Aug 15, 2023 | 4 min Read

The 10 Best Celebrity Fragrances of All Time

By Kara Nesvig

While you may not be a celebrity, you can definitely smell like one! It’s hard to imagine a world without celebrity fragrances; though stars occasionally released their own branded perfumes, but many perfume fans credit Elizabeth Taylor’s massively successful White Diamonds as the initial spark for the genre. Once Jennifer Lopez dropped her first scent, Glow, the celebrity fragrance craze really took off.

There are hundreds of celebrity scents these days: boy bands, country stars, actors, you name it. While the market may be flooded with Hollywood-inspired fragrances, there are a handful of celebrity scents that have stood the test of time and become classics in their own right, despite the star-studded name on the bottle. Discover 10 of the best celebrity fragrances of all time — some you’ve definitely smelled before, and a few lesser-known favorites that deserve their moment in the spotlight.

10 Best Celebrity Fragrances

1. White Diamonds Eau de Toilette by Elizabeth Taylor

Buy White Diamonds

Launched in 1991, Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds is synonymous with the celebrity fragrance. It was one of the first to really capture the essence of the star, what with the blingy bottle and the big, bold crisp white floral and aldehyde juice inside. Taylor would go on to launch many more scents, but White Diamonds will always be her most iconic.

Key notes: Lily, carnation, musk

2. Lovely Eau de Parfum by Sarah Jessica Parker

Buy Lovely

The Sex and the City star’s first fragrance was an instant smash. Parker herself was a huge fan of fragrance and based Lovely around a three-part blend she had created for herself. Lovely opens with sparkling lavender notes and fades into a silky, creamy base of white musk and woods. It is, in short, absolutely lovely.

Key notes: Lavender, patchouli, musk

3. Cloud Eau de Parfum by Ariana Grande

Buy Cloud Perfume

Cloud may be the newest celeb scent on this list, but that doesn’t make it any less important. Grande had released a handful of scents prior to Cloud, but this creamy, woody musk fragrance definitely stands out from the rest of her line; it stays true to her sugar sweet persona, but with an interesting ozonic quality that makes it feel exactly like a fluffy cloud. Even the biggest perfume snobs can’t resist a spritz of Cloud!

Key notes: Lavender, praline, musk, woods

4. Unforgivable Eau de Toilette by Sean John

Buy Unforgivable

While the celeb fragrance market is dominated by women’s scents, Sean John’s award-winning Unforgivable cologne definitely deserves a spot on this list. (It won a FiFi Award in 2007, a year after it launched.) It’s a fresh, luxurious and spicy scent with citrus top notes, an herbal heart and a rich base of amber and sandalwood.

Key notes: Citrus, juniper, sage, amber

5. Fancy Nights Eau de Parfum by Jessica Simpson

Buy Fancy Nights

Many modern celebrity fragrances nestle comfortably in the fruity floral or fruity gourmand genre, but not so this hidden gem from Jessica Simpson. It’s a rich, sensual balsamic amber fragrance that radiates all day long and is perfect paired with your favorite cozy sweater or date night dress.

Key notes: Patchouli, amber, sandalwood

6. Fantasy Eau de Parfum by Britney Spears

Buy Fantasy

Spears’ first two fragrance launches are arguably her best, but the hot pink, jewel-studded Fantasy is the true reigning champ. Not only is the bottle instantly recognizable — and continuously duplicated for the many Fantasy flankers still being released today! — but the super sweet, cupcake gourmand fragrance defined a decade.

Key notes: Red lychee, jasmine, cupcake accord

7. Glow Eau de Toilette by Jennifer Lopez

Buy Glow

Jennifer Lopez’s first fragrance, 2002’s Glow, was an instant success. The fragrance was inspired by the feeling of shower-fresh, soapy skin with a touch of sexiness, and it still feels fresh and modern over 20 years later.

Key notes: Iris, musk, sandalwood

8. Rise Eau de Parfum by Beyoncé

Buy Rise

Beyoncé’s forthcoming fragrance drops in fall 2023 and will definitely be an immediate bestseller, but her 2014 scent, Rise, is worth a mention too. It’s a radiant floral scent with citrus top notes, a warm and vibrant floral heart with notes of freesia and jasmine sambac and a lush base of cashmere musk and vetiver.

Key notes: Bergamot, apricot, jasmine, cashmere musk

9. Jennifer Aniston by Jennifer Aniston

Buy Jennifer Aniston Perfume

The Friends star, known for her easygoing, beachy vibe, dropped her eponymous scent in 2011. In true Aniston fashion, it smells like a day at the beach: a little bit of sunscreen, the salty tang of the ocean and warm jasmine floating on the breeze.

Key notes: Jasmine, musk, amber

10. Kim Kardashian Eau de Parfum by Kim Kardashian

Buy Kim Kardashian Perfume

Kardashian released a fleet of scents under her now-defunct KKW Fragrance line, but her first-ever scent is still beloved by fans. It’s a romantic, creamy white floral with sweet orange flower, bombshell tuberose, intoxicating gardenia and a base of musk, sandalwood and orchid. Swoonworthy!

Key notes: Tuberose, gardenia, orchid

Read on for more FragranceX shopping guides.

Kara Nesvig

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Kara Nesvig is a freelance writer based in St. Paul, MN. She’s been obsessed with fragrance since she was four years old and has a (constantly growing) collection of more than 75 scents. Kara writes for a variety of brands and publications including Allure, Teen Vogue, Byrdie and People.