Most launches come and go within a season, but a select few have survived war, reformulation, regulation and every twist of fashion to become genuine classics. If our autumn fragrance edit is about what's new, this is about what lasts.
The twelve scents below span seven decades, from the aldehydic glamour of the 1920s to the unisex minimalism of the 90s, and each one either invented a category, broke a rule or captured a moment so precisely that it still smells of it. Several have been reformulated or reimagined along the way, but here are 12 iconic fragrances worth discovering, or rediscovering.
Chanel No. 5
Coco Chanel wanted a perfume that smelt of a woman rather than of a single flower, and perfumer Ernest Beaux gave her exactly that in 1921. Its lavish dose of aldehydes lent a fizzing, almost soapy sparkle unlike anything else on the market, and Marilyn Monroe sealed its legend in 1952 when she told an interviewer that a few drops of No. 5 were all she wore to bed. A century on, it remains the benchmark against which every floral is still measured.
Key notes: aldehydes, May rose, jasmine, sandalwood, vanilla
Wear it for: black-tie occasions.
SHOP NOW: 50ml, £112
Shalimar by Guerlain
A love story in a bottle. Jacques Guerlain drew inspiration from the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, for whom he built the Taj Mahal, and named the scent after the Shalimar gardens of Mughal India in 1925. Legend has it that he poured a generous slug of vanillin into a bottle of the house's Jicky just to see what would happen, and the result became the template for the entire oriental, now known as amber, family. Smoky, creamy and unapologetically sensual, it comes into its own as the evenings draw in.
Key notes: bergamot, iris, jasmine, incense, vanilla, tonka bean
Wear it for: date night and long winter dinners.
SHOP NOW: 50ml, £109
Miss Dior by Dior
Born in the same year as the New Look (1947) and fuelled by the same post-war hunger for beauty, Christian Dior's first perfume was named after his younger sister Catherine, a member of the French Resistance who survived deportation. The original was a crisp green chypre; today's Miss Dior Eau de Parfum is a softer, rosier floral. For something closer in spirit to 1947, seek out Francis Kurkdjian's Miss Dior Parfum, which was built around a deeper, fruitier jasmine modelled on the original formula.
Key notes: jasmine, rose de grasse, lily of the valley
Wear it for: weddings, garden parties and long lunches.
SHOP NOW: 50ml, £110
L’Air du Temps by Nina Ricci
Peace, bottled. Launched by Nina Ricci's son Robert just three years after the end of the Second World War, perfumer Francis Fabron's spicy floral captured a mood of gentle optimism, and in 1951 it gained its famous Lalique stopper of two doves in flight. Soft, powdery and warmed by carnation, it's the olfactory equivalent of a cashmere cardigan, and every bit as comforting.
Key notes: bergamot, peach, carnation, jasmine, rose, sandalwood, musk
Wear it for: cosy weekends and Sunday lunch with the family.
SHOP NOW: 50ml, £65
Youth Dew by Estée Lauder
The bath oil that changed how women bought perfume. In the early 50s, fragrance was largely something a husband gave his wife, so Estée Lauder sold Youth-Dew as a bath oil that doubled as a scent, giving women permission to buy it for themselves, and they did in their droves. It's spicy, resinous and impossible to miss, spritz sparingly for warmth that lingers until morning.
Key notes: orange, clove, cinnamon, rose, frankincense, patchouli, amber
Wear it for: frosty winter evenings, with a single spritz
SHOP NOW: 67ml, £62
L’Interdit by Givenchy
Forbidden, by order of Audrey Hepburn. Hubert de Givenchy asked Francis Fabron, the same nose behind L'Air du Temps above, to create a scent for his friend and muse, and when he later asked to sell it to the public, Hepburn reputedly joked that she forbade him, hence the name. The powdery original is now a fragrance collector's piece, and the L'Interdit on counters today, relaunched in 2018, is a darker white floral that keeps the name and the spirit of the original forbidden scent.
Key notes (2018 version): orange blossom, jasmine, tuberose, patchouli, vetiver
Wear it for: going straight from the office to dinner
SHOP NOW: 50ml, £125
Aromatics Elixir by Clinique
A brand known for its three-step skincare system was hardly expected to launch one of the most uncompromising perfumes of the 70s, but Clinique's first fragrance, created by Bernard Chant, did exactly that. It's a bold herbal chypre with a bitter green edge from chamomile and a mossy, rose-laden heart. It polarised consumers at the time, but if you’re a green fragrance fan it’s worth seeking out.
Key notes: chamomile, rose, jasmine, patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver
Wear it for: autumn workwear and days that call for a little armour
SHOP NOW: 45ml, £62
Opium by Yves Saint Laurent
Scandal sells, and Yves Saint Laurent knew it. The name alone provoked protests, the 1978 New York launch party aboard a tall ship has passed into fashion folklore, and the 2000 advertisement featuring a reclining Sophie Dahl drew a flood of complaints in Britain. Created by Jean Amic and Jean-Louis Sieuzac, it's a heady swirl of spice and resin; today's version has been lightened considerably, but the drama is still there.
