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While Y2K style has made a widely celebrated comeback (25 years later, so right on vintage schedule), the most popular perfumes of times gone by still have a lot to say. There’s a quarter of a century of beauty history to reflect on, and while you may not be excited about the resurgence of emo-ish side bangs or skinny brows, how about one of the era’s most iconic scents?
“Perfumes in the ’90s were huge in the same way supermodels were huge, and designers were huge, and personalities were huge,” says beauty editor Jean Godfrey-June. But with the strike of midnight on December 31 1999—a beauty revolution was coming. “The 2000s were all about democracy.”
She cites the then-revolutionary Lucky Magazine, which she helped start, as being leading this wave. “We showed the prices for everything just like in a catalog, told everybody where to buy stuff, and the industry was horrified.” These days, Godfrey-June’s still working toward the same mission—while smelling like the clean fragrance brand Maison Louis Marie’s No. 9. “It reads as sophisticated and together—if I need that—and intriguingly French and sexy, if that’s the vibe,” she says. “The chic bottle is secretly a rollerball, and the scent is actually an oil, so it feels so nice on your skin and lasts a long time. I even use it on my hair in a pinch to give a little gorgeously scented shine.”
Vogue writer Genevieve Monsma (who reflected on the return of vanilla scents) cited the intense Christian Dior Hypnotic Poison as her signature scent of the ’90s, but when the 2000s, there was a vibe shift in the fragrance world. “I wore Stella by Stella McCartney, which came out when my son was born in 2003. It had a cool girl vibe. In my mind, it was the fragrance version of a smoky eye, lowrise jeans, and a Balenciaga moto bag.” Sadly, Stella was discontinued in 2011, but of course, Reddit has suggestions on a replacement.
We all know that scent has the power to transport us to another time or place with a single sniff—like the halls of our high school, the beauty counter at a department store, a first date. Below, Vogue explore each of the first 25 years of this century and the most popular perfumes that were borne from it. The nostalgia—and selection to sniff—is up to you.
2000
The beginning of the 2000s ushered in a new category of beauty products: body splashes. At the forefront of this movement was Victoria’s Secret’s Love Spell—the lilac juice scented many high school hallways. And the original fruity-floral formula still lives on—notes of peach, apple, and cherry blossom make this an ultra-bold scent even today—with model Devyn Garcia as the face.
2001
Famed perfumer Olivier Cresp was tasked by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana (aka Dolce Gabbana) to capture the essence of Capri in a bottle—and Light Blue was born. He started with a note of lemon, inspired by the fruit that grows across the island (and is used in the signature drink, Limoncello), and from there he added green apple, musk, and cedarwood. Throw in a sexy advertisement campaign and it became an instant classic.
2002
The launch of this iconic scent, which was inspired by Coco Chanel’s famous “I was given a chance and I took it” quote, was revealed in Vogue’s 2002 September issue. Russian-American model Anne Vyalitsyna was the face of the first campaign, where she dangled from a giant circular bottle filled with jasmine and amber patchouli juice. Today, it remains among the most popular perfumes.
2003
Created by perfume greats Christine Nagel and Francis Kurkdjian, Narciso Rodriguez For Her was symbolic of everything the ’00s fashion brand stood for: Minimalist and complex femininity. The blend of rose, peach, amber, and patchouli—all housed in a millennial pink bottle years before the color’s inescapable cultural ubiquity—has stood the test of time.
2004
Before the golden age of celebrity scents (that came later, in the 2010s), there was Curious by Britney Spears. And while this scent was a favorite of my high school bullies—I have flashbacks anytime I smell a note of juicy green pear—its charm is undeniable. Notes of powerful white flowers like magnolia, jasmine, and tuberose, combined with the aforementioned pear, vanilla, and sandalwood are magnetic. It’s something that even Dua Lipa told Vogue in 2019 that she, too, found irresistible.
2005
Allegedly worn by both Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift during the start of their careers, Viktor Rolf Flowerbomb is aptly named—it’s meant to emulate a bouquet of 1,000 flowers. The four perfumers behind the original scent focused on floral notes (jasmine, orange blossom, rose, and cattleya) to get the explosion just right.
2006
A tie for the most iconic fragrance of 2006. In one corner, we have Tom Ford’s Black Orchid. Legend has it that the notoriously specific designer couldn’t find a black orchid with petals dark enough to please him, so he bred one with a California horticulturist—and both the Tom Ford orchid and this perfume were born.
In the other corner, we have Versace’s Bright Crystal. Created for Donatella herself to wear, this fresh-floral scent captures the bright vibrancy of partying in the early aughts perfectly—notes include yuzu, pomegranate, and a note meant to smell like ice. This year, the scent was reimagined into handbags, shoes, bracelets, and more.
2007
The power of Marc Jacobs’s Daisy is two-fold: it’s an iconic coming-of-age scent (powder-fresh notes of strawberry, jasmine, and violet hit perfectly for every youth and young at heart) and the campaigns serve as a crystal ball for the next It Girl. It’s also the 15th most popular fragrance in the world.
It’s a well-documented fact that Rihanna smells incredible. And before she created her own eau du Fenty (more on that below), it’s rumored she wore the uber-lush Kilian’s Love Don’t Be Shy. It’s the marshmallow accord—bookended by honeysuckle and rose—that makes this pink juice smell so enchanting.
2008
It makes sense that this light and airy fragrance is the signature scent of Boho style patron saint Sienna Miller. Gypsy Water (which is an ode to Romani culture), is a blend of pine needles, sandalwood, deep amber, and bright citrus. Somehow, that combination isn’t heavy.
