In our column “What I Can’t Live Without,” we’ve interviewed hundreds of famous people about their favorite products — and here, we’re going deep into their favorite fragrances. Many of them told us that once they find their signature scent, they stick with it. And there are some who are so obsessed with their favorite fragrance that they buy them in bulk. (In fact, one celebrity told us that she has 13 bottles of her favorite perfume just in case they ever stop making it.) And while the list includes some pricier prestige brands like Le Labo and Maison Margiela, there are plenty of lesser-known makers among their picks as well. To help you scan through their favorite perfumes, we’ve organized this list by price — under $100, under $150, under $200, under $300, and $300 and up — and in cases where more than one celebrity has recommended the scent, we’ve included all of their quotes.
Under $100
Heather Morris
“I actually stole this from one of the creators of The Bystanders podcast, Ash Lendzion. I was like, ‘Ash, I don’t know if you keep your fragrance close and dear to you as a secret, but I need to know what scent you’re wearing.’ It’s got sandalwood, cedarwood, nutmeg, and amber wood. It sounds like a pretty masculine scent — which I sometimes describe myself as masc or tomboy-ish — but it still feels feminine. It’s a nice blend.” — August 2023
Maria Sharapova
“It almost smells like something that you would create with your own essential oils. It doesn’t feel like it came produced. It just feels very natural to wear. ‘Oh, I just saw this at home and put a few essential oils together, and this is what I came up with.’ Except they didn’t. It’s on the woodier side; I think it’s a little cedar. I’d say you’re walking through a forest, and that’s kind of the experience I have when I put it on.” — May 2019
Hilary Duff
“When I wear it, I always get compliments and people asking me what perfume I have on. It’s vanilla but has some other notes to balance it out. I know some people are really turned off by vanilla, which I don’t understand. (I love vanilla.) And it’s strong. It stays on all day.” — March 2023
Kwame Onwuachi
“When you walk into a room, people notice your scent, and this is one that I like to be associated with. It’s a very sophisticated, warmer, masculine scent. I found it in a duty-free shop on my way back from Hong Kong about three years ago. I was trying to buy some alcohol — I’d never purchased cologne in an airport, but I had some time to kill so I started smelling everything, and this one smelled fantastic. When you smell cologne, there’s always one that hits you differently. There’s some chemistry involved, and I fell in love with this.” — April 2021
Denise Richards
“It has been my signature scent ever since I sprayed a tester at a beauty counter 15 years ago. I get compliments from men and women who ask me what I’m wearing. It gives a fresh, clean, beautiful smell that reminds me of the very first time I went to Hawaii. I wear it all the time — I use the deodorant, too, and sometimes the body oil. I never get tired of it.” — May 2020
Lucy Hale
“When I spray it on myself, I can’t even smell it, but everyone else can. It’s a unisex scent and definitely muskier and masculine, but I love that. People literally stop me on the street to ask me what I’m wearing. It’s not like they recognized me or anything. Honestly, I feel like that’s what perfume should do. I usually don’t talk about what I wear because it feels like my little secret, but I decided to stop being secretive about it because it’s that good.” — December 2021
Kelly Ripa
“This fragrance is really a non-fragrance. If you were to smell it, you’d get it. I know that’s not helpful, but it’s true. It smells like clean soap. When I put it on, people will say, ‘You smell so good, like you just got out of the shower.’ That’s the whole point. One of the Mara girls wore it on my show years ago — I think it was Rooney. It smelled so good, so I bought it. Now I know so many people who use it — men and women — because it’s there but not there at the same time and it really works for everyone. Every person smells slightly different, but everybody smells clean, like their own version of what getting out of the shower smells like.” — February 2020
Missy Robbins