Key notes: mandarin, clove, myrrh, patchouli, vanilla, amber
Wear it for: Christmas parties and nights when you want to be noticed
SHOP NOW: 50ml, £105
Anaïs Anaïs by Cacharel
For a generation of women, this was the first grown-up perfume, usually unwrapped on a birthday and worn to within an inch of its life. Cacharel's debut fragrance came in an opaline white bottle printed with flowers, and its clean, green white floral of lily and hyacinth smells as innocent today as it did then. Light and pretty, it's a lovely way back into the classics for anyone looking for a light, day floral.
Key notes: blackcurrant bud, hyacinth, lily, jasmine, orange blossom, sandalwood
Wear it for: spring days and the office
SHOP NOW: 100ml, £71
Poison by Dior
Few perfumes have been banned from restaurants, but in the 1980s some US establishments reportedly asked diners not to wear Poison, so powerful was its trail. Perfumer Édouard Fléchier paired heady tuberose with dark plum and spice, and housed the lot in that unmistakable purple apple of a bottle. It's the olfactory equivalent of shoulder pads, and a light touch on the wrists is all you need.
Key notes: plum, coriander, cinnamon, tuberose, incense, amber
Wear it for: big nights out and black-tie
SHOP NOW: 50ml, £95
Angel by Mugler
The perfume that invented gourmand. Thierry Mugler's debut fragrance, created by Olivier Cresp and Yves de Chiris, set candyfloss, caramel and praline against a hefty dose of earthy patchouli, effectively inventing the gourmand family that dominates counters today. Its blue star bottle was also designed to be refilled, decades before refills became fashionable. Love it or loathe it, nothing smells quite like it.
Key notes: bergamot, red berries, honey, caramel, praline, patchouli, vanilla
Wear it for: cosy winter weekends and fireside nights in
SHOP NOW: 50ml, £97
CK One by Calvin Klein
One bottle, two people. Calvin Klein's citrus-fresh scent, created by Alberto Morillas and Harry Fremont, made unisex fragrance mainstream, and Steven Meisel's black-and-white campaign starring a waifish Kate Moss defined the decade's minimalist aesthetic. Clean, crisp and easy to wear, it's as at home in a gym bag as on a Monday morning, and it still smells as fresh as the 90s felt.
Key notes: bergamot, cardamom, pineapple, green tea, jasmine, musk
Wear it for: workwear, weekends and sharing with your other half
SHOP NOW: 50ml, £38
Classic Perfumes From The 1920s To The 90s
What are the most famous classic perfumes of all time?
The most famous classic perfumes include Chanel No. 5 (1921), Guerlain Shalimar (1925), Miss Dior (1947), Nina Ricci L'Air du Temps (1948), Estée Lauder Youth-Dew (1953), Givenchy L'Interdit (1957), Clinique Aromatics Elixir (1971), Yves Saint Laurent Opium (1977), Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs (1978), Dior Poison (1985), Mugler Angel (1992) and CK One (1994).
What perfume did Marilyn Monroe wear?
Marilyn Monroe famously wore Chanel No. 5. In a 1952 interview she said that a few drops of Chanel No. 5 were all she wore to bed, a remark that became one of the most celebrated moments in fragrance history. Chanel No. 5 was created by perfumer Ernest Beaux and launched in 1921.
What perfume was created for Audrey Hepburn?
Givenchy L'Interdit was created in 1957 for Audrey Hepburn by perfumer Francis Fabron, at the request of her friend Hubert de Givenchy. The name means 'forbidden', reputedly because Hepburn joked that she forbade its sale to the public. The L'Interdit sold today was relaunched in 2018 and is a different white floral scent.
Are classic perfumes the same as the original versions?
Not always. Many classic perfumes, including Miss Dior, Givenchy L'Interdit and Yves Saint Laurent Opium, have been reformulated or reimagined since launch, partly because of changing regulations on ingredients such as oakmoss. The names may be the same, but today's versions can smell noticeably different from the originals.
What was the first gourmand perfume?
Mugler Angel, launched in 1992 and created by Olivier Cresp and Yves de Chiris, is widely credited as the first gourmand perfume. It combined sweet, edible-smelling notes such as caramel, praline and honey with patchouli, creating the dessert-like fragrance family that remains popular today.
Which classic perfume is best for a date night?
Guerlain Shalimar and Yves Saint Laurent Opium are two of the best classic perfumes for a date night. Both are warm, rich amber fragrances with notes of vanilla and spice, designed to be sensual and long-lasting. For something lighter, Miss Dior Parfum offers a jasmine-led alternative.
Which classic perfume is good for everyday or office wear?
CK One and Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs are among the most wearable classic perfumes for everyday and office wear. CK One is a fresh, unisex citrus scent with green tea and musk, while Anaïs Anaïs is a light white floral with lily and hyacinth. Both are subtle enough not to overwhelm colleagues.
How should I test a vintage or classic perfume before buying?
Test classic perfumes on your skin rather than on a paper blotter, and wait several hours before deciding, as the base notes of rich fragrances such as Shalimar and Aromatics Elixir develop over time. Buying a travel size or sample first is a sensible way to try a classic scent before committing to a full bottle.
