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12 best expensive perfumes for women, tried and tested
Yes, Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait de Parfum is worth £350, IMO.
I may be known to buy bottom-shelf wine and stack every single discount to save money on a pair of jeans, but you will never catch me skimping on my fragrance. Sure, there are plenty of beloved cheap perfumes out there, but I'm partial to expensive perfumes since many are filled with unique notes, curated by top-tier noses, and housed in the most stunning bottles and packaging. And there's also the fact that smelling like a rich and famous person is just way too fun.
But not all expensive perfumes are worth their price tag IMO, which is why I rounded up the 15 best expensive perfumes for women of 2024. This list is the result of hours and hours of researching, spritzing, and sniffing, so trust me when I say each one is actually worth the high cost, featuring major staying power and sillage. Here are my top faves:
Our top picks for expensive perfume in 2024:
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TikTok's Favorite Expensive Perfume
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait de Parfum, 70ml
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Keep scrolling for all of my top picks, including options from Krigler, Victoria Beckham, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Dior, and more. Don't hate me if you fall in love!
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait de Parfum, 70ml
Okay, so TikTokers are legit obsessed with the O.G. Baccarat Rouge 540. And listen, I get it—it's so fresh and bubbly and sweet. But if I'm spending my cash on an expensive perfume, I'm opting for the extrait version instead. This one has a way stronger projection and lasting power while still giving off the same vibes. My nose just picks this one up a bit more, which is exactly what I want when I'm dropping my hard-earned cash on a scent.
Key notes: Jasmine, saffron, cedarwood, ambergris
Glowing customer review: "This fragrance is timeless and very elegant. It’s a perfect unisex fragrance. You’ll be getting lots of compliments from people as you’re walking around. I never get tired of hearing that I smell like money."
Parfums de Marly Delina Exclusif Eau de Parfum, 75ml
Is this perfume made of angel dust? I'm convinced! The original Delina is very fresh and quaint, while this intense version has a fruitiness that makes it so much brighter. But it's still a bit sophisticated and warm, thanks to vetiver and incense. TBH, it's what I spray when I'm trying to cosplay as someone who has their shit together.
Key notes: Rose, pear, lychee, grapefruit, incense, vetiver
Glowing customer review: "You instantly smell expensive with this one; it is not overpowering. It’s familiar yet you don’t know why?!? It lasts a fair amount on skin (6-8 hrs)and days on a garment. Delina smells like someone put together and beautiful."
Kilian Angels' Share
This is basically the fragrance equivalent of sipping on a whiskey by a fireplace with your ~lover~ (not like I have experience in that or anything). The boozy cognac is immediate and so rich, but the sweet and woodsy notes of vanilla, praline, oak, and sandalwood make it smell so cosy and warm. Not to mention, the bottle, inspired by a fancy rocks whiskey glass, makes this look like a decor piece on your vanity.
Key notes: Cognac, tonka bean, cinnamon, praline, vanilla
Glowing customer review: "It’s the perfect amount of subtle sweet cinnamon + a smokey wood smell. I was nervous at first about buying a perfume online before trying it out, but I went with my gut and trusted all the five-star reviews!!"
Vilhelm Parfumerie Room Service Eau de Parfum 100ml
Inspired by Greta Garbo's hotel room at the iconic Carlyle Hotel in NYC, this perfume is as luxurious as it gets. I picture silk robes, velvet curtains, clawfoot tubs, and overflowing glasses of champagne when I spritz on this sweet, floral perfume. It's filled with bold florals that get a bit sweeter with the addition of blackberry and musk, while sandalwood adds an earthy element that has a real "golden age of Hollywood" vibe.
Key notes: Blackberry, orchid, violet, musk, sandalwood
Glowing customer review: "As soon as spritzed this perfume, I felt as glamorous and chic as Victoria Beckham. Not a mystery as to why Victoria uses this scent as often as she does. It is so refreshing and light it instantly makes me feel feminine with the burst of floral."
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady Eau De Parfum
This is the most classic, essential take on rose perfume, but that's why it's so good. It's exactly what you'd picture a starlet would spritz on before walking a red carpet in a couture gown. The heady patchouli and incense give this otherwise fresh, floral a bit of edge and ~sexiness~. And it's a beast—one spritz and they'll smell ya down the hall.
Key notes: Rose, red fruits, cinnamon, incense, patchouli
Glowing customer review: "Some may get discouraged by cost, as I was first time I bought. However, a little goes a long way; pretty much used daily and this bottle lasted a good 8.5 months! Plus, the compliments from strangers... can’t put a dollar sign on the added ego-booster!"
Victoria Beckham Beauty Portofino '97 eau de parfum
A new celebrity perfume launches nearly every other week, so it's hard to truly impress me. But I brought an itsy-bitsy sample of Portofino to try on a five-day trip to Punta Cana a few weeks ago, and literally needed a full size by the second day because it was the only scent I wanted to wear.
The mix of citrus, spice, and woods smells exactly how I imagine an Italian summer holiday with David and Victoria would smell. (If y'all are interested in a throuple, HMU!) P.S. You can get a discovery set with samples of all three perfumes from Victoria Beckham if you're not sure which is your vibe.
Key notes: Calabrian bergamot, black pepper, amber, patchouli
Glowing customer review: "This is a lovely perfume and it lasts well. I would certainly buy this again and do hope that it will remain available. Delighted with it."
