Beauty Pie Perfumes Are Criminally Underrated — & We Love These 8

It's no secret that we at Refinery29 have a penchant for perfume. From supermarket dupes to designer brands, we're down to give all fragrances a go, but one name that has repeatedly popped up in our perfume-related searches in recent weeks is Beauty Pie — and we have to admit that we were a little bit surprised. While we’re very familiar with the brand’s ingredient-forward skincare and makeup (with its new SPF skin tint being a recent favourite), we haven’t paid much attention to Beauty Pie’s perfume collection. Turns out, we have been missing a trick.

The brand has steadily unveiled a lineup of scents that don’t exceed the £60 mark — with a saving of 20% if you use the limited-time discount code 20OFFBP. Beauty Pie members can enjoy an even lower price of £28 to £33 (there’s an annual membership fee of £59, but you can get a free 60-day trial).

This is considerably less than the cost of most eau de parfum from designer brands, especially given that each Beauty Pie scent is created by renowned perfumeurs who have previously worked at the very same luxury houses, including L'Artisan Parfumeur, Memo Paris and Amouage. If you ask us, some of them can also pass for more affordable alternatives to high-end labels, such as Le Labo’s Santal 33.

Ahead, our team has deployed our discerning noses to see which Beauty Pie perfumes are most worth the £50 investment.

“I know what you’re thinking: Is this a worthy perfume dupe for Le Labo Santal 33? In my opinion, yes. They share a lot of similarities: Like Le Labo, Beauty Pie has taken deep spicy, musky, complicated notes (sandalwood, cardamon and leather) and freshened them up with florals (Beauty Pie uses lavender whereas Le Labo uses violet and iris). Unlike Le Labo, though, I find Beauty Pie’s offering far softer and more wearable. It’s all smoothed over with a creamy, warm blend of tea, vanilla and tonka bean that suggests more of a daytime wearability; perhaps even more of a traditional feminine take on the santal trend, when you also consider the lavender. Either way, I actually far prefer this over Le Labo. It’s also quite long lasting. I’ve found myself layering the two for a unique floral-meets-spice combination that’s perfect for late summer into early autumn.” — Esther Newman, affiliate writer

“This is really close to Miller Harris’ Tea Tonique, £140, but it’s a snip of the price. Just like its niche counterpart, this marries bergamot, tea and lemon for a scent that’s as refreshing — if not more so — than an elderflower spritz on a scorching day. I know it’s a fragrance, but there’s something quenching about it! As it dries down, the rose comes through beautifully. It’s faintly sweet and clean, rather than cloying. The projection isn’t particularly strong, but it’s intimate and close to the skin. I wear perfume for myself, rather than other people, so I really loved that about this. I couldn’t stop smelling my wrists and got faint plumes of it coming from my clothes, which really grounded me throughout the day. I’m flying to the Mediterranean soon and this is certainly coming with me. It’s the perfect holiday fragrance considering its lightness.” — Jacqueline Kilikita, deputy beauty director

“Historically, I’ve hated all gourmand scents except for vanilla ones. Cherry? Absolutely not. Cinnamon? No, thank you. Citrus? Hell, no. Vanilla, though, is my achilles heel. Beauty Pie’s rendition only confirms my suspicions: that there is not a vanilla-inspired perfume on this earth that’s unlikeable. In contrast to other vanilla perfumes that I’ve tried (like KAYALI Vanilla 28, £58.40 and PHLUR Vanilla Skin Body Mist, £38), this scent isn’t instantly sweet upon first sniff. Yes, the vanilla is there, but it’s more complex and layered than other vanilla scents on the market. Fresher notes like bergamot and jasmine peek through, laced with a headier mix of rum and powdery heliotrope. The result feels mature and androgynous. Sexy, even. Vanilla is an aphrodisiac after all…” — Humeara Mohamed, SEO Writer

