As a beauty editor, I find myself thinking about perfume a lot. Not just because perusing a perfume hall is one of my favourite pastimes (who doesn't love searching for a new signature scent?) but fragrance evokes feelings that are so personal to everyone, in a way that you don't really get with makeup or skincare. At times, fragrance can be a divisive topic. I often think about the classic perfumes I've seen on my grandmother's dressing table (such as Chanel No.5 and Lancôme Trésor) or my mum's (Thierry Mugler Angel and Guerlain Shalimar). These perfumes may smell 'dated', 'old fashioned' or even a little controversial by today's standards, but at their prime, they were today's Le Labo Santal 33 or Escentric Molecules Molecule 01—they captured the zeitgeist of their era. It's interesting to think that the trending perfumes we wear now will most likely smell dated in another thirty year's time. As we know with trend cycles, whether it be in fashion of fragrance, things that were once outdated always come back into fashion.
When I asked fellow beauty editors and perfume experts on Instagram what notes smell the most dated now, it certainly drummed up some strong opinions in my DMs. While there are some perfumes ahead that we all felt are less modern nowadays, fragrance is subjective. So if you love a perfume, who are we to tell you not to wear it? However, if you do want to give a classic perfume you love an update for 2024, scroll ahead for the modern alternatives we're updating our fragrance wardrobes with.
Perfumes That Feel "Dated" In 2024
Dated Perfume Note: Rose
Out of all of the perfume notes, most agreed that this note feels the most old-fashioned. "The pure rose scents remind me of my grandma," says freelance beauty journalist, Dionne Brighton. However, if it's done in a modern way, it can feel give an entirely different vibe. "It’s hard to explain but I think rose scents these days feel lighter and modern," says freelance beauty journalist, Fani Mari. "I think the more modern rose scents feel more 'natural', like closer to the actual scent of roses in nature," she says.
Beauty experts are also in favour of rose scents combined with notes such as oud to add another dimension. "I love rose notes layered beneath contrasting oud, tobacco or pepper notes. It almost smells ‘fizzy’ on the nose thanks to the mix of smokey and powdery rose aromas," says freelance beauty journalist, Charley Williams-Howitt. "Victoria Beckham Beauty Suite 302 is a gutsy launch into fragrance—it is incredibly intoxicating with a blend of black cherry, rosa centifola and tobacco. It wraps you up in seductive Californian warmth in one single breath."
How We're Wearing Rose Now:
Even as a beauty editor who doesn't love a tonne of rose scents, I actually find myself reaching for this one a lot during the spring and summer months when I want something understated and not overly fussy. The rose note lingers in a subtle way and is given a modern twist with citrussy bergamot, smooth cedarwood and skin-like musk. There's a freshness to it that makes me feel like stepping into a florist, and this scent captures the greenness of the stalk as well as the petals of the rose.
I recently smelled this perfume on a friend at dinner and demanded to know what she was wearing as she smelled delicious. To my surprise, it's a rose scent, but it's tempered with a caramel, addictive musk and a sultry vanilla trail that makes you want to smell it again and again. I was shocked when she told me it was Zara. This is certainly not your grandmother's powdery rose perfume.
Mari favours Le Labo Rose 31, which "has a fresh spicy/woody accord," she says. Cumin, olbanum, cedar and the warmth of glowing amber keep it from veering into dated territory.
Dated Perfume Note: Vanilla
This might be a controversial one, given that we've seen more and more vanilla-based scents launching of late, but the sugar-sweet vanilla notes that headline a perfume feel a little overdone. "I'm so sick of vanilla—I know the '90s are hot right now, but all these sickly sweet scents brings back haunting memories of school discos," says beauty journalist Laura Pearson.
How We're Wearing Vanilla Now:
When it comes to vanilla scents that are artfully done, many beauty editor will point you in the direction of Diptyque Eau Duelle. The sweet vanilla note gives more of a chai latte vibe than a sugar-laced frappucino. It's the ultimate sweet scent if you love vanilla but want something that feels a little more grown-up and sophisticated.
"I think Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb does something interesting with the vanilla note," says Pearson. "It’s a sweet fragrance, but it’s not the main focus. The sweetness is undercut with a woody base, and it’s all about the florals."
Althair has become one of my favourite vanilla scents to wear in the colder months when I want my fragrance to feel like it's cocooning me. It's so smooth and sweet, but in a glowing warmth kind of way. It's a gourmand scent that conjures compliments rather than migraines.
Dated Note: Sandalwood
While we adore sandalwood, the huge popularity of Le Labo's Santal 33 means this is one perfume editors are a little bored of when it's the single star of the show in a fragrance. "Personally I’m sick of smelling Le Labo Santal 33 wherever I go," says Who What Wear copy editor, Georgia Seago.
"I love sandalwood more as base note rather than a top note," adds beauty journalist, Sidra Imtiaz. "So for instance Maison Francis Kurkdjian 724 has a brighter, more floral scent but then settles into the sandalwood with wear, rather than the immediate sandalwood of a Le Labo Santal 33, which I feel like smells a bit more obvious and one dimensional to me." she says.
How We're Wearing Sandalwood Now:
This is the ultimate in 'clean-smelling' perfumes, this musky-floral scent is airy, luminous and never overbearing. It smells like fresh laundry or the crisp coldness of the first sunny day of spring. The combination of bergamot and aldehyde top notes and the subtle sandalwood base makes this scent one that mingles in with your own skin—this is a perfume that you wear, rather than it wearing you.
I was tempted to gatekeep this one, but this is one of the most-complimented Gucci perfumes I've tried, and it's a must-try if you love woody-florals. The sandalwood note is there, but blends addictively with hypnotic vanilla, amber and ylang-ylang. I might have to claim this as a signature scent.
Another dreamy take on sandalwood is Tom Ford Cafe Rose, which deliciously combines Turkish rose and coffee into a smooth sandalwood and aromatic base which keeps it feeling modern. It makes me think of roses with coffee vapour unfurling around them. It's one of my favourite Tom Ford fragrances launches of late.
Dated Note: White Florals
Another fragrance note that cropped up was white florals, such as jasmine or tuberose. In fact, after sprtizing some scents in the Who What Wear beauty cupboard, junior beauty editor Grace Lindsay and I came to the conclusion that white florals can very easily slip into dated territory—and other beauty journalists agree.
"At times, wearing white floral scents makes me feel like I’m wearing the giant overpowering bowl of potpourri my nana used to keep in her bathroom," says Lollie Hancock, content writer at Professional Beauty. "So I tend to lean more towards fresher and lighter floral scents now that don’t induce migraines. Don’t get me wrong, when it’s done right I’m all for a tuberose note, but it needs to be balanced with something more modern for me to use it," she says.
How We're Wearing White Florals Now:
"I have two exceptions to my anti-white floral rule," says Hancock. "The first is The 7 Virtues Coconut Sun, where jasmine, frangipani and rose take a supporting role and add to the scent rather than overpowering it," she says.
"Glossier’s You is also one that the rules don’t apply to, as the scent enhances your own skin scent rather than changing or masking it, making it feel more personal," says Hancock. Many of the Who What Wear UK team count this amongst one of their favourite 'skin scents'.
Diptyque's Do Son features a triple threat of white florals (tuberose, orange blossoms and jasmine) yet it still smells utterly chic without veering into nana territory. It's one of the most complimented Diptyque perfumes in my fragrance collection.
Dated Trend: Cherry
We've seen a lot of takes on cherry notes of late, but beauty editors are a tad over the synthetic and headache-inducing sweet cherry notes. "Cherry notes tend to be so overwhelming and fake. They’re outdated," says freelance beauty journalist, Humeara Mohamed. "I tend to find cherry notes in reeeeally synthetic perfumes that are made to LAST, but I think scents are leaning more towards actual natural notes rather than emulations of natural notes. When I think of a cherry fragrance I instantly think: I’ll get a headache, and it’s more modern to move away from that kind of staying power now," she says.
How We're Wearing Cherry Notes Now:
The combination of oud takes this cherry scent away from sickly-sweet territory to unparalleled levels of sophistication with Turkish rose, musk and leather—minus the headache.
Floral Street takes black cherry and combines it with moody saffron, Centifolia rose and black violet for a rebellious take on cherry. It's a Floral Street bestseller for a reason.
If you want something seductive-smelling without being sickly sweet, I dare you to try Narcotic Delight. The cocktail of cognac, vanilla, pink pepper, tobacco and a bite of plump cherry transports you to a dark, mysterious members' club. It also contains a molecule called hedione, which activates the pleasure zones in the brain—so you know this fragrance will draw in all the compliments.
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