Top 10 Most Complimented Fragrances for 2024

I wear perfume every day, and I love trying new ones, using samples, blind buying (yes, guilty!), so I’ve tried and tested many different scents over the past year. Based on that, I’ve compiled my own list of the top 10 fragrances that got me the most compliments, and it includes both designer fragrances and niche perfumes. Keep in mind that since this list is based on personal experience, it’s only going to include perfumes that I have actually worn, so I have to warn that I actively avoid wearing sweet, fruity or light perfumes. If that is what you tend to like, you probably won’t your next perfume purchase on this list I’m afraid.

If you like scents that contain notes such as patchouli, oud, strong florals, tobacco, incense and leather, then this list might be worth your while. There are fragrances here that are more feminine and others that are more masculine. I like to wear perfumes for either gender and I don’t really believe that anyone should be bound by gender when it comes to perfume – just wear what you like.

I don’t have a favourite overall because the perfume I choose on the day really depends on my mood, so I’ve put these in reverse chronological order, starting with the perfume released most recently. Yes, this is the top 10 most complimented fragrances for 2024, but that doesn’t mean they have to be recent releases, so there are perfumes from 2022 all the way back to 2004. Sorry 2023, you didn’t get a mention!

I’ve also provided alternatives for each perfume just in case you already have it, are unable to buy it, or don’t quite like the sound of it but would like to try something similar. So, here goes:

Fort & Manlé – Bojnokopff

This perfume smells like pipe tobacco – I love the smell of pipe tobacco, so this is an easy choice as a favourite of mine. This list isn’t about my favourites though, it’s about perfumes that get me compliments, and this one sure does.

Bojnokopff has a Chocolate top note, heart notes of Lavender and Vanilla, and base notes of Cedarwood, Vetiver, Gaiac, and Oud Agarwood.

That inital tobacco scent fades away after about an hour and then the oud starts to comes through a bit more, but it’s not strong enough to be overpowering. Oud isn’t for everyone, and I’ve certainly had people comment rather negatively on the oud perfumes I’ve worn in the past, but not on this one. A few hours later the oud has started to fade a little, and the pipe tobacco smell is back, and it lasts for a good 12 hours – it’s a strong perfume, so don’t overspray.

If you’d like something that also smells of tobacco but is stronger on vanilla, I’d recommend Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille, though it might be too sweet for some. Top notes are Raspberry, Saffron, and Thyme, heart notes are Incense and Jasmine, base notes are Amber, Leather, and Woody Notes. This one is also strong – I have a funny story about this one.

I bought this one while on holiday in Berlin at a Tom Ford perfume stand after smelling lots of different perfumes (I also bought Tuscan Leather and I put Fucking Fabulous on my wishlist). The lady who helped me decide was really helpful and patient as I must’ve tried out half of the perfumes there, and when I was leaving she asked me if I’d like her to spray some Tobacco Vanille on me before I went. I said sure, why not? She sprayed me way too many times and I left the store reeking of perfume. I was done shopping so I needed to call an Uber to go back to where I was staying (I have no sense of direction so I was not about to attempt public transport alone). The driver arrived and as soon as I got in he started coughing, then not long after he opened his window and I just wanted the seat to swallow me whole. Yikes.

So yeah – don’t go wild with this perfume.

For something tobacco-based but lighter, try Maison Margiela’s Replica Jazz Club which is an Eau de Toilette rather than the above two Eaux de Parfum. I do like it, but I wouldn’t buy it for myself because I find it too light. Top notes are Lemon, Neroli, Pink Pepper, and Rum, the heart note is Sage, base notes are Resin, Tobacco, Vanilla, and Vetiver.

Christian Louboutin – Loubikiss

Loubikiss is the sort of perfume to wear out on a date, or to apply very carefully to wear to the office. Its top note is Jasmine, heart note is Tuberose, and base note is Musk, and its quite an overpowering scent, and pretty long lasting also.

The bottle comes with a decorative cap shaped like a calavera skull but there is a plain cap included in the box for travel use.

If you want a Tuberose and Musk perfume that is even stronger and more cloying than this one, I really like Miu Miu’s Fleur D’Argent (top note: Tuberose, heart note: Musk, base note: Akigalawood).