“This is not overpowering; it’s very light. I smelled it on my friend almost two years ago, and was like, ‘Oh my God, you smell so good, what are you wearing?’ Now people do that to me. I don’t wear it every day, but most days. I don’t like to wear a lot of stuff when I’m in the kitchen — it just interferes. It’s more when I’m out and about. I have the spray and the roller ball, but I like the roller ball the best because you can put it in very specific places. When you spray, it goes everywhere. A roller ball is more controlled.” — December 2019
Amanda Lepore
“I love this scent because it’s sexy and a little floral, but not too classic or plain, like what you’d imagine a floral fragrance would smell like. It’s got something else in it that gives it an extra oomph.” — June 2017
Under $150
Elle Macpherson
“I’ve worn this fragrance for over 30 years. I think some guy I was dating wore it, actually. I think smell is incredibly important, and having a signature scent that’s very you is something attractive you can do. A smell can bring back so many memories — certain things will remind me of my mother or brothers and sisters, so I don’t try lots of different perfumes. I pretty much stick to the one I love. Even though it’s a man’s cologne, it works on me because I’m sporty and not a huge floral person. ” — January 2018
Meghann Fahy
Henry Rose’s perfumes don’t have parabens and are hypoallergenic. I’ve always been attracted to scents that are a bit masculine and could be unisex. This fragrance line is that. It’s actually by Michelle Pfeiffer, and I read an interview where she said she used to love the smell of her dad’s cologne or his Old Spice. This was her homage to that, and I love it. ” — May 2023
Sasha Spielberg
“Torn by Henry Rose is what my mom wears. My sisters and I have always raided her closet. The two youngest: her shoes and makeup. The eldest: her jewelry. Me: her perfumes. But Torn is something all four of us will steal. You never know who is filling the kitchen with its vetiver-and-vanilla scent. My mom is incredibly affectionate, so you could say the scent was already rubbing off on us, literally, before we started using it.” — August 2021
Perfume Genius
“I could pick any of Bruno’s scents. I just love his perfumes. They’re very complicated and layered but harmonious. You keep wanting to figure it out in a pleasant way. There’s something alien about them all but very familiar. And it has iris in it, which is my favorite note. A really papery iris. But it changes depending on how acidic or something I am. On my boyfriend it smells really powdery and sweet and milky and creamy, and on me it smells like piss and vinegar. But not in a way I dislike. If there are peppery notes, I will bring them out. If there’s anything sharp, I will bring it out.” — June 2022
Winnie Harlow
“I discovered this last summer. It’s very fresh and light. I like to layer my fragrances, so I wear a masculine, musky scent on the bottom then put something sweet on top. I get compliments on how I smell everywhere I go. One time, I was walking the red carpet, and I hugged Saweetie, and she was like, ‘You smell so good!’ Then I talked to different reporters and they all complimented me, too.” — February 2022
Felix Burrichter
“This fragrance is Comme des Garçons, but it’s a collaboration with Artek, a Finnish design company. Artek was founded in the 1930s by architect Alvar Aalto. He mostly worked with wood and bentwood; I believe Finland is the biggest wood producer within Europe. This has a very strong wood scent and is the only fragrance I have never grown sick of. I usually use a perfume for one season. After a few months, I can’t go near it again. I’ve worn this for years and have yet to get tired of it. I have bought other fragrances since I started using this, cheating on it just a little bit, but I always go back. Hats off to whatever nose developed it.” — August 2021
Jay Pharoah
“I’ve been wearing Prada Black cologne for the last couple of years. I used to rock Prada Sport, but Prada Black just works with my pheromones. You have to find the right cologne to work with your body chemistry, otherwise you’re going to smell like trash. I spray a couple of squirts of Creed on top of the Prada Black — it smells really nice with those mixed together. I grew up around folks who put too much cologne on, and it’s too much. You don’t need it. Don’t nobody need no 25 spritzes of no dang cologne. You’ve got to have the right amount of squirts — three, possibly four, for any situation.” — June 2020
Thakoon Panichgul
“When I was younger, I hated scents and never wore cologne. I started wearing Wonderoud maybe seven years ago, and I love it. It doesn’t give me a headache. It’s not too strong nor too sweet. It has a nice, woody oud scent that I just love.” — May 2020
