In the art world, cherries are symbolic of wealth and decadence. The Dutch Old Masters couldn’t get enough of them in their elaborate still lifes, spilling out of ornate silver dishes with bouquets of flowers. The same can be said for cherry fragrances. A cherry note is never just one thing — it can be sweet and succulent, bright and tart, or deep and indulgent. Whatever it’s mixed with can also completely change the game, whether that’s rich ouds, boozes and spices, earthy leather and wood notes, florals or other fruits.
Thanks to this versatility and complexity, cherry fragrances have long been topping ‘viral fragrance’ lists (especially our own). In fact, you’d be hard-pressed not to find Tom Ford’s Lost Cherry and Kayali’s Lovefest Burning Cherry in the bathroom cabinets of the coolest people you know. With that in mind, find the very best cherry perfumes ahead — whether you’re on a budget or after something more luxury.
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Sabrina Carpenter Cherry Baby Eau de Parfum, £24.99
“This is the first cherry perfume I’ve tried and honestly, the bar has been set very high. I (wrongfully) assumed that this would be a super-sweet (dare I say, Short ‘n Sweet) perfume, but I was quickly proved wrong. The bright sweetness of cherry is beautifully balanced with warm, sensual notes of vanilla, cashmere wood and musk. It feels elevated and sexy — a perfect date night perfume. I wore it to a fancy dinner date with my fiancé and felt so confident and beautiful all night. (The right perfume can totally transform your mood and energy.) As it dried down, the warm, sweet amber-y notes lingered. I also love the burgundy chocolate bar-inspired bottle, which stands out in my perfume wardrobe and has a satisfying magnetic closure. Sabrina Carpenter, the sound of the summer and budding fragrance mogul? Yes please (please, please).” — Karina Hoshikawa, Senior Writer
Sabrina Carpenter Cherry Baby EDP Fragrance, $, available at Superdrug
Kayali Lovefest Burning Cherry Eau de Parfum, £73
“Burning Cherry, indeed! This smells like the last heady days of summer: heatwaves, eating fresh cherries on the lawn, woodsmoke in the air from distant barbeques and listening to Lana Del Rey on repeat. Lovefest Burning Cherry is heady and sweet without being cloying or sickly thanks to the spicy, warm, woody base of palo santo, patchouli and guaiac wood, and fresh, fruity top notes of cherry and raspberry. It’s definitely the sexiest fragrance in my arsenal and my go-to when I want to boost my confidence. A date once described me as smelling like a fancy cherry liqueur and whisky cocktail, served in an expensive glass tumbler at an oak-panelled bar, so I’ll take that as a good sign that it’s doing its job!” — Esther Newman, Affiliate Writer
Kayali LOVEFEST Burning Cherry | 48 50ml, $, available at Sephora
Zara Cherry Bomb, £15.99
“If I could exist solely on a diet of Opies cherries — the kind that mixologists always stir into an Old Fashioned — I would. Sadly, this is neither nutritious nor cost-effective, so failing that, I want to smell like them. This fragrance hits the nail on the head at first spritz. Like those luminous red cherries, it’s zingy, sweet and moreish and smells exactly like a maraschino-steeped cocktail. The issue with most cherry perfumes, though, is that the zinginess doesn’t last too long. However, that’s not entirely a bad thing. This dries down to something sweet and delicate — like hints of cherry with subtle florals. The staying power is impressive for a high-street perfume at this price; I could still smell it on my wrists hours later but it lasts much longer on clothes. Thanks to its lightness I think this would make for a better spring scent. I want something deeper and more brooding for autumn and winter. But that’s where Creed’s Carmina and Kayali’s Lovefest Burning Cherry come in…” — Jacqueline Kilikita, Deputy Beauty Director
Zara Cherry Bomb 90 ML, $, available at Zara
Tom Ford Lost Cherry Eau de Parfum, £180
