9 Best Affordable Perfumes in 2024 That Allure Editors Adore | Tested & Reviewed

Like many items in our beauty stash, we think of our fragrances as investment pieces. But, as the best affordable perfumes have taught us, finding a signature scent doesn’t have to be pricey—in fact, most Allure editors swear by fragrances that won’t even set you back more than $65. Don’t get us wrong, our love for luxury fragrances (hi, Tom Ford) runs deep, but if there’s one lesson our team has learned through countless hours of testing scents, quality and price do not always go hand-in-hand.

Our Top Picks

• Best Affordable Perfume Overall: Nest New York Balinese Coconut Perfume Oil, $35
• Best Gourmand Fragrance: Phlur Heavy Cream Body Mist, $38
• Best Vanilla Fragrance: Snif Vanilla Vice Eau de Toilette, $65
• Best Fruity Fragrance: Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 48 Perfume Mist, $38
• Best Warm Fragrance: Bath & Body Works Into the Night Fine Fragrance Mist, $19
• Best Spicy Fragrance: Dossier Ambery Saffron Eau de Parfum, $49
• Best Aquatic Fragrance: Fine’ry Before the Rainbow Eau de Parfum, $37
• Best Travel-Friendly Fragrance: Glossier You Solid Fragrance, $35
• Best Perfume Oil: Malin + Goetz Strawberry Perfume Oil, $36

Take a look (and, maybe, a whiff) at all the Allure editor-approved affordable fragrances that prove smelling good doesn’t have to drain your bank account.

Best Affordable Perfume Overall: Nest New York Balinese Coconut Perfume Oil

Why it’s worth it: Whether solar perfumes are typically your thing or not, we’re convinced you’ll love Nest New York’s Balinese Coconut Perfume Oil. This tropics-inspired scent is one of Nest New York’s best sellers for its aromatic blend of fresh, creamy coconut, warm and savory salted musk, and floral frangipani. All the aromatics are suspended in a baobab oil base that moisturizes skin while promoting the fragrance to last longer. This rollerball version is less than half the price of its larger bottle and is easier to apply since it doesn’t leak as easily.

Tester feedback: “Until I am actually lounging on the beach in Bali (yes, I’m manifesting), I’ll be gliding this luxe Nest New York Balinese Coconut Perfume Oil (infused with notes of coconut and musk) over my pulse points,” says senior beauty editor Paige Stables. “It leaves behind the most luxurious tropical scent that immediately awakens my senses…almost as if I were on vacation.”

Key notes: coconut, frangipani, milk, Tahitian gardenia, salted musk

Best Gourmand Fragrance: Phlur Heavy Cream Body Mist

Why it’s worth it: Got a sweet tooth? Even if you don’t we bet you’ll develop a craving for Phlur’s Heavy Cream Body Mist. This gourmand body mist flips the script on the usual bake shop-inspired fragrance by adding two juicy, citrusy notes—lemon sugar and orange—into the mix. As it dries down, you’ll sniff a lineup of delectable notes like coconut, vanilla mousse, salted caramel, and whipped cream.

Tester feedback: “Judging by the name alone, I didn’t think I would like Heavy Cream—I’m not a gourmand girl and typically go for lighter, brighter scents,” says commerce editor Sarah Han. “But! Heavy Cream is the perfect dessert-y scent that I don’t find too overwhelming—it’s like a bite of fluffy vanilla cake in scent form or the caramel latte I make at home every morning. And I love the hint of citrus I get as it settles into my skin, courtesy of a lemon sugar top note. Scrumptious.”

Key notes: lemon sugar, marshmallow, orange, jasmine, coconut, vanilla, vegan ambrettolide (synthetic musk), vanilla mousse, salted caramel, whipped cream

Best Vanilla Fragrance: Snif Vanilla Vice Eau de Toilette

Why it’s worth it: We know, vanilla perfumes are everywhere right now, but Snif’s Vanilla Vice Eau de Toilette stands out from the rest for its balanced play on the trending note’s warm and sweet traits. On paper (screen?), this fragrance sounds like something that crawled out of a Carvel—it’s inspired by vanilla ice cream, after all—but it’s surprisingly subtle in terms of sugariness. Along with hints of vanilla ice cream, you’ll notice its warmer, spicier cousin, Madagascar vanilla. Its sweet, sugary notes are cushioned with a trio of warm amberwood, orcanox (a synthetic form of ambergris), and musk.

Tester feedback: “I’m a sucker for a warm vanilla scent and this gourmand fragrance from Snif is my newest favorite,” says associate editor Annie Blay. “It has just the right amount of vanilla but doesn’t veer into sugary territory—not to mention it’s perfect for layering!”

Key notes: vanilla ice cream, Madagascar vanilla, jasmine, amberwood, orcanox (synthetic amber), musk

Best Fruity Fragrance: Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 48 Perfume Mist

Why it’s worth it: If smelling like a fresh bowl of fruit is more your thing, you’ll enjoy every spritz of Sol de Janeiro’s Cheirosa 48 Perfume Mist. This TikTok-viral hit has taken over just about every beauty vlogger’s fragrance rotation for its juicy, tropical fruit-inspired mix of guava nectar, coconut water, and lemon. Its ultra-fruity scent profile is balanced with hints of floral orchid, iris root (also known as orris), and musk.

Tester feedback: “I will forever and always be a gourmand girl, but the Cheirosa 48 Perfume Mist has pulled me into the fruity fragrance category this summer,” says social director Kassidy Silva. “With a ripe splash of guava, hints of vanilla, and a dash of musk, this super sweet mist has been living in my workout bag all season.”