D.S. & Durga I Don't Know What Eau de Parfum 50ml
A quick spritz of this layering perfume makes all of my perfumes smell expensive. It essentially distills that whole ~je ne sais quoi~ essence all rich-smelling perfumes have without totally overtaking the fragrance you pair it with. The notes are largely a mix of skin-like notes (see: iso e super, civettone, and ambrox super), giving it a musky warmth.
Key notes: Iso E super, bergamot, civettone, ambrox super, vetiver
Glowing customer review: "Oh yum. So gentle, so fresh, so light, so yum. I love this. Just the right balance of clean/spice/fresh/just enough something to not be nothing. I will wear it alone and can't wait to layer under…. all kinds of things."
Louis Vuitton City Of Stars
Forget old Hollywood, City of Stars is all about the California-cool, beachy vibes of SoCal. It's filled with citrus (hi, lime, blood orange, lemon, and bergamot) but balanced with musk and powdery notes to make it a little more grounded. I wouldn't normally think to wear citrus perfume at night, but this one is a favorite for date nights for me.
Key notes: Blood orange, lemon, lime, bergamot, musk, powdery notes, tiare flower
Glowing customer review: "I absolutely can’t get enough of City of Stars. It’s probably *one* of the best citrus fragrances I’ve ever come across. I love how well balanced the citrus notes are with the tiare and create this beautiful, slightly tropical, dreamy and clean scent."
Tom Ford Soleil Brulant Eau de Parfum 100ml
If you love the other perfumes in this collection from Tom Ford (ahem, Soleil Neige and Soleil Blanc), you'll understand this DNA. It's beachy, sun-tan lotion vibes, but Soleil Brulant has a much more sophisticated and warm base. It's my go-to perfume for a night out on a beach holiday (I have so many perfumes that I can get weirdly specific about the locations in which I wear them, okay?!). It's definitely a nighttime perfume—shout-out to woody notes, vetiver, amber, and leather—but has a brightness that's still so tropical.
Key notes: Mandarin orange, orange blossom, amber, leather
Glowing customer review: "Literally smells like summer...just a luxurious one. Luxurious summer in a bottle."
I love a foodie gourmand, and Chocolate Greedy is that, but like, fancy. The chocolate note is very realistic and smooth, especially since it's combined with vanilla, tonka bean, and coffee. It's so rich and warm, but not cloying or sickly, IMO. Plus, the performance is legit, lasting longer than 12 hours on my skin without reapplying. And if I spritz it on clothes? I'm smelling like chocolate for weeks, and I'm not complaining.
Key notes: Cacoa, vanilla, tonka bean, bitter orange, coffee
Glowing customer review: "OMG! This is straight chocolate decadence. It smells like a cup of gourmet hot chocolate. I love this. One of the best from Montale. I see why this is a fave in the fragrance community. This is just cuddles in a bottle."
Some vanilla perfumes can smell plasticy, cloying, or cheap. But Dior would never. Vanilla Diorama is my most grown-up vanilla perfume, filled with boozy notes like bourbon and rum and earthy additions with patchouli and sandalwood. The orange and pink pepper notes also pair perfectly, making it smell like a delicious cocktail.
Key notes: Bourbon vanilla, rum, patchouli, orange, pink pepper, sandalwood
Glowing customer review: "It smells unreal and I’ve gotten compliments on it since I bought it. The packaging arrived beautifully and everything was in perfect order! I would definitely say it’s more of an autumn scent, and it definitely has a more mature tone to it."
I just have this idea in my brain that Jacob Elordi smells like Bibliothèque from Byredo. It's entirely his vibe: expensive, velvet-y, smooth, deep, and smart. The floral is warm, not powdery, especially when paired with the earthy patchouli and sweet vanilla. Brb, wrapping myself up in a blanket smelling like Jacob Elordi because I can!
Key notes: Plum, patchouli, vanilla, violet
Glowing customer review: "This is my favourite perfume I have ever owned. It’s like the sexiest cross between a beautiful sweet floral scent and brand-new leather-bound books. It’s definitely there and stays with you but still manages to not be overpowering. I get so many compliments on it. Like a crazy amount."
How to choose the best expensive perfume:
Assess your budget.
Not all expensive perfumes are the same level of expensive, okay?! The lower-priced perfumes on this list, like Kilian Angels' Share and Byredo Bibliothèque, come in around or less than £200, which is a pretty penny, but not entirely out of the realm for something you'll legit spray on every single day.
However, if you've got more cash to spend, you might consider taking things up a notch with an extrait de parfum, which definitely costs more but has more longevity and intensity.
Determine your go-to scent family.
If you're going to spend a large amount of £££ on an expensive perfume, you should prob make sure it's a scent family that you'll wear all the time.
Gourmands and vanilla-heavy perfumes are great for those who like to smell edible and sweet, while something with lots of patchouli and sandalwood is great for a more intense, "masculine" vibe. Or you can try a fresh perfume, with aldehyde and "fresh laundry" notes or a host of florals. It's all down to personal preference but will make a big difference in getting your money's worth.
Why trust ‘Cosmopolitan’?
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with five years of experience researching, writing, and editing fragrance stories that range from Chanel perfumes to 2024 perfume trends. She’s an authority in all perfume categories, but she's tested nearly a hundred expensive 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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