I’ve not tried it myself but White Spirit by Juliette Has A Gun is supposed to be quite similar too, so it could be worth sampling – it has top notes of Jasmine and Tuberose, heart notes of Tuberose and Ambroxan, and base notes of Amber, Cedarwood, Musk, and Sandalwood.

Guerlain – Patchouli Ardent

This perfume gets me compliments every single time I wear it, and it is definitely the longest lasting perfume I’ve ever used – I smell it on the clothes I’ve worn even after I’ve had them hung up for over a week after wearing them.

Patchouli Ardent has top notes of Fig, Pepper, and Pink Pepper, heart notes of Cedarwood, Patchouli, and Rose, and base notes of Leather and Musk.

It is very strong, and it does have a particular sweetness to it that is probably not for everyone.

There are two other really unique patchouli fragrances that I like a lot, both of them by Electimuss. The first is Persephone’s Patchouli which has top notes of Cardamom, Plum, and Pomegranate, heart notes of Jasmine, Patchouli, and Rose, and base notes of Cedarwood, Honey, Sandalwood, and Ambergris. It’s a rather similar fruity, floral, and patchouli mix like Patchouli Ardent but it doesn’t have that same sweet note that may bother you in the Guerlain scent.

The second perfume by Electimuss is Patchouli of the Underworld which has top notes of Mandarin, Pepper, and Pink Pepper, heart notes of Carnation, Leather, and Patchouli, and base notes of Labdanum, Styrax, and Castoreum.

It’s difficult for me to pick a favourite from all three, but if I had to it would be Patchouli of the Underworld.

Perris Monte Carlo – Tubéreuse Absolue

You can probably tell that I love tuberose perfumes – tuberose is one of my favourite notes, and definitely my favourite floral note. I wasn’t sure whether to put Tubéreuse Absolue on this list or Frédéric Malle’s Carnal Flower, as both have had good reactions from people when I wear them, but as the latter can be a bit overpowering, I decided on this one. (Top notes: Bergamot, Cardamom, Galbanum, Lavender; heart notes: Broom, Gardenia, Jasmine, Tuberose; base notes: Cedar, Musk, Orange Blossom, Vetiver).

If you are looking for something with a bit more tuberose to it, then Carnal Flower is definitely one to go for, and another of my favourite fragrances (top notes: Orange Blossom, Tuberose, Eucalyptus; heart notes: Coconut, Jasmine, Melon; base notes: Bergamot, Musk, Ylang Ylang). Fenwick have this handy 10mL size if you’d like to try it.

You might also want to give Robert Piguet’s Fracas a go if you’d like more floral notes included – I tried it and added it to my ever-growing wishlist!

Top notes are Bergamot, Green Notes, Hyacinth, Lilac, Mandarin, Orange Blossom, and Peach, heart notes are Carnation, Coriander, Gardenia, Geranium, Iris, Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Narcissus, Osmanthus, Rose, Tuberose, and Violet, and base notes are Amber, Cedarwood, Musk, Oakmoss, Sandalwood, and Vetiver.

Prada – La Femme L’Eau

Prada’s La Femme L’Eau perfume was released in 2017 but I only discovered it earlier this year on a trip to New York where a very patient and friendly lady at the Prada store on 5th Avenue helped me sample almost every perfume until I decided on this one (Thank you Lisa!). I fell in love with the Mandarin top note which is a nice contrast to the floral notes. The top notes are Frangipani and Mandarin, heart notes are Tuberose and Ylang Ylang, and the base notes are Woody Notes.

My only complaint about La Femme L’Eau is its lasting power compared to all the other fragrances on this list, but that’s understandable as it is an Eau de Toilette. I found that I had to respray after about 5 hours.

If you’d like something with a full set of citrus top notes, you could try Search by Amouage (top notes: Lemon, Lime, Mandarin; heart notes: Elemi, Incense, Pepper; base notes: Cade Oil, Vetiver, Woody Notes). This is a new fragrance from Amouage released in 2023 and I haven’t had the chance to sample it myself, but everything I’ve tried by Amouage has been amazing, so I’m looking forward to trying this one too.