Key notes: guava nectar, coconut water, lemon twist, sunlit orchid, orris (iris root), musk

Best Warm Fragrance: Bath & Body Works Into the Night Eau de Parfum

Why it’s worth it: Bath & Body Works has an enormous lineup of fragrances at affordable prices, but the Into the Night Eau de Parfum is a verified editor-favorite for its warm, date night-worthy scent. A duo of raspberry and amber open up the fragrance, but as it dries down, you’ll be aromatically draped in mocha musk (which we describe as an aromatic cross between chocolate, espresso, and amber), earthy patchouli, and floral rose.

Tester feedback: “A spritz of this perfume will leave you smelling expensive (without the hefty price tag),” says senior editor Jesa Marie Calaor. “This warm, full-bodied fragrance blends together amber, raspberry, and musk—perfect for date night and activities ahead (like sleeping comfortably in your warm bed).”

Key notes: amber, raspberry, mocha musk, patchouli, rose petals

Best Spicy Fragrance: Dossier Ambery Saffron Eau de Parfum

Why it’s worth it: Dossier promotes its Ambery Saffron Eau de Parfum as an—shall we say— alternative to one of the most sought-after (and expensive) perfumes on the market, Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540, and, for its under-$100 price tag, it does live up to its claims of smelling nearly—a heavy emphasis on nearly—identical to the famed EDP. Like its pricier inspiration, this fragrance’s main star is saffron, which has a spicy, warm scent that’s usually pungent, but its intensity is satisfyingly muted by bright, floral orange blossom plum, and amber as it dries down.

Tester feedback: “The Dossier Ambery Saffron is the perfect balance between powdery and indulgent for nights when I’m not trying to do too much or too little,” says contributing commerce writer Annie Blackman. I’m a sucker for gourmand scents but don’t always need to subject my friends to bakery-level wafting, so I love a fragrance that satisfies a rich, sweet craving. This one is $50, far from smothering, and smells expensive—what’s not to like?

Key notes: saffron, orange blossom, jasmine, plum, cedarwood, oakmoss, fir balsam, amber

Best Aquatic Fragrance: Fine’ry Before the Rainbow Eau de Parfum

Why it’s worth it: The Fine’ry Before the Rainbow Eau de Parfum is the aromatic equivalent of walking through a forest trail after a heavy thunderstorm. Its main note is, according to the brand, Salty Air, a misty, breezy scent that reminds us of fog on a rainy beach day. Its nature-inspired scent profile is further played up with zesty bergamot and earthy tree moss.

Tester feedback: “There’s no better smell than fresh rainfall in a tropical destination, which Fine’ry Before The Rainfall encapsulates in its fragrance notes,” says associate manager of special projects Talia Gutierrez. “Inspired by that after-rain aroma that’s both misty and warm, this turquoise-blue bottle offers notes of salt, citrus, and moss for a fresh mist with each pump. I love to layer it with a warm vanilla fragrance for an intoxicating harmony I can’t get enough of on those warm, summer nights.”

Key notes: salty air, bergamot, tree moss

Best Travel-Friendly Fragrance: Glossier You Solid Fragrance

Why it’s worth it: The beauty of Glossier’s You Solid Fragrance is its solid, anhydrous wax-based format, which melts upon skin contact for easy application. This teensy pebble is a more affordable, solidified version of the brand’s beloved You eau de parfum that’s way easier to travel with (suck on that, TSA). Just like the original, this perfume features warm, sweet ambrette seeds balanced with subtly spicy pink pepper and floral iris.

Tester feedback: “Whether I want to wear this fragrance alone or with my other go-to’s, this solid perfume will always have a place in my tote bag,” says Allure commerce writer Jennifer Hussein. “Its warm, layering-friendly scent is slightly subtler than its original liquid format, which I prefer since I can be heavy-handed with sprays and rollerballs.”

Key notes: ambrette seeds, iris, ambrox (synthetic ambergris), pink pepper

Best Perfume Oil: Malin + Goetz Strawberry Perfume Oil

Why it’s worth it: Contrary to its name, Malin + Goetz’s Strawberry Perfume Oil isn’t your average, rooty-tooty-fresh-and-fruity scent. Sure, it starts with a burst of strawberry and bergamot, but this fragrance is far from ultra-fruity, thanks to hints of spicy pink pepper, musk, and a blend of herbaceous, earthy greens like oakmoss and orris root.

Tester feedback: “I’ve written about the spray version of this fragrance before, but I think the perfume oil is on its own level of special,” says commerce producer Sarah Hoffmann. “It’s much greener than you’d expect—there’s a hint of berry sweetness but it’s mostly a vegetal, fresh fragrance to me. Whenever I wear it, I like to think I smell like I spent all morning handling a bunch of farmers’ market strawberries, gently arranging them into some gorgeous, rustic strawberry tart, and the scent of the juices and stems melted into my skin and lingered all day long.”

Key notes: strawberry, bergamot, pink pepper, jasmine, cedarwood, oakmoss, musk, orris root

Smell as good as an Allure editor (yes, we’ll toot our own horn…and noses):

• I Have Over 20 Tom Ford Fragrances But These Are My Top Three
• The Best Citrus Perfumes Are Oh So Refreshing
• The Best Coconut Perfumes to Smell Like You’re on Vacation
• The Best Fragrances on Amazon for Every Mood and Season

Now, watch Allure cover star Jennifer Aniston react to TikTok’s biggest beauty trends:

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