TikTok in particular is a treasure trove of olfactory discoveries. A viral social media endorsement can turn a perfume into a hot-ticket item overnight. Think Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 and Kayali Vanilla Royale. To help you stay ahead of the curve, we polled our favourite fragrance industry experts and beauty editors on which perfumes are poised for their big moment in the spotlight. Read ahead for 10 scents that are about to take over your TikTok.
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DedCool Milk Layering + Enhancer Fragrance
“I have a feeling that Milk by DedCool is going to get a lot of attention this year. The brand has already been rumbling around the fragrance industry for a while [per our Dedcool review], with everyone wondering when it’ll hit our shores. Now that Space NK has announced it’s stocking DedCool, I think it’s going to explode, especially Milk.
“It has a sweet spot price point that’s not absurd like so many brands out there right now. It’s designed to be a layering fragrance that you cloak your skin with before adding another perfume: Imagine the fragrance equivalent of a foundation primer before applying your makeup. It adds a soft, sensual, ambrosial and creamy layer of lactonic musky-milky scent to your skin, and helps add a bit of grip and texture to other fragrances that you spray on top. It’s also unigender, vegan and carbon neutral, and can be worn on its own for that ‘little bit of something’ when you don’t really fancy wearing a potent perfume.” — Alice du Parcq, fragrance presenter, expert and host
Shop Space NK
DedCool Milk Layering + Enhancer Fragrance, $, available at Space NK
KAYALI Oudgasm Rose Oud
“I can’t quite believe that this isn’t sold out yet. Nothing like the suffocating rose perfumes of yesteryear, this occupies a space between sweet and spicy thanks to damascena rose, syrupy pear and oud, a fragrant tree resin that has been used in perfumery for centuries. Somehow, though, it smells modern. Whenever I wear this, I receive compliments, mainly from strangers on the street, who chase me down for the name.” — Jacqueline Kilikita, Deputy Beauty Director
Shop Cult Beauty
Kayali Oudgasm Rose Oud, $, available at Cult Beauty
Jo Malone London Musk Memento Cologne
“Jo Malone London releases a small batch of limited-edition perfume every spring, and the most popular scent each year will be added to their permanent product lineup. When I went to the launch of this year’s capsule collection, Scented Mementos, all the beauty editors and fragrance experts in attendance unanimously agreed that Musk Memento will be the breakout favourite.
“Simply put, it is nothing like any other ‘musky’ scent I have smelled: The top note is aldehyde, a fresh and uplifting molecule that reminds me of fresh cotton, while cedarwood harmonises with the white musk base note to create a lingering woodsy and powdery scent. It is powerful, like a musk fragrance would be, but smells so soapy and clean at the same time. The bottle design is inspired by vintage apothecary. I have been spraying this cologne all over my laundered button-down shirts, and it reminds me of frolicking in freshly made Frette linens at a five-star hotel. Who doesn’t want that?” — Venus Wong, Senior Writer
Shop Cult Beauty
Jo Malone London Musk Memento Cologne, $, available at Cult Beauty
Initio Parfums Narcotic Delight
“I believe that Narcotic Delight, a new release from Initio Parfums, will steal the hearts of many this year. I have encountered a wide range of cherry fragrances, but there’s something so striking about Narcotic Delight that gets my heart racing. It is a sensual and intoxicating potion that contains a spicy, boozy, cherry, sweetened with vanilla. The addition of hedione (an ingredient reminiscent of jasmine) activates the region in the brain that is linked to pleasure and libido, so if you need a new date-night fragrance, Narcotic Delight is the chosen one.” — Eudora Nwasike, certified fragrance specialist by the Fragrance Foundation
Shop Selfridges
INITIO Narcotic Delight, $, available at Selfridges
YSL Black Opium Over Red
“This perfume gets my vote as a slightly more affordable alternative for Narcotic Delight. It doesn’t have the boozy quality that Narcotic Delight has, but there are similar notes of cherry, jasmine and vanilla, which makes it much sweeter and creamier. It’s also perfect for date night as it’s very long lasting.” — Eudora Nwasike, certified fragrance specialist by the Fragrance Foundation
