Ahead, we’ve rounded up a bushel of the best fragrances to bring a taste of the season’s hottest fruit to your fragrance wardrobe. No matter where your taste (or scent preferences) lie, there are no bad apples in this Allure-approved list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Overall: Ellis Brooklyn Apple Love
Why it’s worth it: Every Allure editor has a favorite Ellis Brooklyn perfume—and for many of us, Apple Love is a top contender for the title. You can call it hometown pride, perhaps, since perfumer Bee Shapiro has said that she designed it as “a fragrant love letter to New York City.” But the appeal goes beyond the origin story: It also smells like a fresh red apple wrapped in a cashmere scarf of amber. In a lipstick-red bottle that makes it (almost) as fun to display as it is to spritz, the eau de parfum has accents of peach skin, muguet, plum blossom, sugarcane, and vanilla. Plus—like any true New Yorker—it’s fabulous at layering. If the caramel-apple-but-make-it-chic vibe appeals to you, try pairing this with Ellis Brooklyn’s Queens Caramel.
Tester feedback from commerce editor Sarah Han
“The fact that I’ve just hit a decade in NYC makes this fragrance all the more special. Even though this isn’t a scent that should be relegated to one season, Apple Love does remind me of taking a stroll through the West Village or Greenpoint during the autumn season, when you’re just starting to dust off your sweaters from storage. It’s cozy, thanks to the musky dry-down notes, but not too warm. I love that apple is the star note but that it’s not overwhemling. The peach skin and mandarin blend in beautifully, like an olfactory symphony of fruits.” —Sarah Han, commerce editor
- Key notes: red apple, peach skin, muguet, plum blossom, sugar cane, vanilla
- Sizes: 0.25 oz, 0.33 oz, 1.7 oz
Best Second-Skin: By Rosie Jane Birthday Suit Body & Hair Perfume Mist
By Rosie Jane
Birthday Suit Body & Hair Perfume Mist
Why it’s worth it: We can always count on By Rosie Jane for lightweight scents that have that your-skin-but-soapier (and slightly sexier) vibe. While Rosie is its most classic skin scent, Birthday Suit also has that freshly showered smell. (Plus, it layers beautifully with Rosie.) A modern take on musk, Birthday Suit opens with orchard-fresh notes of sweet apple, tangerine water, and lemon blossom. Its tropical heart mixes island lily with jasmine petals and salt air, and it all dries down to a warm, musky base of radiant amber, skin musk, and sunwashed cedar.
“It’s no secret that I love a good skin scent. I have several that I spritz on a regular basis, and Birthday Suit is the one I reach for when I need an ultra-light fragrance to pep me up a bit. The mist has a citrusy, ephemeral vibe that reminds me of that burst of scent you get when you peel an orange or a lemon. And actually, that’s fitting: It makes a good little garnish for any scent you’ve applied earlier in the day. I’m wearing Birthday Suit right now over Parfums de Marly’s spicy, ylang-ylang-heavy Safanad–and let me tell you, it’s not bad!” —Jenny Berg, contributor
- Key notes: sweet apple, tangerine water, lemon blossom, island lily, salt air
- Sizes: 3.9 oz
Best for Date Night: Kilian Apple Brandy on the Rocks
Kilian Paris
Apple Brandy on the Rocks
Why it’s worth it: Kilian’s Apple Brandy on the Rocks proves just how nighttime an apple fragrance can be. With a heart of cedarwood and ambroxan, the spicy, warming scent melds notes of apple brandy with rum, vanilla, and moss. A touch of cardamom adds another dash of spice, while bergamot infuses the fragrance with a twist of citrus. Like a mixologist’s take on apple (rather than a baker’s), the fragrance comes in a weighted-glass bottle that looks like expensive barware. It’s the kind of sultry, wintry scent that pairs best with a luxe sweater dress. You can also try spritzing it onto a winter scarf so the smell of a candlelit cocktail lounge wafts up every time the wind blows.
Tester feedback from managing editor Alessandra Foresto
“This fragrance is not uber sweet (like a good apple cider) or super fresh (like a Honeycrisp apple in September), instead it’s a smoky and warm mix I like to spritz for a night out. It must be the top ‘on the rocks’ note, which the brand describes as ‘a blend of bergamot, pineapple and cardamom’ that then leaves behind a vanilla-like apple scent. The bottle is also a work of art that would look right at home in a shelf of my bar among my favorite old-fashioned glasses.” —Alessandra Foresto, managing editor
- Key notes: cedarwood, ambroxan, apple brandy, rum, vanilla, moss, cardamom
- Sizes: 1.7 oz
Best for Hair: Phlur Mrs. Smith Hair & Body Fragrance Mist
Phlur
Mrs. Smith Hair & Body Fragrance Mist
Why it’s worth it: Whether it’s the Best of Beauty Award-winning Vanilla Skin or the scrumptious Heavy Cream, Phlur’s hair and body mists have made a splash with Allure editors. For any apple perfume lover, this mix of Granny Smith apples, Pink Lady apples, and apple blossom is a feast for the nose. Zippy and floral with a dash of sugar, the scent has a mellow side, too: Its cozy base mixes pink praline and musky nectar. The fragrance can be spritzed anywhere, and that’s a good thing—based on our testers’ feedback, you’ll want it everywhere. (Including in your hair!)
