14 Affordable Perfumes That Smell Way More Expensive

GH Senior Beauty and Style Director April Franzino loves this milky body mist by Josie Maran. "It has a fine mist and a warm, creamy scent that isn't too overpowering," she shares. At less than $30, it's an affordable indulgence; she adds: "it is an amazing value for something that smells very high-end!"

Josie Maran also offers this mist in other flirty scents like Topless Tangerine and Vanilla Vibezzz, all at just $26 each.

The mega-viral brand Sol de Janeiro has our Lab feeling cheirosa, that is, deliciously perfumed. The yummy salted caramel and pistachio scent of the brand's Bum Bum Cream is now available as the Cheirosa 62 mist, which is a favorite of our Beauty Lab Senior Chemist Danusia Wnek. They've also expanded their scent offerings into fruity-floral territory with Cheirosa 68 Beija Flor. I like that it has the addictive sweetness the brand is known for, with the addition of bright dragonfruit and creamy accords of jasmine and vanilla. And at $26 for 3 ounces of fragrance, it's a great deal.

The brand Lattafa has made a name for itself by offering on-trend fragrances that, at $30 or less per bottle, make it easy to experiment with perfume. One of the brand's mainstays is Yara, a soft and super-feminine scent with powdery notes of orchid and heliotrope plus tropical fruits and vanilla for a touch of youthfulness. I find this scent to be fairly light and perfect for daytime. For more fruity sweetness, try its flanker Yara Candy.

Contributing Beauty Writer Catharine Malzahn's all-time favorite perfume, Wild Poppy by Nest New York is a blend of fruity and floral notes, including rose de Grasse, Himalayan jasmine, pear, raspberry, and apricot. "I've been wearing this for years, and I love it so much I actually purchase and re-purchase this perfume myself and ask for it for Christmas or my birthday," she shares. Nest New York also offers other similarly well-priced perfumes that GH staffers love.

Franzino found what she was searching for in Phlur's GH Beauty Award-winning fragrance Missing Person. "This scent feels like an extension of me, rather than a perfume," she shares. "It's a little warm, faintly sweet, and enveloping, but somehow still airy—like a well-worn sweater you never want to take off." The fragrance features subtle musk, jasmine, and woods notes.

Phlur offers a huge variety of chic fragrances with scent profiles ranging from floral to woody to fruity, all for under $100, so there's something for everyone.

For on the go, Franzino loves this easy-to-carry perfume oil from Cayla Gray. "I carry this roll-on in my purse and love it for the cooler months—it has a cozy, warm feel with a hint of sweetness but isn't too strong." The oil features notes of black cherry, sugar crystals, oakmoss, and amber. All of Cayla Grays perfume oils are just $40, and their perfumes are affordable as well at $90 each.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 has been the hottest perfume of the past few years. The scent exudes luxury, partly because of its over $350 price tag. Thankfully, we have a solution: the official Baccarat Rouge 450 hair perfume! Much like the EDP, it's an elevated blend of warm amber, woods, and jasmine that lingers on strands and more, at a much lower price. It may not last as long as the eau de parfum version, but at just $95, it's an accessible way to experience the coveted fragrance.

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Back when I was in college and only my only income was my work-study check from manning the circulation desk at the library, I turned to Le Monde Gourmand to indulge my fragrance fantasies. (My fixation at the time was Macaron Rosé, which is still available.) I'm thrilled that Le Monde Gourmand continues to offer accessible and on-trend fragrances like Fraise Fouetée, which caters to our current sweet obsession with notes of fresh strawberry, whipped sugar, and vanilla cream.

If strawberry milk isn't your thing, Le Monde Gourmand also offers more mature scents like the whiskey-inspired Noir Distillé and the clean floral 000, each at less than $30.

Another favorite of Franzino's is this classic scent that doesn't go out of style, Elizabeth Arden's White Tea. This fragrance is a great go-to for more mature women. Thanks to a mix of Italian mandarin, sea breeze accord, white tea extract, white iris, madras wood, and musks, the woody floral scent is ideal for everyday wear.

It can transition from day to night and is also "not a sweet type of perfume but more on the clear, musky type that appeals to me as a more mature woman," a reviewer shares.

Nothing tickles me like an unusual note in a fragrance, and I Am Her from Jackie Aina's brand Forvr Mood happens to have an accord based on my favorite dessert, red velvet cake! The sweet, creamy red velvet accord is balanced with fresh pear and raspberry top notes and a rich base of oud. Far from being cloying, the fragrance is warm, spicy, and sexy. Like all of Jackie Aina's delicious Frvr Mood scents, it retails for an affordable $79.

You may know Dossier as a brand that offers affordable dupes of popular designer fragrances. What you might not know is that they create original scents as well, my favorite of which is the attention-grabbing It Factor. With notes of ginger, incense, cardamom, and vanilla and a projection the brand describes as "statement" making, this perfume is low in price but not in impact. On myself, I find it noticeable but not overpowering.

Botany-inspired brand Future Society's perfume Floating Forest is a huge hit with us in the GH Beauty Lab, and it happens to cost under $100. The brand creates fragrances inspired by samples of extinct botanicals from the Harvard Herbarium. "I love the mix of dewy greenery and seawater opening notes that develop into smoky and soft florals and herbs," says GH Beauty Lab Director Sabina Wizemann. Wnek is also a fan and keeps a bottle of the fragrance at her desk.