Shop John Lewis
YSL Beauty Black Opium Over Red, $, available at John Lewis
Creed Carmina Eau de Parfum
“Cherry notes are everywhere, from Kayali Lovefest Burning Cherry to Tom Ford Lost Cherry, but nothing has captured my attention quite like Carmina by Creed. The first spritz opens with tarte maraschino cherries accompanied by a dash of pepper and saffron that lends a spicy edge. Unlike other cherry perfumes, the note doesn’t completely fade away. Instead, it grows more intense with help from rich honey, syrupy rose and creamy cashmere wood. I sprayed this on my jacket weeks ago and I can still smell it. I’m calling it now: It’s going to be the next Baccarat Rouge.” — Jacqueline Kilikita, Deputy Beauty Director
Shop Cult Beauty
Creed Carmina Eau de Parfum, $, available at Cult Beauty
Olfactive O Skin Extrait de Parfum
“The concept of ‘skin scents’ has been around for a while now, but I can only see this trend growing. It’s no longer simply seeking a ‘your skin but better’ smell, but using a softly musky fragrance as an under-layer to another perfume you’re wearing. Olfactive O Skin isn’t new, but I think its time is now. Olfactive O Skin is projects, lasts all day (being extrait strength), and manages to be supremely comforting, yet wonderfully sensual. It also happens to smell incredible on its own, which again, not all of those in this category do.
“There’s something completely hypnotic about the blend of ambrette seed, beeswax absolute, smooth woodiness, magnolia and vetiver, and I can’t get enough of it. It’s slightly milky, cocooning, warm with a lick of salty breeze and crisp cotton sheets. Wearing it feels like blissfully stretching in a patch of sunshine like a contented cat. It makes me feel safe and happy, like the best version of myself.” — Suzy Nightingale, fragrance expert and co-host of On the Scent podcast
Shop Lookfantastic
Olfactive O Skin Extrait de Parfum, $, available at LookFantastic
Mugler Alien Hypersenses Eau de Parfum
“If you want to get on the Mugler hype but the original Alien is a little too potent for you, try Alien Hypersenses. It’s equal parts soothing and invigorating thanks to a combination of juicy fruits, heady florals and creamy wood notes. Once it has had time to dry down, it becomes even warmer. That’s all in the amber, which is comforting and intimate. It lasts all day long — on both clothes and skin — and the bottle looks so different atop my dressing table. When I use this, I can’t stop smelling my wrists all day.”
— Jacqueline Kilikita, Deputy Beauty Director
Shop Sephora UK
Mugler Alien Hypersenses Eau de Parfum, $, available at Sephora UK
Phlur Mood Ring Eau de Parfum
“Ever since Phlur relaunched with Missing Person, each of its fragrances have gone viral. Mood Ring, one of its newest creations, will be no different. First, it’s visually fascinating with a bright green juice. Second, it really plays up that y2k nostalgia that’s had TikTok in a chokehold (who didn’t have a mood ring in the early aughts?). It’s a fruity-floral scent that’s sweet and nostalgic thanks to notes of fruit gummies (yes, like the kind you ate as a kid). Additionally, orange zest and dragon fruit add a bit of tartness to it that wakes you up. Mood Ring smells really joyful and optimistic — something everyone wants a bit of in 2024.” — Kristina Rudolfo, beauty editor and content creator
Shop Selfridges
Phlur Mood Ring, $, available at Selfridges
Vyrao Witchy Woo
“I’m all for things mystical and magical; I try to incorporate ritual into my everyday routine and who is big on intention. So when I discovered Vyrao, a fragrance brand that infuses energy healing into its perfumes, I was intrigued.
“Witchy Woo caught my attention first: a rich, heady mix of orris, rose, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, patchouli and frankincense designed to amplify courage and creativity. It even has a supercharged Herkimer diamond crystal inside to intensify its powers (every Vyrao scent has its own crystal energised by healer Louise Mita to clear, amplify and raise energy). It’s exactly what I imagine a witch to wear, but also a Seventies rock star à la the white witch herself, Stevie Nicks (I’ll be wearing this to twirl to ‘Rhiannon’ at Nicks’ British Summer Time gig this summer).” — Esther Newman, Affiliate Writer
Shop Vyrao
Vyrao Witchy Woo, $, available at Vyrao
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