2009
In the year after the recession, lipstick was the beauty luxury most reached for (cue the “lipstick index”), not fragrance.
2010
At first sniff, Frédéric Malle’s floral-forward Portrait of a Lady feels like it’d be worn by the women of John Singer Sargent paintings—but as the fragrance evolves, modern touches emerge. The hero note of rose is quite loud (decidedly unladylike, traditionalists may say), though we like to think modern roses are big and bold. After all, it’s a favorite of Madonna.
2011
Described by writer Maya Singer as “omnipresent at hipsterish boutique hotels and concept stores that stock both Sally Rooney’s Normal People and a broad selection of clogs” in Vogue’s May 2020 issue, Le Labo’s Santal 33 was the scent of Manhattan in the late aughts. Inspired by the Marlboro man (think notes of cardamom, iris, and violet that combine together to give leather, tobacco, and campfire smoke) it’s been oft-duped, though none can replicate the exact magic.
2012
Inspired by the brand’s French roots, Lancôme s La Vie Est Belle (which translates to “life is beautiful”) is all about the sweet things—and that’s why it’s a gourmand perfume. Fruits like fig and black currant make the scent feel juicy, while powdery iris flower balances it out—making it warm and sweet.
2013
Designer Giorgio Armani describes his approach to fragrances as “a presence in abstraction.” Take the early 2010s Armani Sì—sexy and sophisticated with a warm vanilla-base approach, it encapsulates mystique. Formulated by the aforementioned perfuming legend Christine Nagel, Sì has evolved into a dynasty of Sì scents: Sì Intense in 2014, 2019’s Sì Fiori, and Sì Passione in 2022. But it’s the the unusual combination of blackcurrant nectar, blond wood, and rose that made Armani Sì a signature scent of the 2010s.
2014
All the cool girls are wearing this mineral scent. Created by Christine Nagel once again, Jo Malone’s Wood Sage Sea Salt is loved by celebrities like Sofia Richie Grainge and Meghan Markle, making it the scent of the clean and contemporary aesthetic.
2015
The juice inside the Dior Sauvage midnight-blue ombré bottle is meant to capture the essence of French masculinity in the eyes and nose of perfumer François Demachy: Three types of pepper, lavender, cedar, patchouli, and geranium. It’s been called the best-selling men’s fragrance in the world, and according to the house, one bottle sells every three seconds.
2016
Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540 was inspired by the idea of what pristine glass—think a cold, polished crystal champagne flute from Baccarat, which cost $360 a pair—smells like. Essentially, Kurkdjian bottled the essence of expensive. It’s been complimented by the famously incredible-smelling Rihanna, raved about on TikTok, and worn by practically everybody (including Kacey Musgraves and about half of the Vogue office) since.
2017
How would you describe…well, You? Simply, a phenomenon. When brand founder Emily Weiss revealed the scent with a story in the October 2017 issue of Vogue, she was bringing one of the first evolving skin scents to the market. Since then, Glossier has added three more fragrances to its collection, but nothing compares to You.
Then came the effervescent Delina, the crown jewel scent from the wildly popular Parfums de Marly. Inside the pretty pink bottle is a blend of Turkish rose, lily of the valley, peony, nutmeg, and bergamot, yielding a sexy-floral scent. Surprisingly, it’s Snoop Dogg’s signature scent.
2018
Inspired by brand founder Carolina Herrera de Báez’s quote, “give a girl the right shoe and she can conquer the world,” this scent has one of the most recognizable bottles out there. Inside, the juice is equally signature—a blend of white florals like tuberose and jasmine with warm tonka bean—and Idealo says it’s the ninth most popular fragrance in the world.
2019
Lavender, orange blossom, vanilla, and musk—all popular notes singularly—come together into a fragrance that makes YSL Libre (or “free”) into something special. The YSL-branded bottle (along with the ultra-cool face of the scent, Dua Lipa) makes the independence associated with the scent invigorating.
2020
Presented without irony—hand sanitizer was the scent of 2020.
2021
When the fantastic-smelling Rihanna launched her own fragrance, Fenty Eau de Parfum, we didn t hold our breath—no, we took a step closer and breathed deep. Meant to embody Ri herself—strong and soft—there’s magnolia (what she calls the star note), along with rose, tangerine, and patchouli.
Also in 2021: Worn by cool-kid musician Phoebe Bridgers, Diptyque’s Orpheon is an if-you-know-you-know scent inspired by a jazz club.
2022
When Chriselle Lim’s revamped Phlur dropped its first fragrance, Missing Person, the brand created a phenomenon around storytelling and scent. Not only was the intimate, highly-layerable skin scent different than a lot of the other fragrances filling the market, but it also used the notes of musk, bergamot, and light wood to tell a tale many people could relate to—one of personal loss, transformation, and rebuilding.
2023
In the year of the vanilla renaissance, Burberry’s Goddess emerged. The quadruple vanilla scent (with a touch of lavender) is all about the gourmand experience—but it’s the different types of vanilla, from smoky wood to rich bean, that make this juice feel complex and rich.
2024
Loved by Vogue staffers and hypebeasts alike, this solar scent was Pharrell Williams’s first crack at perfumery in collaboration with in-house nose Jacques Cavallier Belletrud. It’s meant to represent sunlight—something much needed in a vitamin D-deficient era—with energetic notes of ginger and resin.
