Every day, another gourmand perfume enters the chat. For the uninitiated, "gourmand" scents are all about the edible, with notes honey, coffee, vanilla, or even croissants. Everyone on my FYP is talking about their favorite sweet perfumes, and suddenly, the most famous iteration taking over my feeds is Carolina Herrera Good Girl, an iconic perfume in an equally chic and opulent bottle. Launched in 2016, this perfume remains a hot topic on #PerfumeTok and r/fragrance, and the brand has continued to innovate within the Good Girl line—from the fruity-floral Very Good Girl to the powdery and floral Good Girl Blush. Some people have likened it to kryptonite for men, while others say it brings in hella compliments.
I hate being left out of the loop, so in the name of journalism, I tested the perfume for weeks, read/watched reviews for hours, and even compared it to some of my other favorites. Keep scrolling to learn more and read my full Carolina Herrera Good Girl perfume review, including what it smells like, what everyone on the internet has to say about it, and whether or not it’s worth the splurge.
About Carolina Herrera Beauty:
Carolina Herrera is a Venezuelan-American fashion designer known for being an it-girl back in the '80s. She founded her eponymous fashion brand, Carolina Herrera, in 1980, followed by her first signature fragrance, Carolina Herrera, in 1988. According to Carolina A. Herrera, creative director of Carolina Herrera Beauty and daughter of the brand's founder, the line is rooted in a true love story. “I remember when my mother launched her first perfume in the 1980s—it was based on jasmine, her favorite flower,” she recalls.
Herrera has a distinct perspective on style: Much like our clothes, our fragrances are meant to dress the people who wear them. “They’re powerful and elegant," she says. "They always have a floral base, aligned with the visual language of the house, and they always carry a touch of irreverence.” She believes that “at Herrera, fragrances aren’t just accessories; they’re fundamental elements of style—a great scent should be like a gorgeous dress.”
What does Carolina Herrera Good Girl smell like?
Created by master perfumers Louise Turner (the nose behind Tom Ford’s Lost Cherry) and Quentin Bisch (who created Amouage’s Guidance and Parfums De Marly’s Delina), this fragrance is designed to represent every side of your femininity—from light to dark, softness to strength. The scent is undeniably sweet, with top notes of almond that instantly capture your attention, followed by heart notes of jasmine sambac and tuberose. But don’t worry, it doesn’t dive into sticky-sweet territory. Instead, it strikes the perfect balance, thanks to its grounding base notes of tonka bean and cocoa. (We know, it basically sounds like a barista’s dream order.)
FYI: The brand has launched a series of flankers now throughout the Good Girl portfolio, including floral-heavy Blush, fruity Very Good Girl, and a new extrait that's even more intense and long-lasting.
Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl Eau de Parfum
Are Carolina Herrera perfumes long-lasting?
IMO, a few spritzes last all day long, no matter how many subway rides you take or how much you sweat through a workout class. I even sprayed it on my skin before bed, and when I woke up, I still smelled just as delicious as I did when I first applied it. But if you want the numbers, the brand claims that the base notes of Good Girl linger on skin up to six hours.
My Carolina Herrera Good Girl review:
At first sniff, I thought the perfume was a bit too sweet for my liking, which wasn’t surprising since I’ve never considered myself a gourmand girl™. I tend to gravitate toward gender-neutral fragrances like Prada Infusion de Gingembre, Bvlgari Thé Vert, or Aesop’s Tacit. These earthy scents wrap you in quiet mystery—the kind that says, “I drink matcha and use a habit tracker.” But after reading The Afterglow by Cosmo beauty editor Beth Gillette about the rise of sweet scents and how they might just be the secret to seduction, I realized that my understated perfume choices were probably why I’m not leaving a trail of admirers behind me.