Kelly McCreary
“I collect scents, but oh man, I’m so bad at describing them. This one smells … yummy? I don’t know. Can I tell you the story of how I found it instead? There’s an Orris shop on Melrose in L.A., and when you walk by, it almost smells like they’re perfuming the entire street. It’s a store that I would never have noticed had I not walked by and smelled it. When I went in, I discovered that it’s an awesome boutique perfumery.” — January 2020
Amy Sedaris
“I have 13 bottles of Comme des Garçons’ Avignon perfume, just in case they ever stop making it.” — April 2019
Jean Pigozzi
“This is the smell I like. I was at a Jesuit school when I was young, so it reminds me of church.” — October 2018
Tayari Jones
“I am fragrance sensitive. It’s a problem, and it happened suddenly. About ten years ago I discovered I couldn’t wear any of my favorite perfumes anymore. I was told about this parfumerie where most of their perfumes have only one or two notes so that you can find something you can wear. I found this lovely perfume with two notes: vanilla and tobacco. I love it, I can wear it, it’s not that expensive, and they give you an atomizer for travel. I’m an evangelizer for this stuff.” — September 2018
Anna Camp
“Chanel is a classic for a reason! This fragrance is my absolute favorite — I love wearing it when I’m out with friends or at dinner with my husband, Skylar.” — July 2017
Under $200
Agnès B.
“I first bought this maybe 30 years ago on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris in an old parfumerie. I smelled it and always loved it because it’s tuberose, which I think is my favorite flower. It’s so beautiful. I’m like Marilyn Monroe — I always sleep naked with a little perfume.” — November 2019
Courtney Love
“It was so white-floral and heady. I collect and wear many other perfumes. The owners of Aedes de Venustas in the West Village love me. I’m a regular on the Fragrantica and Bois de Jasmin sites. But I always come back to Fracas. I love it the most and it’s my go-to. It makes me so happy. My daughter also wears it. No one can ignore you when you’re wearing it, yet it’s not annoying. It smells to me like a baby’s head, a field of dreamy white meadow flowers, and a touch of sex.” — October 2017
John Legend
“I bought this cologne one time when I was at a Tom Ford store many years ago, and now it’s my only scent. I literally will only wear this every day. I just like the way I feel when I wear it. It feels like it finishes the process — the outfit, the skin-care routine, and then the cologne to top it all off. If I get changed to go to a new event I might reapply, but mostly I just put it on after I get dressed in the morning and I feel like I’m ready for my day.” — December 2023
Dwayne Wade
“I love this cologne because it smells like my sweat. Just kidding! It is how I imagine my sweat would smell if I were to sweat cologne. It has a sweet yet manly musk smell that stays with me all day.” — July 2018
Gracie Abrams
“I go back and forth between this and Glossier You for my everyday perfume. I love the smell of jasmine, and Diptyque crushed it with this. I got it while on tour because I wanted something that smelled floral not in a sweet way, but like if you walked through a garden at night. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s light and definitely the most feminine scent I have.” — January 2023
Dan Wilson
“It means sea salt. It’s a nice neutral cologne that I use once in a while if I want to feel fancy. I can’t even really quantify what those occasions are, but I’ll be like, ‘Oh, I need a little extra confidence right now. I’ll do this,’ and then put a little bit on. Let’s see if I have a good way of describing it: It’s light and abstract. It isn’t mammalian and sweaty and strong. It’s more like a breeze than a hurricane.” — December 2023
Hayley Williams
“I discovered Costa Brazil on a cool website — something like Garmentory or another curated fashion-and-lifestyle shop — and initially loved the packaging. It’s this big block of wood, basically. The scent’s kind of creamy, but it has brighter tropical notes that cut through to keep it from smelling too milky. Because it’s a more natural fragrance, it smells a bit different on everyone. I really enjoy it, and every time I wear it, people compliment me.” — May 2023
Shea Couleé