“This has been a lovely scent for transitioning my mood from late summer to early autumn. It’s heavy on amber, vanilla and milky fig, which creates a warm and lingering presence on my skin all day. But I also love how it opens up my nose (and heart) with a bouquet of orange blossom, peach and fig leaves. It smells so bright, juicy and carefree — and not too saccharine or juvenile. I’ve been wearing this whenever I have a sundress on, and always get stopped by random people asking for the name of my fragrance. It’s worth noting that Karine Vinchon Spehner is the ‘nose’ behind this scent. She has also created perfumes for much more expensive brands such as L'Artisan Parfumeur and Amouage; given that Element 79 is currently on sale for £33 (member’s price), it feels like an incredible steal.” — Venus Wong, senior writer

“The first thing that hit me when I sprayed this is how green it is, which I wasn’t expecting given the white florals like jasmine in the notes. You can really smell, or at least get the sense of, leaves and green plants as well as the petals of flowers themselves. This makes it a bit more nuanced and less in-your-face than some full on white floral fragrances like Gucci Bloom, which can be a little divisive. Though I wasn't expecting the scent to translate quite how it does, I actually think it’s better for summer this way. Since I got it, I’ve been spraying it quite liberally, because the one downside is that I don’t get the best staying power when compared to my expensive perfumes like Byredo. If you’re into lighter ‘everyday’ scents and don’t mind topping up once or twice, you’ll get on well with this soft yet vibrant fragrance.” — Tanyel Mustafa, senior writer

“I can’t lie to you, this scent smells a bit too ‘pine fresh’ if you sniff the bottle. Let it settle on your skin, though, and you’re suddenly laying in a bed of freshly-cut grass, hugged by the sun and surrounded by the tinkling of a nearby stream. It makes me want a greenhouse where I can grow fresh tomatoes and make my own pasta sauce… But I digress. La Botanista 001 is androgynous, clean-smelling, and it settles down like a subtle second skin — never overpowering. This is great, in my opinion, because one of my greatest fears is being that person who steps into a lift and instantly chokes everyone else with their perfume. If you want to smell yourself all day then you will require top-ups, but I like to spritz once in the morning and be surprised by the odd whiff coming from my clothes as the day wears on.” — Humeara Mohamed, SEO Writer

“For a fragrance fan, there’s no high like finding your signature scent. Unfortunately, there’s also no low like discovering it was originally released in 2009, is tricky to come by and, if you do find it on a dodgy resale site or via a random Amazon seller, it can set you back £150 to £200. This is the case for me and my fave, Tom Ford White Patchouli — it’s the perfect balance between light and airy floral, and woody, intense muskiness. As such, I’ve been carefully nursing the dregs of my original bottle.

“So, when I saw that Beauty Pie’s She Brought Peonies shares a lot of the same notes (thank you, Fragrantica, for your services!), I hopped on it immediately. Like White Patchouli, this Beauty Pie scent relies on a heart of peony (of course), rose, and jasmine on a base of patchouli, along with top notes of vibrant, fruity apple blossom and plum. It’s not an exact match, and its lasting power doesn’t rival Tom Ford’s, but at £28 a bottle (for Beauty Pie members) I’m more than happy. Spritz and enjoy smelling like a grunge flower fairy frolicking through your day.” — Esther Newman, affiliate writer

“The name of this perfume translates to ‘a walk in the forest’, and I would say this is a pretty apt description. If you’re a fan of earthy scents, this is going to be a winner. The fir balsam and cashmere wood notes call to mind an overgrown meadow in the rain, while the bergamot top notes add a hint of freshness. This is quite mellow and herby on its own, but I’ve loved it as a base layer under my other muskier, sandalwood-heavy scents, like PHLUR’s Father Figure. This pairing brings out the sweetness and creaminess of the other perfume. I will say that given Une Balade En Forêt smells a bit more masculine-leaning, I’ve given it to my husband and I find myself enjoying the cedarwood notes more on him.” — Venus Wong, senior writer