Most of us are familiar with the butterflies involved before a first date.
Nerves may be normal, but they can be hard to bat away, especially if you really like this person. Your mind is likely to whirr with a conveyor belt of questions: Will you like each other? What if there’s no common ground? What if you can’t think of anything to say and it’s just hours of awkward silence? Wait - what if they’re The One?
While the answers before the meeting are simply unknowable, there are some things within your sphere of control.
While you may have spent more time than you’d like your boss to know shortlisting date venues and choosing the perfect, not-too-try-hard outfit, your pick of fragrance matters just as much.
Scent is a powerful part of attraction between would-be partners. While natural pheromones are a big part of this, spritzing the right bottle could not only enhance your biological aroma, but boost your confidence and express your personality too - all before you’ve even said a word.
The challenge? Knowing which fragrance will hit the right notes.
Luckily, research for The Perfume Shop offers some guidance. The fragrance retailer polled 2000 participants on the sexiest smells and the results were wide-ranging, with vanilla and fresh laundry coming out top but petrol, fried bacon and new shoes also unexpectedly in the mix.
What are the top ten sexiest smells?
According to the research, the following are the most attractive scents:
- Vanilla – 28%
- Fresh sheets – 24%
- Dark chocolate – 17%
- Fresh laundry – 17%
- Rose – 17%
- Sandalwood – 16%
- Jasmine – 16%
- Suntan lotion – 15%
- Lavender – 14%
- Musk – 14%
Looking at this list, it’s clear that comforting and familiar scents like vanilla, rose and jasmine are the way to make a great first impression. Suntan lotion feels like the outlier, but when you consider the excitement and R&R of a great beach break, it’s not hard to see why whiffs of something similar would be appealing.
If you’re looking for a first-date fragrance to help you knock their socks off, we’ve taken The Perfume Shop’s research as gospel and picked the best options to buy right now.
From exotic vanillas to amber EDPs thrumming with hints of sandalwood and spritz that smell like sheets drying in a wildflower meadow, shop our curation below.
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Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey
A long-running favourite here at ES Best, many of Jo Malone’s colognes come in 30ml sizes, making them ideal for keeping in your clutch for on-the-go spritzes.
This is our pick of the bunch, filled with nectarine, peach and cassis notes, but with a freshness that stops it from feeling cloying or overpowering. Acacia honey is also present, adding a warming note.
A comforting and bright combination.
Buy now £55.00, Jo Malone
Issey Miyake Solar Violet EDT
If you like clean, fresh scents, Issey Miyake's Solar Violet won't fail to delight. The EDT sparkles with juicy hints of pear and iris smelling like they've been picked in warm sunshine. It's a lot like the long-discontinued CLEAN Classic Fresh Laundry with a subtle floral edge.
Buy now £64.64, The Perfume Shop
Laura Mercier Vanille Eau de Parfum 50ml
If you’ve ever caught a whiff of the typically sold-out Body & Bath Ambre Vanillé Honey Bath, you’ll know just how addictive the aroma truly is. The rich scent combines vanilla orchid, vanilla musk and bourbon vanilla and is deep, decadent and comforting. It may be overpowering if not for the floral notes of heliotrope and daylily and anchor of sandalwood and amber at the base.
Buy now £72.50, lookfantastic
D.S. & Durga Deep Dark Vanilla
D.S. & Durga is a fragrance house like no other with the founders’ unique, self-taught approach to fragrance formulation so you can be sure that its vanilla aroma doesn’t follow suit either. The versatile aroma calls on real vanilla to provide its gourmand, almost edible scent composition.
Not only is it genderless but its notes of cabreuva, orchid and pink pepper combined with vines, green vanilla leaves and cypress root can be layered up for day or night alike. The base of hay, dark patchouli and vanilla absolute eschews the sweet stereotype of vanilla with a smoky twist that is green when it dries down.
