepared to feel how I do about most vanilla-dominant fragrances: neutral. But just one spray of Vanilla Edesia proved me wrong. Waxy vanilla pod, hypnotic, billowing incense, and the warmth of a kitchen spice cabinet transport me straight to the halls of a creaky apothecary. I’ve never described cumin as indispensable in any fragrance, but if there were any less in this one (and to be clear, there's a lot), I think I’d cry. Somehow, perfumer Cécile Zarokian made every note in this fragrance simultaneously feel like the star and the best supporting actor — it’s magical.
Honorable Mentions: Amouage Guidance, BDK Pas Ce Soir Extrait, Serge Lutens Écrin de Fumée
