10 Unique Perfume Trends To Watch In 2025, By Top Fragrance Experts

If you get the sudden urge to reinvent yourself as soon as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, you aren’t alone. Some join the gym while others consider a substantial haircut, but one thing is for certain: Most of these lifestyle adjustments require a significant amount of effort and upkeep. Something that doesn’t? Switching up your signature scent. 

Whether you’re into fresh notes or prefer moreish gourmands, upgrading your perfume is an easy way to usher in a shiny new year, and according to the experts, 2025 is going to be jam-packed with perfume trends to suit all tastes and budgets.

From matcha-infused fragrances to “spiritual” scents, here are the perfume movements that are going to dominate in January and beyond.

“Searches for ‘matcha perfume’ saw an average of 1,200 monthly Google hits in 2024 — up 127.4% compared to 2023,” reports Michelle Feeney, founder of Floral Street. She says that the calming ritual of making a matcha latte is a big part of the appeal. “The earthy, green addition of matcha in a perfume can feel grounding and calming, taking you back to that matcha moment in the morning,” says Feeney. It lends a grown-up edge to floral and fruity fragrances, much like Floral Street's Sweet Almond Blossom Eau de Parfum, £74. The top notes are juicy pomelo and syrupy passion fruit, but grassy matcha and vanilla-esque tonka bean “cut through the sweetness, grounding it in nutty earthiness,” says Feeney.

Also try Le Labo Thé Matcha 26 Eau de Parfum, £170, with matcha, syrupy fig, zingy citrus and creamy woods. If you’re keen to spend less, try Le Monde Gourmand Thé Matcha Eau de Parfum, £20, with refreshing green tea, warm amber and light and airy freesia petals. 

Lush’s fragrance category lead, Lee Howes, suspects that a handful of scents will reign supreme in 2025, specifically lactonic — or milky — notes. “Spring seems like a good time for these scents to come to the forefront,” says Howes. If you’re into gourmand perfumes (essentially fragrances with sweet and moreish notes) but you want something lighter, this tweak is for you. “You’ll still get sweetness but it’s more pared down than the rich caramel notes that are very dominant right now,” adds Howes. 

Milky notes make perfumes feel soft and powdery. “This creates a gentle effect — much like more subtle skin scents,” says Howes, who recommends Lush American Cream, £30. “Inspired by 1950s milkshakes, this blends herbal notes of lavender and clary sage to slow down the sweetness of the vanilla, creating something more gentle and close to the skin,” adds Howes.

If you have more to spend, try Phlur Not Your Baby Eau de Parfum, £99, with creamy vanilla, tonka bean and sandalwood, or Molton Brown Milk Musk Eau de Parfum, £140, with warm milk accord, comforting musk and benzoin — a tree resin that smells sweet and woody, like sugared almonds. 

Stina Seger, cofounder and creative director of Bibbi Parfum, predicts we’ll see a rise in fresh, green and crunchy notes in this year’s fragrance offerings. This time, though, brands will do away with the usuals (think eucalyptus, basil and fig) and welcome unlikely notes of seaweed or algae. “[These] bring a unique and briny freshness to perfume,” says Seger. Slightly salty, they balance typically sweet, tropical notes that we know and love, such as coconut and vanilla, to create something totally genderless. 

Try Marks & Spencer Ocean Musk Eau de Toilette, £6, with warm neroli and skinlike musk, and Dries Van Noten Mystic Moss Eau de Toilette, £190, with woody oakmoss, salty algae extract and spicy cardamom. While it contains neither seaweed nor algae, Bibbi Swimming Pool Eau de Parfum, £225, boasts a similar savoury element thanks to wet grass, fresh basil and zingy spearmint.

“Niche” perfumes (like Creed, Maison Crivelli and D.S. & Durga) are typically created by an in-house perfumer and sold in small batches at exclusive retailers. But Viola Levy, beauty journalist and founder of Smart Beauty Creative, believes that they’ll become more accessible in 2025, all while retaining the appeal of a luxury perfume. “Cult skincare brand Merit, Arkive by Adam Reed and deodorant line AKT London are worlds away from traditional luxury perfume [brands] but they are revitalising the world of niche scents — as well as making them more affordable,” says Levy. 

Merit Retrospect L’Extrait de Parfum, £79, has made waves among beauty editors and fragrance enthusiasts thanks to a powdery and peaceful blend of musk, vanilla, violet and rose. Arkive Decorated Woods, £30, combines zesty ginger and bergamot with all-encompassing frankincense for a perfume that is truly unique, while AKT Deodorant Balm After Thunder, £21, marries eucalyptus with pine and rosemary for an invigorating scent that lasts for hours on end.