Buy now £155.00, Space NK
Chanel N°5 Eau de Parfum Spray 35ml
Chanel’s N°5 is oft dubbed “the very essence of femininity”. The iconic aroma is defined by its powdery floral bouquet aroma that has stood the test of time. Not your typical vanilla aroma, it centres around May Rose and jasmine with a zesty citrus opening. But once it settles on the skin, what remains is a deep, smooth and sensual vanilla trail that lasts. The flacon is almost as instantly recognisable as the aroma itself with its minimal, square glass exterior.
Was: £75
Buy now £63.75, Boots
Merit Retrospect Extrait de Parfum
Two years in the making, Merit wanted to perfect its opening gambit into fragrance, taking a meticulous approach to its formulation. Retrospect comes after 200 rounds of development and the results have paid off. It is a rich and enveloping aroma that evolves with wear.
The complex sense starts with notes of ambrette, pear, and bergamot, developing into a heart of jasmine, rose, rosemary, violet, and orris, finishing with a base of vanilla, musk and moss.
The result is clean yet somehow rich too where the floral centre develops with a warming finish. In testing, 86 per cent agree they can still smell the fragrance on their skin after 12 hours of wear.
Buy now £79.00, Merit
Glossier You
2024 was a big year for Glossier and its considerable fan base. The brand expanded its beloved You fragrance collection to include two new entrants. The original blend is joined by Rêve, a rich gourmand, and Doux, a soft woody composition, all in date bag-ready size.
Subtle and slightly sweet, we haven’t met a single person who doesn’t fall for You’s skin-scent enhancing charms.
Buy now £62.00, Glossier
Sunspel Oak Wood
The marketing spiel deems this fragrance the ‘white t-shirt of fragrances’, meaning it's a staple in your collection. Indeed it is ideal for everyday wear with a clean scent that, thanks to oak moss and sandalwood, evokes memories of strolling in the British countryside when the weather is onside.
Florals pop up like wildflowers in a meadow: bergamot, neroli, chamomile and angelica seed, while the base carries a spicy finish from amber and frankincense notes.
If you like smelling clean and wholesome with a twist, add this to your basket immediately.
Buy now £80.00, Sunspel
PHLUR Somebody Wood Eau De Parfum
The colour of deep honey, Somebody Wood is as comforting as it looks. PHLUR has made something perfect for cosying up with on frightful autumn and winter nights with a strong but never overpowering EDP. Top notes include grey cloud-zapping bursts of bergamot and lemon, before a heart of jasmine, saffron and cyclamen reveals itself. The base thrums with a medley of warming woods: sandalwood, musk, moss and cedarwood with vanilla and amber for warmth.
Buy now £99.00, Space NK
CK One
CK One was an immediate bestseller as soon as it came to market in 1994.
Just 10 days after it was unveiled, it has already generated sales of $5 million with one sold every 20 seconds, according to reports. This genderless fragrance is defined as a citrus aromatic chypre with a lengthy ingredient list that may give the impression of a sensory overload but is universally beloved – hence the messaging “One for all” that dominated the ads.
The composition of possibly contradicting notes is the point. This was not designed to be overpowering, but instead be an unassuming aroma. It has top notes of pineapple, mandarin orange, papaya, bergamot, cardamom and lemon. This is set alongside nutmeg, violet, orris root, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and rose and a base of sandalwood, amber, musk, cedar and oakmoss.
Buy now £28.00, Amazon
Jo Malone London Taif Rose Cologne Intense
A rose scent with a twist, Jo Malone’s latest fragrance will transport you to Saudi Arabia’s Taif mountains where roses bloom in the desert setting. Far from powdery, the sweet scent has been infused with coffee and amber to give complexity.
Buy now £112.00, Jo Malone London
Jo Loves Black Cashmeran & Tonka
Comforting scents suit the colder months and Jo Loves’ Black Cashmeran & Tonka can only be described as warming and comforting. It falls into the gourmand family with rich notes of ginger, tonka and cashmeran. The spicy opening elements blend with the warming named ingredients to give a dynamic, deep scent with sensual allure.
Buy now £150.00, Jo Loves