“This is perhaps the most iconic cherry perfume out of the bunch. Since its 2018 release, it kickstarted a craze for not-so-simple, not-so-saccharine-sweet cherry scents, and rather grown-up, elegant and complex fragrances. To me, this is a delectable cherry cocktail in perfume form. Up top, you have the first sip of black cherry and cherry liqueur which makes way for the rich and intoxicating mix of bitter almond, warm vanilla, roasted tonka bean and cinnamon. As such, it’s less of a straight cherry perfume compared to some others on this list, and perhaps not the one for you if you want that long-lasting cherry scent following you all day. Still, it has a real irresistible draw — an almost edible richness that has you wanting more and more (again, just like a great cocktail).” — Esther Newman, Affiliate Writer
Tom Ford Lost Cherry Eau de Parfum 30ml, $, available at Sephora
Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Over Red Eau de Parfum, £96
“As someone who doesn’t even like eating cherries, I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this cherry-heavy perfume. You can immediately catch the juicy cherry upon the first spray, but it quickly transforms from a fruity gourmand to a sensual floral, thanks to notes of jasmine and orange blossoms. It then develops into something muskier after drying down, with the base notes of vanilla and patchouli warming up my skin. This is also when the sweet whiffs of coffee beans emerge. It smells nothing like the medicinal cherry flavouring you get in your cough syrup as a child, but rather, a bold gourmand fragrance that has several interesting identities. I can’t help but smell my wrists whenever I have it on.” — Venus Wong, Senior Writer
Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Over Red Eau de Parfum 50ml, $, available at Look Fantastic
The 7 Virtues Cherry Ambition Eau de Parfum, £85
“This is a sexy and sophisticated cherry scent. Alongside the cherry, there are sweet florals, vanilla, then amber and woodsy notes for balance. I adore a fragrance that balances femininity with earthy grit — to me, that is what makes it sexy and sophisticated. The catch? Usually, these kinds of scents wear full-bodied on me, so I was expecting this to come with a powerful throw based on first impressions. Cherry Ambition, however, turns to a gentler, near-skin scent after a couple of hours of wear. I don’t mind that, though; it makes it appropriate for everyday settings, like an office, rather than being a fragrance I’d save purely for the nighttime. Another thing to note is how stunning the packaging is. I love how on the back of the bottle you get a recommendation as to what the fragrance is best for: “Feeling brave, igniting ambition, making a statement”. I might not manage to feel these things every day, but a few sprays of this on my neck and wrists bring me a step closer.” — Tanyel Mustafa, Senior Writer
The 7 Virtues Cherry Ambition Eau de Parfum 50ml, $, available at Sephora
Creed Carmina Eau de Parfum, £165
“Forget everything you think you know about cherry perfumes. This wonderfully complex scent from The House of Creed is so much more than that. Yes, you can catch a whiff of dark cherries in the opening note, but overall, it reminds me more of an expensive, artfully put-together bouquet. The breaths of rose de mai, violet and peonies are so vivid that this might not be your kind of scent if you’re not into florals. I happen to absolutely love how this intensely feminine scent fills up the room. It makes me feel so sultry and grown up, like I’m wandering around in a slinky velvet gown. As with all Creed perfumes, the price is steep, but the gorgeous bottles are a work of art — and just two spritzes on each wrist are enough for the scent to linger on your skin all day.” — Venus Wong, Senior Writer
Carmina Carmina Eau de Parfum 30ml, $, available at Cult Beauty
Juliette Has A Gun Juliette Eau de Parfum, £130
“This is unlike any other cherry perfume I’ve tried and that’s probably because I can’t really smell any cherry. Supposedly, the cherry note is up top but it’s dominated by pink peppercorn, opening sharp and zingy. Dare I say it, it almost smells medicinal at first, but this quickly dries down to a light, soapy musk (thanks to the mix of jasmine and cashmere). Just like your skin fresh out of the shower, this is definitely one of those ‘your skin but better scents’. Personally, it’s not for me, and I would probably advise to steer clear if you’re after a true juicy-sweet cherry perfume, but for anyone who likes fresh, clean, musky fragrances, you’re in the right place.” — Esther Newman, Affiliate Writer
Juliette Has A Gun Juliette Eau de Parfum, $, available at Space NK
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