With this newfound perspective, I gave Good Girl another chance and soon came around to appreciating its sweet notes. It reminds me of my teen years, wandering through department store beauty counters in search of any trace of glamour in my painfully mundane hometown (non-derogatory). The bottle itself is undeniably nostalgic, housed in a stiletto-shaped vessel—the kind you’d expect to see next to a framed black-and-white magazine cover and a carpe diem poster in 2004. Maybe that’s why it’s hitting so hard right now. People want to feel comforted. And what was more comforting than the early aughts, when money was flowing, My Super Sweet 16 was airing, and I was blissfully unaware of the state of the world while I tried to torrent songs onto my iPod Nano?
I now spray Good Girl every time I want a boost of confidence and to feel sexy. I’ve come to think of it as a scent that functions like catnip. “Here, kitty kitty kitty,” I whisper, doused in jasmine, tuberose, and tonka bean.
Glowing reviews from other testers:
“My holy grail. I absolutely loveee this perfume! it has such an amazing-smelling scent that I could not even get tired of. I love the vanilla jasmine smell. It makes it smell so sexy. I’ve repurchased five times.”
“I've been using this perfume for over a year now & it’s still my favorite. The scent is pretty strong. I work 12 to 14-hour days, and I can still smell it at the end of the day. Plus, I get so many compliments! Love it!”
“You are the IT girl when you walk into a room with this scent.”
“LOVE this perfume! The scent lasts all day, and I usually only use one to two sprays! I wouldn’t overdo it with this one since the scent is pretty strong, which I see as a plus because the bottle lasts me forever! Not too floraly but just the right amount of sweetness and warmth. One word: Sexy. Also love the bottle!"
“My favorite ever!!! I use it every day. I can’t smell it by the end of the day, but I’m told I smell good morning and night with only one spray. 100 percent recommend—I’d bathe in it."
Final verdict:
I completely see why the internet goes feral for this perfume now. Not only does it smell simultaneously yummy and sophisticated, it lasts so long on my skin. It's not an everyday wear for me, per se, but on a special occasion, this will be a hit. The brand warned me in the press release: “There isn’t just one way to define a Good Girl, except that sometimes she’s so bad, she’s good.” Someone tramp stamp that on me, ASAP.
Love Carolina Herrera Good Girl? Try one of these other top-rated gourmand perfumes:
Jimmy Choo I Want Choo Eau de Parfum
Many fragrance heads say that I Want Choo is quite similar to Good Girl, but with a slightly fruitier twist. It has notes of vanilla, jasmine, pear, and sandalwood, instead of the cocoa base found in Good Girl. It’s a bit easier to wear, especially if you’re sensitive to stronger scents.
The newest launch from MFK, this gourmand leans a bit more fruity with top notes of raspberry and peach. The middle notes feature fruity notes and gummy candies, while the base notes of white musk and vanilla provide a deliciously balanced finish. It’s much more playful than the brand’s iconic Baccarat Rouge 540, so it's great if you want to be in the MFK hive but crave something lighter and a lil quirky.
Vanilla lovers, rise—Flora is Gucci’s first foray into floral-gourmands, blending sweet vanilla with a marine ozonic accord. It’s perfect for daily wear, as it lingers beautifully throughout the day.
A total compliment magnet, Amouage’s Love Delight is at the top of my perfume rotation. With notes of ginger, mandarin, rosewater, cinnamon, vanilla, and cocoa, it has that vanilla vibe everyone is chasing, but with a more mature twist than a lot of the options currently on the market.
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Iman Balagam is a beauty contributor at Cosmopolitan with nearly three years of experience writing beauty stories that range from curling irons to mini flat irons. She’s an authority in all beauty categories, but is an expert when it comes to perfumes, thanks to years of personally researching and testing different scents and brands.
Iman Balagam is a freelance writer who has been in the beauty industry for nearly five years. She has written for and contributed to top women’s magazines and digital brands such as Harper's BAZAAR, Allure, Byrdie, Elle and more. She will try *nearly* anything and spends a lot of time looking for new ways to store her beauty products in a small New York apartment.
