Melanin Beauty Awards 2025: Best Fragrances

With so many fragrances on the market, experimenting with your scent profile is a right of passage. While everyone’s nose and body chemistry reacts differently, a “you smell good” compliment always hits. Body chemistry refers to how a person’s unique biological makeup, including their skin’s pH, oils, and sweat, interacts with a fragrance, causing it to smell different on them than on anyone else. 

Fragrances are categorized into four categories based on their concentration: parfum & eau de parfum for women, and eau de toilette & eau de cologne for men. The different names refer to the concentration of oils in each spray, where parfum is the most concentrated at 20 to 40 percent, while eau de parfum (EDP) is slightly less concentrated at 15 to 20 percent. Think of the EDP as a slightly watered-down version of the perfume. EDPs are ideal for people who are sensitive to fragrance or just prefer a lighter version of the perfume. 

There are many different fragrance categories, but the top four are floral, woody, fresh, and gourmand. Gourmand scents have witnessed an uptick in popularity over the last few years (think Samir Grey- One, which made our list this year). Floral is used when the fragrance uses flower-based notes. Some of the most common ones are jasmine, orange blossom and ylang ylang. Woody can easily transport your senses to the musky yet warm environment of a forest, using notes such as cedar, sandalwood, and oakmoss for a warm and earthy feel. 

Love HelloBeautiful? Get more! Join the HelloBeautiful Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Subscribe

We care about your data. See our privacy policy.

Fresh scents can be subjective, but often refer to a light and airy scent that makes you feel uplifted or refreshed. Fresh scents often use citrus or aquatic notes such as lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, or ocean spray, and a mixture of other opening notes to create the refreshing concoction. 

We realize each nose is unique and each scent profile is subject to change, but these are fragrance staples that are sure to please your senses and transport you to another world.

Samir Grey- One

This luxurious scent will leave a trail of creamy vanilla, amber, and peach that will turn heads as you walk past. Created by former celebrity hairstylist Kahh Spence, it is a love letter to women in a bottle. The story behind the scent is also inspiring. The fragrance and name honors his late mother, who died from stress-related cancer. For Spence, “I created Samir Grey to bring intention and softness back to everyday life.”

Le Max Distinct

Created by Black female IFRA-certified perfumer, Dr. Letty Maxwell, Le Max is a luxury fragrance line. Inspired by her grandmother and refined through global exploration, Maxwell is paying homage to her own heritage, her love for travel and cultural roots.

Oui the People Souk Honey Eau de Parfum

Oui the People Souk Honey is one of those scents that sticks with you—in the “someone’s definitely asking what you’re wearing” way. It opens bright with orange blossom and neroli, then settles into a warm mix of cardamom, dates, amber, and sandalwood that feels like golden hour on your skin. Soft, sweet, a little flirty… basically your new signature scent.

Dossier Better Days

Co-created by YouTuber Allyiah and the Dossier Creative Lab, this day-to-night scent duo blends bright citrus, soft florals, and cozy, gender-neutral woods for a vibe that works anytime, anywhere. And yes—the bottle is chic enough to upgrade your vanity on sight.

Forvr Mood You Remind Me

Forvr Mood’s You Remind Me is cozy bottled—think apricot skin, orange flower, and soft musk that wears like warm sheets at golden hour. It’s intimate, comforting, and long-lasting. And yes, it’s vegan and cruelty-free.

Forvr Mood I am Her

This alluring fragrance by beloved beauty influencer and businesswoman Jackie Aina is the scent of the scent of the “it girl.”