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No Gatekeeping Here: 13 Niche Perfumes for People Who Hate Smelling Like Everyone Else
None of the usual suspects here.
If every perfume you sniff smells just a bit basic, then you're probably a candidate for a niche perfume. "Niche perfumes" signify that they were made by independent brands that aren't tied to a bigger fashion or fragrance house. Dior, YSL, and Chanel perfumes are all made by a large brand, henceforth not niche, and typically have a natural likability to them. They're extremely blended, to the point that usually, you can't pick out the individual notes within them, but rather just smell an overall "good" scent. It's a good chance that if you liked one perfume from the house, you'll probably get along with all of them.
Niche perfumes, though, aren't so straightforward. One fragrance from the brand could appeal to someone who likes gourmand perfumes, while another in the lineup is spicy and packed with patchouli. Typically, niche perfumes employ unique notes and intriguing blends that often lack the same mass appeal as fragrances from large conglomerates. Niche, however, doesn't mean that it isn't sold at popular retailers. So many niche perfume brands are now sold at Sephora, Nordstrom, and the like. Which brings us to this list—the very best niche perfumes of 2025, according to Cosmo editors who test nearly every perfume that comes out.
“Whenever another beauty editor smells really freakin' good around me, I know they're wearing Guidance. I wear it when I want to smell good for hours and hours. It lasts longer than any other perfume I own. In fact, I sprayed it on before a 14-hour flight once and could still smell it when I walked into my hotel room."—BETH GILLETTE, BEAUTY EDITOR
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Saffron, rose, sambac, sandalwood, vanilla, frankincense |
| Scent family | Spicy |
“This fragrance is the perfect blend of warm and floral notes. I loved that the floral scent wasn’t too overpowering apropos of its coupling with warm layers of vanilla and citrus. If someone bottled up a bright sunrise and made it into a perfume, the result would be a few spritzes of this long-lasting scent.”—JASMINE HYMAN, ASSISTANT BEAUTY EDITOR
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Orange blossom, white florals, salty vanilla |
| Scent family | Floral |
"This smells like brat summer to me. Salty and musky, aromatic and green, woodsy and earthy—all with a squeeze of lime on top. It's bold and different (classic niche vibes), but still manages to make me smell good, unlike a lot of perfumes I've tested with a weird combination of notes. It smells natural yet expensive. There are so many tonalities within this scent that it makes me excited to love fragrance. Is that lame? Does that make me a perfume nerd? I don't even care! I love it!"—BG
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Lime, sea salt, bergamot, clary sage, pine tree, fir, amber, cedar, resin |
| Scent family | Earthy |
“If you’re in a Folklore or Evermore era, this should be your scent. The warm earthy notes are strong but don’t tip overtly ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine,’ and one spritz has real lasting power.”—ALEXANDRA WHITTAKER, DIRECTOR, SITE
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Fig, vanilla, suede, cedarwood, jasmine, sandalwood, oud, musk |
| Scent family | Warm & Woodsy |
“If you want to smell fresh and clean like a delicate flower, this fragrance is it. It lasted longer on my clothes than it did on my skin, but I still felt it faintly at the end of the day. It’s perfect for both day and night but light enough to wear on a chill day with no plans.”—VERONICA LOPEZ, SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS EDITOR
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Pomelo, lemon zest, magnolia, water lily, sea notes, ambergris |
| Scent family | Floral |
"Another editor told me that they were in a room with Hailey Bieber and she smelled fantastic, so I immediately did some digging into what perfume she wears. I landed on this perfume from Ex Nihilo, which is also a brand Travis Kelce loves. This scent is bright and floral, with a mix of juicy lychee and peach notes as well as fresh peony and jasmine. It smells flirty and clean—like how I imagine the super-sexy ~girl next door~ category in a romcom to smell. Makes sense Hailey is a fan."—BG
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Lychee, bergamot, peach, peony, jasmine, orange blossom, musk, moss |
| Scent family | Floral |
"If you wanna dip your toes in niche fragrance but aren't totally sure about strong concoctions, try I Am Her from Forvr Mood. This fragrance by influencer Jackie Aina is a clean fruity scent (shout-out pear and raspberry) that layers oud and red velvet for a smooth finish. It's a lot deeper than many of the fruity perfumes I own, so it feels more sophisticated."—BG
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Pear, oud, red velvet, raspberry |
| Scent family | Fruity |
"Now that Bianco Latte has taken over PerfumeTok—people were raving that it was their most-complimented perfume of all time by professors, Uber drivers, dates, and more—lots of brands have tried to dupe it. But nothing compares to this ultra-sweet, caramel macchiato-esque perfume. The vanilla, caramel, and honey notes come together to smell like pure vanilla ice cream. Not vanilla bean. Not vanilla soft serve. But buttery, churned ice cream. It's lactonic and cozy."—BG
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Vanilla, caramel, honey, white musk, coumarin |
| Scent family | Gourmand |
“Grab this juice if you’re looking for a cozy, clean scent that makes you feel like you’re lying in a luxurious bed of freshly washed sheets. It’s pure elegance in a bottle.” —JULEE WILSON, BEAUTY EDITOR-AT-LARGE
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Almond, bergamot, mandarin, orange blossom, ambroxan, sandalwood |
| Scent family | Musky |
“There's a reason everyone is so obsessed with this jasmine-dominant fragrance: It's light and airy yet warm and enveloping—it's really unlike any other perfume (you know, until everyone started making similar versions). Yes, it's extremely expensive, but all you need is one spritz to last all day long, meaning the bottle will last a pretty long time."—MARY HONKUS, CONTRIBUTING BEAUTY EDITOR
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Jasmine, saffron, cedarwood, ambergris |
| Scent family | Fresh |
"I never thought I'd want to smell like an affogato, but gosh am I obsessed with this scent. I went through a mini sample in a few days because I couldn't stop spritzing it all over myself. It's a dripping ice cream cone that you've dipped in coffee and amaretto—one sniff had me wondering if I should stop on my way home from work to get some Crumbl."—BG
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Coffee, amaretto, vanilla, ice cream, brown sugar, ambergris |
| Scent family | Gourmand |
"I love combining this with body mists to make them smell more complex and give them a lil more longevity. This works well with legit everyone's body chemistry—I've convinced everyone I know to spray it on themselves at my apartment, trust—so it's generally my most consistently-recommended blind buy."—BG
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Iso E super, bergamot, civettone, ambrox super, vetiver |
| Scent family | Warm |
"A scent like this is exactly why I love niche perfumes. Filled with nutty notes—pistachio, cadamom, hazelnut, and almond milk—this fragrance is unlike anything I own. It's gourmand in a different way than I'm used to. It's not sweet in a sugary way, but has a creamy, lacquered vibe. It kinda smells like Baileys, actually, which I find delicious."—BG
Behind the Scent
| Key notes | Tonka bean, almond milk, Peru balsam, hazelnut, rum, peony petals, pistachio, cardamom |
| Scent family | Gourmand |
Why trust ‘Cosmopolitan’?
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing fragrance stories that range from Chanel perfumes to 2025 perfume trends. She’s an authority in all perfume categories, but she's tested nearly a hundred niche perfumes in her career to gauge which ones were actually worth it.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
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