You might have heard of Escentric Molecules, a brand which uses Iso E Super, a synthetic chemical created in the 1970s for use in fragrances. Their set of M+ perfumes combine Iso E Super with one other note, and if you’d like to focus on the Mandarin note that is so prominent in Prada’s La Femme L’Eau, you could try Molecule 01 + Mandarin, which contains only two notes: Iso E Super and Mandarin.

Vilhelm Parfumerie – The Oud Affair

I fell in love with The Oud Affair as soon as I tried it. It’s such a warm perfume, making it perfect for the winter, but my first test of it was on a 40°C day in August, and it was still a great match. Its scent reminded me of the fragrances kept in beautifully shaped bottles at my aunty’s house in the late ’80s. The Oud Affair has top notes of Ginger and Honey, a heart note of Tobacco (which I admit I never really picked up on too much), and base notes of Vanilla and Oud Agarwood. The vanilla comes through immediately, and the oud is never too strong, so if you’d like a perfume as your introduction to ouds, this would be the one, as long as you’re okay with something quite strong. It doesn’t have the animalic scent that ouds tends to have, rather it has the warmth from the honey and vanilla.

I’ve never smelt anything quite like The Oud Affair so I’ve searched for some perfumes with a combination of honey, vanilla and oud as those are the notes that stand out the most. I haven’t tried either of these recommendations but I am definitely looking at sampling them. The first is Shaghaf Oud Azraq from Swiss Arabian with top notes of Amber and Oud, heart notes of Honey and Oud, and base notes of Amber, Cinnamon, and Vanilla. I’m expecting this one to have more of that animalic smell of oud compared to The Oud Affair.

The next one that I’ve picked out is Honey Oud by Floris which has top notes of Bergamot and Honey, heart notes of Oud, Patchouli, and Rose, and base notes of Amber, Labdanum, Oud, Musk, and Vanilla.

Nasomatto – Narcotic V

Nasomatto’s Narcotic V, sometimes called Narcotic Venus, is actually quite light, and despite being an Extrait de Parfum, doesn’t really last all that long, maybe about six hours. I like to layer it over something else such as Rania J.’s Oud Assam for a bit more depth but if you like light florals, then you can just wear it alone.

There is a small metal cap in the box which you can use to replace the wooden one for travelling.

I must admit that Narcotic V was a blind buy, and while I do like it a lot (and it earns me plenty of compliments), it wasn’t exactly what I wanted as it’s a bit too light for my liking. I don’t have enough personal experience to recommend other light floral perfumes, but based off the notes, I’ve picked out two other perfumes that might be worth a try if you already own Narcotic V or if it’s not available to you.

Le Wild by Chantecaille has a Gardenia top note, heart notes of Gardenia, Jasmine, Lily, and Tuberose, and base notes of Ambergris, and Musk, so I’d imagine it would last longer and also be slightly stronger, while still being mainly floral and fresh.

Estée Lauder’s Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia should also be light as there aren’t any heavy base notes – top notes are Lilac, Neroli, and Rosewood, heart notes are Gardenia, Jasmine, Lily, Orange Blossom, and Tuberose, base notes are Carnation and Vanilla.

Tauer Perfumes – No 05 Incense Extrême

The projection of Incense Extrême is also extreme – I was sat at my desk at work and somebody opened the door that was about 8 feet away and immediately commented on my perfume, telling me how good it smelled. I said that it was an incense perfume and they said they hadn’t noticed that, so perhaps that particular note doesn’t project as much as the others. I had been wearing the perfume for about six hours at that point though, so it may have got to the dry-down stage at that point.

The top notes are Coriander and Petitgrain, heart notes are Incense and Orris Root, base notes are Cedar, Woody Notes, and Amber.

I have another two incense-based perfumes on my wishlist, both are them are men’s perfumes by Amouage, but I think they’re perfect for women to use, and like I mentioned above, I think anyone can use any perfume they like.

The first one is Interlude for men which has top notes of Bergamot, Pepper, and Pimento, heart notes of Amber, Incense, Labdanum, and Opoponax, and base notes of Leather, Oud, Patchouli, and Sandalwood.