As spring comes around in the northern hemisphere, Howes predicts that gourmand-lovers might want something fresher and lighter to balance the saccharine sweetness of notes like vanilla and tonka. “[This year, they’ll be] blended with more uplifting, brighter citruses,” says Howes. “Yuzu [which occupies a space between a mandarin and a lemon] seems to be a note that is gaining popularity and could have its moment in 2025 — but it’ll come with a sweeter, cosier edge than just straight-up citrus juice on the skin.” Lush Chelsea Morning Perfume, £20, is that fragrance, says Howes. “The vanilla, tonka and fenugreek create cosiness while notes of butterscotch layered with a juicy dose of lemon myrtle cut through for freshness and sunshine.” 

You might also like Discover Fresh Mandarin Eau de Toilette, £10, with mandarin, vanilla and amber, and Bon Parfumeur 003 Yuzu Violet Leaves Vetiver Eau de Parfum, £45, with sweet jasmine and neroli, and refreshingly tangy bergamot and yuzu. 

“We’re about to see perfume mists evolve in 2025,” says Feeney. “They previously provided an accessible entry point into fragrance, but they are fast becoming something that even the most established fragrance-head loves, especially considering that they're great for layering or for topping up your scent during the day.”

Excitingly, Floral Street will unveil a collection of perfume mists this February, and they do a lot more than smell good. “In addition to providing a sensational fragrance, these mists actively work to soothe skin and reduce inflammation,” claims Feeney. “The pump is the first recyclable spray pump to land on our shelves, too.”

You might also like Gisou’s new Honey Infused Hair Perfume Floral Edition Lavender Berry, £34, a light hair mist with rich honey, tart blackberries and calming lavender, and Phlur Vanilla Skin Body Mist, £24, with floral jasmine and earthy sandalwood. 

We’re going to step further into the gourmand universe, predicts Seger, but rather than tooth-aching sweetness, she envisions deeper notes like toasted coconut and smoking caramel. “These notes are rich, indulgent and sophisticated takes on sweetness,” says Seger. 

BDK Parfums Rouge Smoking Eau de Parfum, £175, is like a tangy cherry pie topped with cream thanks to pink berries and labdanum (a warm tree resin). Also try Floral Street Arizona Bloom Eau de Parfum, £74, with coconut and salted musks, and Zara Immortal Vanilla Eau de Parfum, £22.99, with coconut, caramel and woods.

Perfume is no longer just about smelling good for someone else, says Levy. “Now, it’s seen as a tool for empowerment, self-expression and emotional wellbeing — with spiritual wellness at the forefront.” Levy says that we’re already witnessing the trend in action. “Perfume brand Vyrao is known for infusing supercharged diamond crystals into every one of its bottles,” she notes, while holistic healer Estelle Bingham’s fragrance collection “manifests” self-love. “Then there’s Kate Moss’ ‘aura-enhancing’ fragrance for her line Cosmoss,” says Levy. Established names are also embracing this trend, she adds. “Take Charlotte Tilbury’s [Collection of Emotions] line and Sana Jardin’s [soon-to-be] launched Air of Aquarius, inspired by ‘the cosmic energy of Pluto's return to Aquarius’. All of these fragrances are designed to amplify the wearer’s energy and to enhance all areas of their life.”

If you have a higher budget, also try The Harmonist Hypnotizing Fire Parfum, £255. With lush rose and moreish vanilla, it’s inspired by yin fire, one of the five elements in Chinese metaphysics. If that’s not your bag, take the online quiz to find your element.

Feeney predicts we’ll see far more tropical ingredients in perfumery — and they’ll transcend summer to provide a year-round mood boost. Again, Floral Street's Arizona Bloom comes up trumps. “Once thought of as a summer holiday fragrance, it has proven itself to be a scent for all seasons — and it's the number one bestseller in the UK year-round,” says Feeney. “It smells just as good on the beach as it does on a crisp winter morning.”

R29 rates Nest Sunkissed Hibiscus Eau de Parfum, £82, with creamy white florals like frangipani and warm amber. Also try Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Crush Cheirosa 40 Bom Dia Bright Perfume Mist, £38, with sweet jasmine and juicy plum, both of which are bound to lift you out of the winter slump. 

The higher the concentration of fragrance oil, the stronger the scent — and the better the staying power. Extraits de parfum, for example, are substantially more powerful than eaux de parfum and eaux de toilette because they contain around 20 to 30% fragrance oil. 

Floral Street fragrances boast a high 20% fragrance oil concentration and Feeney is seeing other brands follow suit. Why? “People want to 'own the room' with the most intense fragrance they can get their hands on, so extraits and eaux de parfum have been seeing real growth,” she says. Take Floral Street Black Lotus Eau de Parfum, £29, which has amassed TikTok fame for its intoxicating floral and spice notes, and excellent longevity. 

We also love Maison Crivelli, in particular its Cuir Infrarouge Extrait de Parfum, £205, with cinnamon, bergamot and raspberry, and Byredo Tobacco Mandarin Extrait de Parfum, £280, with spicy tobacco, juicy mandarin and sweet oud. If you have less to spend, consider Zara’s extensive collection of eaux de parfum.