“This fragrance smells like fresh linen. There are tons of fragrances out there that smell like fresh linen, but there’s something different about this one. Maison Margiela fragrances tend to go back and forth between masculine and feminine, but this one feels very neutral. It’s not gendered. I get so many compliments on it. People are always telling me, ‘You smell amazing!’ And they ask me what I wear. The coolest person to ever compliment me on it has to be RuPaul. RuPaul always smells amazing herself, so she really knows her stuff when it comes to fragrance. ” — August 2021
Angélique Kidjo
“I have always had problems finding perfume — a lot of times I’ll buy some, then after a month or two, I can’t stand the smell. I was going to stop wearing it because nothing ever felt right. Somebody gave me a sample of Timbuktu at an event and from that moment I knew that was it. I never get tired of this. I put it on in the morning and it stays with me all day. People in New York, Europe, and Australia have stopped and asked me what the scent is. Some actually have taken out pieces of paper and written the name down. It has a mixture of spice and floral scents that really works for me. I don’t have to look up the notes — I know what’s in it as soon as I smell it.” — June 2021
Anderson .Paak
“About four or five years ago, I was shopping at a store for my wife. The lady at the counter was like, ‘Do you want to try some colognes, too?’ I was using Tom Ford Black Orchid, and I really liked it, but I got tired of going places and smelling other people wearing it. She told me to try this and I just loved it.” — November 2020
Leon Bridges
“I wear it every day and bring it with me everywhere I go. I also always spray a little bit on me before I go onstage so the front row can get a whiff — you know, a little treat. It has a kind of citrusy, earthy smell to it that I really dig. I know a lot of people get into Le Labo, but I always try to find fragrances that are a little bit unique. I don’t want to be wearing what everybody else is wearing. ” — February 2020
Cynthia Erivo
“I always take a fragrance or two with me when I travel, and I actually have a ridiculous amount of scents, but I think I was heading to Montreal or something and had forgotten to pack anything. I got to the airport duty-free and was going to just buy something I already owned, but one of the salespeople showed me this new perfume, and I don’t know! It’s so sweet and smoky at the same time, and it just works with my body chemistry. It’s been months, and I haven’t used any other fragrance. I spray it on my clothes. I spray it on my hair.” — March 2018
Under $300
Jessica Chastain
“I don’t really have a signature scent. I choose a different scent for each character I play, and so I always discover new perfumes, but Le Labo is my favorite perfumery. I have multiple that I wear, and I love the orange-blossom one. (I also love the rose, labdanum, and the iris.) I’ve had a very long relationship with that company: The orange blossom I wore for The Tree of Life, I wore labdanum for Lawless, and I wore rose for Scenes From a Marriage. So it depends on what I’m playing.” — January 2024
Todrick Hall
“I learned about Le Labo when I started hanging out with Taylor Swift. Santal 33 is the scent she burns all over her house. She wears the fragrance, too. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever smelled. I worked with choreographer Tyce Diorio on one of Taylor’s music videos, and I smelled the scent on him, too. When I realized he and Taylor used the same scent, I got some and have been wearing it ever since.” — July 2021
Rita Ora
“I know a lot of people have it, but Santal 33 just suits me really well. I’ve basically been wearing it since I could afford it. It’s just so fresh: It’s got sandalwood and cedarwood in it. It’s a bit musky and not too sweet — like a natural smell but with outdoor vibes.” — December 2020
Ross Matthews
“One of the best things about being gay is we can just buy one gender of colognes and share everything. My husband and I actually got the idea from staying at my friend Carson Kressley’s house. In his guest bathroom, he had this big tray of all of his colognes. So now we have a little credenza with a nice tray with all of our colognes for me and my husband or any guests staying with us. I find myself going back to Le Labo over and over and over again. Their products last throughout the entire day, and I love their selection. Right now, I’m wearing Santal 33, but on the regular I wear AnOther 13. It’s bright but right. Light but warm. It’s the kind of smell where you wanna hug the person wearing it. ” — August 2023
Vanessa Hudgens