There is an Interlude for women which is more of a chypre fragrance, and I thought the incense note was quite lost (top notes: Bergamot, Ginger, Grapefruit; heart notes: Coffee, Honey, Immortelle, Incense, Jasmine, Kiwi, Opoponax, Orange Blossom, Rose, Sandalwood; base notes: Amber, Benzoin, Leather, Musk, Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla).

There are a couple of other variants worth mentioning: Interlude Black Iris is made extra special with Rosemary in the top notes and the addition of Myrrh alongside Incense in the heart notes making the smell of incense more powerful overall.

Interlude 53 is marketed as a unisex perfume and features top notes of Bergamot, Pimento, and Oregano, heart notes of Amber, Incense, Labdanum, and Opoponax, and base notes of Leather, Patchouli, Sandalwood, and Oud. Another key difference is that this is an Extrait de Parfum making it more concentrated than the previous three – it is in fact 53% perfume oil concentration, making it even more potent than the average concentration of an Extrait de Parfum, which is usually 20-40%.

From all the Amouage Interlude variants, Black Iris is definitely my favourite.

Chanel – Allure Sensuelle

Chanel’s Allure Sensuelle has been one of my go-to fragrances for years, and I think it’s the forgotten sister to Chanel No5. It was in fact created by the same perfumer who developed the 1986 Chanel No5 Eau de Parfum, and they do share some similar notes, though I think Allure Sensuelle is extra special, and I much prefer it. If there is a Chanel display in the shop, Allure Sensuelle tends to be hidden away on the bottom shelf, lonely and forgotten!

Top notes are Bergamot, Mandarin, Patchouli, Peach, and Pink Pepper, heart notes are Dried Fruits, Iris, Jasmine, and Rose, base notes are Amber, Labdanum, Lavender, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Spicy Notes, Vanilla, and Vetiver.

An obvious alternative is Jacques Polge’s Chanel No5 (top notes: Aldehyde, Bergamot, Neroli, Peach, Ylang Ylang; heart notes: Iris, Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Rose; base notes: Oakmoss, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Vetiver).

For something else to try there is Koeptys by Nejma which I’ve had recommended as something similar, though I still need to test it to find out. It does sound interesting though – top notes are Bergamot and Pink Pepper, heart notes are Jasmine and Sandalwood, base notes are Patchouli and Vanilla.

Hermès – Hermessence Ambre Narguilé

Last one on the list, though certainly one of the fragrances here to get me the most compliments, is Ambre Narguilé by Hermès. This is one of those everlasting perfumes that you don’t want to spray too liberally. Top notes are Benzoin, Honey, Labdanum, and Vanilla, heart notes are Caramel, Cinnamon, Orchid, Rum, and Tonka Bean, base notes are Coumarin, Musk, and Tobacco.

I love how warm this perfume is, and it’s perfect for winter, though don’t let that stop you from wearing it all year round. It’s not as warm and powerful as The Oud Affair though, so if you’ve tried that one and want something a step lighter, Ambre Narguilé is a good fragrance to try.

I haven’t personally smelled anything quite like Ambre Narguilé, so I’m going off online recommendations here. The first is Dates Delight by The House of Oud. If you haven’t heard of The House of Oud, they have the most beautiful bottles, and I really want to start collecting them.

Dates Delight has top notes of Date and Peony, heart notes of Caramel, Cinnamon, Coumarin, and Tonka Bean, and base notes of Benzoin, Honey, Labdanum, Oud, and Sugar.

The next recommendation I have is Close Up by Olfactive Studio (top notes: Cherry, Coffee, Spicy Notes; heart notes: Cedarwood, Patchouli, Rose, Tobacco; base notes: Amber, Musk, Tonka Bean).

I think it’s worth testing if only for the one review I found that says it smells like an ‘old granny trunk’!

I hope within this list of the top 10 most complimented fragrances for 2024 you’ve found something that you like, either from the original 10 or any of the related suggestions. I’ve tried to include shopping links in as many currencies as I could to help you track down your perfect fragrance.

The featured image is by Marie Dashkova/Scop.io.