“DKNY’s Green Apple from the 2000s was one of the first fragrances that sparked my love for the fruit. That’s why Phlur’s new body mist feels nostalgic—its blend of crisp green apple, apple blossom, and musk creates the perfect sour-then-sweet effect.” —Bianca Richards, social media manager
- Key notes: Granny Smith apple, pear, apple blossom, violet
- Sizes: 3 oz, 8 oz
Best Floral: Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede
Jo Malone
Peony & Blush Suede
Why it’s worth it: Jo Malone’s Peony & Blush Suede cologne wraps red apples in a bouquet of peony, jasmine, and rose. The unisex scent has a suede base, adding a layer of warmth to the springy melange—but you can mix it up as you wish. A perennial best seller for Jo Malone, the scent is known as a “combiner cologne.” Designed for layering, it creates a light base for endless fragrance combinations. Though the brand insists that there are no rules when it comes to mixing and matching, Peony Blush & Suede is said to pair particularly well with Wood Sage & Sea Salt, another unisex scent with a mineral, woody profile.
Tester feedback from designer Briana Rengifo
“A light, inviting apple and floral concoction, I found Peony & Blush Suede to be easy to wear and not too overpowering. It has a bright floral opening but then you can get the apple. If you’re a fan of cozy, intimate, and clean scents, you would enjoy this. The only downside is that the scent faded pretty quickly during the day—I only really smelled it on my clothes for about three hours.” —Briana Rengifo, designer
- Key notes: red apple, peony, suede
- Sizes: 0.3 oz, 1 oz, 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz
Best for the Office: Henry Rose Smyth
Why it’s worth it: At Allure HQ, nearly everyone has an office fragrance; and if that wasn’t a thing, well, we made it one. When it comes to apple scents that aren’t apple-pie-cozy or brandy-spiked and boozy—in other words, scents that don’t exactly broadcast yes, I have those deliverables for you—Smyth is the ultimate pick. Crisp, refreshing, and perfectly balanced, the unisex scent makes a statement without being overpowering. It opens with a medley of fruit notes, including Granny Smith apple, melon-pineapple sorbet, and apricot nectar. As it dries down, the fragrance morphs into something more sophisticated; it has a musky, woody base of sheer white woods, sandalwood, layered musks, and amber.
“Smyth is a super fresh, crisp scent. I love to wear it as a daytime fragrance. The apple notes are mildly sweet and not too strong, balanced with bright watery notes. It doesn’t scream apple, but it’s the main scent in the mix with some warm, floral elements. I love the whole Henry Rose line, but this is currently my go-to to wear daily to the office.” —Ingrid Fowler, senior art director
Best Citrusy: Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue
Dolce & Gabbana
Light Blue
Why it’s worth it: For the past 25 years, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue—a lemon-tinged eau de toilette spiked with notes of Granny Smith apple and cedarwood—has brought Amalfi Coast vibes to pulse points everywhere. Inspired by the waves, flowers, and lush vegetation of Capri, the eau de toilette is just the thing to spritz on vacation, so it’s a good thing a travel-size version is available. But you don’t need to leave home to enjoy it: During a particularly dreary winter, spritz it as often as needed for an instant mood boost. Bonus: After its recent reformulation, the scent is more long-lasting than ever. Per the brand, it can stay on for up to 16 hours.
- Key notes: Sicilian lemon, Granny Smith apple, cedarwood
- Sizes: 0.33 oz, 1 oz, 1.6 oz, 3.3 oz, 6.7 oz
Best Fresh: DKNY Be Delicious
Why it’s worth it: First launched in 2004, DKNY Be Delicious is an aughties classic that still smells fresh. Reportedly a fave of Emma Watson’s, the perfume looks like a crisp green apple. It smells like one, too—but it’s not a literal take on the sweet-and-tart fruit. Magnolia, tuberose, muguet, rose, and violet give the apple note a floral edge, while its base is a musky mix of sandalwood, blonde woods, white amber, and musk. By the way: If your apple preferences lean more Pink Lady than green, DKNY’s Be Delicious Orchard Street is worth a sniff. The scent wraps the rose-colored fruit with notes of jasmine, cedarwood, and pink pepper for a spicy-floral effect.
- Key notes: apple, magnolia, sandalwood
- Sizes: 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz
Frequently Asked Questions
How we test and review products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.
For our list of the best apple perfumes, we considered each product’s performance across five primary categories: product ingredients and efficacy, packaging, fragrance, texture, and product wear. Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team of in-house writers and editors, as well as contributors, along with special consideration from dermatologists. To learn more about our reporting and testing processes, read our complete reviews process and methodology page.
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Smell that? Read more about our favorite fragrances:
