When I first moved to New York, I was hankering to become the chicest version of myself. I wanted to Carrie Bradshaw-ify my life, if you will. I vowed to start taking pilates classes, reading literature on the subway, drinking martinis, and smelling like a grown adult. This meant I needed to invest in a ~grown adult~ perfume. And in the year 2022, the most popular one on the market was Maison Francis Kurkdjian's Baccarat Rouge 540.
This was before Baccarat Rouge became an iconic perfume in the eyes of PerfumeTok. I'd go to Nordstrom every week to sniff it (or sometimes, I'd spray it on and pretend it was my perfume all day). It smelled refined and fresh, but also woodsy and sexy. At the time, there was nothing else that smelled like it. No other jasmine perfumes laced with sugar and woods. It felt like lightning in a bottle back then—this ridiculously expensive yet totally unique scent would certainly turn me into the fancy New Yorker I always dreamed of.
Fast forward to 2025, and while I may not be a fancy New Yorker, I am a beauty editor with an expert nose who has tried countless scents since my initial Baccarat Rouge 540 obsession. And while my perfume palette expanded, so did Baccarat Rouge 54o's popularity. What once was known as this $$$$ scent that was worn by royalty and A-listers developed a cult-like following on TikTok for being the sexiest perfume. But does it still hold up to those high standards? After years away, I finally scooped up a bottle again to redefine if this ultra-famous scent is still as beautiful as I remember.
What does Baccarat Rouge 540 smell like?
Key notes: Saffron, jasmine, amberwood, ambergris, fir resin, cedar, ambroxan, sugar, oakmoss
Airy, spicy, woody, metallic, and warm are just some of the words people would use to describe Baccarat Rouge 540. The scent, launched in 2015, was inspired by the 250th anniversary of luxury crystal brand Baccarat. There's a dazzling quality to the scent that evokes the shimmery look of Baccarat fine crystal—it's like a champagne toast in the opening, with bright saffron and jasmine that smell almost like they're twinkling. Then, it goes a bit mineral and fresh with amberwood and ambergris. But as it dries down, you get a more woodsy, warm tinge of the fragrance. Amberwood, cedar, and fir resin offer a depth, but instead of going smoky, sugary notes add a sweetness that brings you right back to that sparkling quality. Expensive it may be, but it's definitely well-rounded.
It is definitely polarizing, though. In reviews, some people say it smells really sweet—faintly of cotton candy or vanilla ,and don't pick up on the other notes. But others say it smells like a fancy hotel lobby and makes them feel like they have their whole life together when they spray it on.
My Baccarat Rouge 540 review:
Baccarat Rouge really does smell a little bit different on everyone, thanks to the ambroxan note (which, for the unobsessed fragrance wearer, is a synthetic compound that has a warm, musky scent that interacts a lot with your skin chemistry to determine its exact scent). Once dry, it goes really sweet on my skin. I get all the sugary, jasmine sweetness. It's yummy and gourmand—not really this spicy, fir, woodsy scent that it seems like it'd be from the notes list.
It's kinda warm and cozy, but not in that fall-perfume way you'd expect. It reminds me a lot of how my skin would smell after taking a shower. There's a clean, subtle scent that just sits right against my skin. It makes me feel powerful, but not because it's strong and intense. Rather, it just feels like an enhanced version of my own skin. To me, that's the sexiest way to smell.
One thing's for sure, though: Baccarat Rouge 540 definitely leaves an impression and gets compliments. I spritzed this on in the office—on a day when basically no one was in, by the way—and multiple people from all over our floor came up to my desk to say it smelled good "over here."
Baccarat Rouge 540 pros:
- When it was first released, it was extremely unique and unlike anything else available. It mixed sweet, warm, and woodsy in a way that felt special and fancy but also approachable. Obviously, now there are a gazillion dupes and similar scents on the market. But nothing ever really compares to the O.G., of course.
- It's not overpowering or too strong, but still lasts a long time on my skin and clothes. You don't smell it from across the room or anything (which I actually quite love sometimes), but I don't have to worry about reapplying at all. Once I spray this on, I can still catch whiffs of it all day long.
- It's entirely seasonless and would smell good on a super hot day at the beach, during a late-November rainy day, in a January snowstorm, or the first breezy spring day.
Baccarat Rouge 540 cons:
- It's expensive. Like, really expensive. I own over 200 perfumes, and this is all the way at the top in terms of price point. There are mini versions and body oils that can help you get the scent for less, though. (And this bottle really does last a while.)
- The scent is subtle, so some people can't really smell it on others. For some, this would be a total pro. You want your scent to sit close to your skin and not overwhelm everyone around your cubicle at work. But for me, I prefer a scent with a little bit more projection, especially at this price point. Although there is an Extrait version that is a bit more intense, IMO.
Final thoughts:
It's been years (and a lot of bottles of other, similar scents) since I've played with this perfume. So, admittedly, I expected to think it was kind of meh at this point. But my obsession has been fully renewed. I can't stop spraying this, and every time I wear it, I smell myself all day long (something I don't necessarily do with a lot of other perfumes I own). I've been keeping the bottle by my desk, and I had to move it, because I was spraying it too often and wasting the bottle (lol, even a beauty editor doesn't wanna waste precious BR540).
Here's the thing, though: Obviously, it's expensive as heck. You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on a perfume. And if you don't have it, you shouldn't! But if you want to invest in a perfume that you can wear legit all the time, for every occasion, during every single season—I'm a believer in the Baccarat Rouge hype.
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan and has seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing skincare stories that range from reviewing Glossier perfumes to Le Labo Santal 33 dupes. She regularly tests and analyzes perfumes while working with the industry’s top fragrance experts to assess new formulas, brands, and trends.
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.