“I just got this, even though it’s a fragrance that I’ve known about for so long now. Before that, it was Maison Margiela’s By the Fireplace, and I loved that. I’m just a big fan of a semi-masculine scent that has a hint of vanilla in it as well.” — November 2023
Mario Dedivanovic
“I’ve collected fragrances since I was a teenager, so I have a ton — a ton — of them. But if I had to pick only one, it would be Tobacco Vanille. It’s masculine and it’s sexy. I like to spray it on my arm early in the morning, so by the time I get to work it has sort of faded. My arms are constantly in people’s faces, so I just want to have something that smells pleasant and not feminine. I don’t like feminine or soapy smells.” — December 2019
Grigor Dimitrov
“I like to experiment with different scents. There were times I even used women’s perfumes, and nobody could actually tell. I don’t restrict myself — whatever feels different and kind of natural to me, I’m happy to use it. One time, I had a bunch of samples of different perfumes, and I started testing them, and I smelled this one from Korloff and thought: Oh, this is actually pretty different. It’s very good. It’s woody and smoky and has like a Palo Santo note, but it changes its smell from when you put it on after five, ten minutes and then to an hour or two, and especially when you start sweating.” — August 2023
Lynda Carter
“I used to wear Coco by Chanel. But now I wear Portrait of a Lady. I think that the scent changes based on your natural scent. It’s one of the most famous scents in the world. I always get compliments: ‘Oh, you smell so good.’ That’s the key. I don’t get as many compliments when I wear other things.” — December 2023
Julie Bowen
“Most people spray perfume on their neck, but after I shower, I put it right on the center of my naked body. Then during the day, as I warm up, the smell releases slowly. Everyone says ‘That’s the Julie smell’ or ‘Julie was here.’ I might have had too heavy of a hand with it, but I don’t care. It’s delicious.” — January 2023
Bethenny Frankel
“I love Frédéric Malle fragrances. I love Carnal Flower and the new geranium scent they have, but if I had to pick just one, it would be Portrait of a Lady. It smells like musky femininity. I’ve worn it for several years.” — October 2020
Alex Eagle
“I’ve worn this Frédéric Malle scent for like five or six years. Taxi drivers are always commenting on how nice it smells. I can’t even smell it on myself anymore — I’ve worn it for so long. But I feel like it has a fresh, clean sheet smell mixed with something sexy, but without being too earthy. There’s something kind of mysterious about it. You can’t totally pin it to a specific thing; it’s like its own thing.” — August 2019
Jessel Taank
“This isn’t the most popular fragrance. It’s one of those ‘If you know, you know’ type of things. It’s a very specific scent that feels unisex. I don’t like wearing fragrances that are too sweet or feminine. This is perfect. It’s a little bit earthier, almost masculine. I’m wearing it right now.” — January 2024
Anthony Anderson
“I stumbled across it more than ten years ago, and I loved the story because Baccarat Crystal wanted a scent for its crystal. There was only one chain brand where you could buy it at the time — I think it was Neiman Marcus. I found it, and every time I wore it, people were like, ‘Yo, what is that?’ Before the whole 540 craze. I think I was a pioneer that way. And then it caught on, and more people started wearing it. Now everybody has it, and I think it’s dope. I don’t feel special anymore because it used to be Anthony’s scent. Now it’s like, ‘Ah, I know what that is.’” — November 2023
Sloane Stephens
“I love this perfume. It is definitely pricey (I keep track of every spritz), but I’ve tried all the dupes and nothing comes close to the original.” — August 2023
E-40
“This is an expensive cologne that has a smell of its own. I spray it, wipe my hands together, then wipe it on my clothes and spray it on my neck. The neck is where you do all the hugging at. Me being a people person, I’m always hugging and shaking people’s hands, and this cologne demands its attention. It’s masculine, but I can’t even put it in a category.” — August 2023
Tyla Yaweh
“My manager, Bobby, was wearing this one day and I was like, ‘Yo, what is that?’ It’s really expensive, but it’s so worth it. I’m on my second bottle now because I wear it every day. We all have a memory for scents and people remember me from this scent — like, ‘Oh yeah, Tyla, he smelled good.’ It smells exotic, like nothing I’ve ever smelled before. You only need a little bit because it’s strong and it doesn’t leave your clothes. You can probably smell me through the phone right now — it’s that strong.” — July 2020
Adrienne Bailon-Houghton
“My husband and I are obsessed with the number 11. When we were dating, before I’d hang up the phone with him, when it was 11:11 at night, I would always say that we should make a wish. We did that the whole time we were dating, then got married on November 11. So when I saw it, I originally went to it because of the name. I was going to buy it just to have on our countertop, which sounds crazy, but when I smelled it, I fell in love with the scent. It smelled like winter. It smelled like family. It smelled like apple pie. My husband started wearing it too, so now it’s our main autumn-winter fragrance. But I’m still wearing it in spring, so it might be our year-round signature scent.” — April 2023
Abby Elliott
“My mother-in-law (the ultimate gift giver) gave me this, and I now wear it all the time. I’d been looking for a signature scent because it’s such a classic thing that elegant ladies do. This scent is the perfect floral — not too overpowering, so you can wear it in spring and summer, and even winter as well.” — July 2017
Paul Feig
“I’d read some article about Franco Zeffirelli and he always wore a Penhaligon scent called Endymion. I went and smelled it and it was very overpowering and pronounced. But then there was this other one next to it, Halfeti, and the minute I smelled that, I got a bottle of it. Everywhere I go, people go, ‘Oh my God, you smell so good.’ Which sometimes makes me paranoid because I think I might be wearing too much and that’s their nice way of saying it.” — December 2022
$300 and up
Hannah Brown
“I didn’t know anything about this brand, but with my first book, God Bless This Mess, I went to New York around the holidays, and we went into Bergdorfs. We were looking around, and I found this scent and was like, This is me. It’s light, refreshing, and very feminine, but not too sweet. It definitely has floral scents, and I can wear it all year round. It’s a really special perfume. I was able to buy it when my book became a New York Times best seller, so it has a special memory in that.” — March 2024
Mario Lopez
“I’m a big fragrance guy and a bit of a cologne connoisseur, if you will. I’m particular about aftershaves and colognes. At the moment, I like this, Molecule, and some old-school Chanel. This one’s very clean, very masculine, and has a cool, sexy scent to it.” — July 2023
Paloma Elsesser
“I’ve always been attracted to scent and sensitive to it in a good and bad way. Honestly, all of my memories are often centered on scent. When I started working in the industry, I got really excited about being able to participate in luxury scents. The first place I looked was Frédéric Malle. The first perfume I bought from there was the most popular scent, which is Portrait of a Lady. It’s a beautiful scent, but at the time, I couldn’t really connect to it. I didn’t feel like I was that lady the perfumery described through the scent. So I went back and tested others, and found this one, which has this floral but not-too-summery scent. It blends well with my personal scent, too. It feels very much like me when I put it on.” — December 2021
Rick Ross
“I have a lot of aliases because I evoke different vibes with different music. Big Fish is one of them because I feel like I’m a big fish in this small pond. Another is Golden Eagle. Those birds have to flap their wings every 15 seconds, and they glide for like two weeks at a time — it’s amazing. I happened to be at a Neiman Marcus in Miami, and I saw a big golden-eagle statue on the top of a display. I told them I wanted to buy it because it embodied my alias, but they wouldn’t sell it to me. So I was like, ‘Okay, well, what is this brand?’ And they told me it’s Stefano Ricci. So I said, ‘Okay, give me the cologne instead.’ The bottle has a golden eagle on it, too. I’ve been wearing it for the last year and a half.” — August 2020
Eve
“To me, your scent is as personal as your signature. I was at Neiman Marcus and told the sales associate that I love the smell of oud, but it’s too woodsy for me, and asked her if there was something flowery with a similar strength. She introduced me to Memo Paris, and when I smelled African Rose, I knew it was the one. It’s not cheap, but a spray or two will last all day, because it’s mostly oil, not alcohol.” — May 2019
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