11 Under-$100 Perfumes That’ll Make You Smell Like a Rich Girl

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Anyone who’s ever walked through the beauty section of a department store knows how overwhelming shopping for a new fragrance can be. An earnest intention to test various options can quickly turn into a video game–esque challenge of dodging errant spritzes from overzealous salespeople. And that’s just what happens if you’re shopping in person. Browsing online, where the offerings are virtually endless and don’t have a price ceiling, can cause even more stress. Well, good news: To help guide your pursuit for a new signature scent that won’t break the bank, we tested some of the most popular affordable perfumes—all under $100—and are happy to report that they don’t smell cheap.

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Best Cheap Perfumes at a Glance

• Best Overall: Glossier You, $82
• Best Citrus: Ouai Dean Street , $64
• Best Floral: Quince Néroli Soleil, $50
• Best Day-to-Night: Fine’ry The New Rouge , $28 (originally $30)
• Best Vanilla: By Rosie Jane Dulce, $73 (originally $86)
• Best Gourmand: Phlur Cherry Stem, $99
• Best Gender-Neutral: Dossier Citrus Tea , $49
• Best Celebrity: Cosmic by Kylie Jenner, $84 
• Best Budget: Bath & Body Works Covered in Roses, $19
• Best Multipurpose: Salt & Stone Saffron & Cedar , $45
• Best Oil: CYKLAR Sex Musk , $24

Which ingredients should I look for in a cheap perfume?

As for how a fragrance can make you smell expensive without actually costing very much? It’s really all about that base, says Octavia Morgan, a fragrance expert and founder of the genderless beauty brand Octavia Morgan Los Angeles. Base notes, that is. “Look for ingredients like amber, sandalwood, patchouli, tonka bean, musk, or cashmere woods,” says Morgan. “These are what make a scent last and feel dimensional. I also love natural Madagascar vanilla, resins, and warm woods, which add richness without overwhelming the senses. Even at a more affordable price point, the craftsmanship and balance of these deeper notes are what create that long-lasting, expensive scent experience.”

Which ingredients should I avoid in a cheap perfume?

Another helpful hint for selecting an affordable fragrance you’ll love is to check out the ingredients list. Even if a fragrance features those winning base notes that Morgan outlined, a formulation that relies heavily on synthetics or alcohols may be a red flag for smelling cheap. “A synthetic version of a fine natural material may lack nuance or depth, making the fragrance feel flatter or less refined,” says Isaac Lekach, a fragrance expert and cofounder of Flower Shop Perfumes Co. Ultimately, though, Morgan’s top tip for selecting an affordable perfume you’ll love has nothing to do with price. “Trust how a scent makes you feel,” she says. “Luxury isn’t about the price tag—it’s about the emotion and story it evokes every time you wear it.”

Now that you know what to search for and what to steer clear of in affordable fragrances, keep scrolling to discover the best cheap perfumes that we tried, tested, and recommend.

The Best Cheap Perfumes for Under $100, According to Editors

Best Overall

Glossier You

$82 Buy Now at Sephora

$82 Buy Now at Glossier

Glossier’s You has had a stronghold on affordable fragrance lovers basically since its 2017 launch. Functioning as a magic potion of sorts, its pink pepper base aims to elevate your natural scent, which also means it’ll smell a little different on every person, lending it a nifty layer of olfactory nuance. To me, it smells cozy, feminine, and woodsy—but not in a thick campfirey way. I appreciate its subtlety and the way it sticks all day.

Bonus points for the chic bottle with an indentation where the thumb goes while holding it. And, if you decide You isn’t for, er, you, one of the other three scents in the series—You Rêve, You Doux, or You Fleur—may be.

Top: Pink pepper
Middle: Iris
Base: Ambrette, ambrox

Best Citrus

Ouai Dean Street

$64 Buy Now on Amazon

$64 Buy Now at Sephora

$64 Buy Now at Ulta

$64 Buy Now at Revolve

I had a feeling I’d like Dean Street as soon as I held the sturdy, well-designed bottle. Upon removing the magnetic lid and spritzing my wrist, my hunch proved correct. The light, not-even-a-bit-overpowering fragrance impressively holds floral, citrusy, and fresh notes that last throughout the day. It bills itself as being a mood-boosting option for jet-setters, and while I didn’t wear Dean Street on a flight, after applying it at 9 a.m. and moving about a busy day, I could still smell some lovely hints of it at 5 p.m. 

Top: Citrus, apricot
Middle: Rose
Base: Magnolia, amber, musk

Best Floral

Quince Néroli Soleil

$50 Buy Now at Quince

With base notes of tonka bean and musk—two scents Morgan pointed out as long-lasting and dimensional—Quince’s floral Néroli Soleil is a light, feminine, and sophisticated-smelling floral fragrance that aims to evoke the feeling of frolicking freely in the sun. A convincing dupe for the boldly floral Yves Saint Laurent Libre at nearly a third of the price, you’ll still feel expensive wearing this elevated fragrance, which is formulated without sulfates, parabens, or phthalates. It’ll also elevate your nightstand with its cool-girl bottle made up of a clear vial and an opaque black spherical lid. And if you don’t like it? No sweat—Quince offers free returns for a year.

Top: Bergamot, lavender
Middle: Orange blossom flower, jasmine
Base: Tonka bean, musk, cedar

Best Day-to-Night

fine’ry The New Rouge

On Sale 7% off

$28 Buy Now on Amazon

$37 Buy Now at Target

Fine’ry, a vegan and cruelty-free line exclusively sold at Target, aims to provide accessible luxury to fragrance lovers. And, spoiler alert: it delivers. After I spritzed The New Rouge on my wrists and neck, my husband turned around and asked if I was wearing new clothes. Why? He thought I smelled like a fancy boutique. The scent’s saffron and woody notes make it an excellent dupe for Baccarat Rouge 540 ($355). The New Rouge evokes opulence, lavishness, and extravagance, and its longevity of wear without fading makes it a great day-to-night option.

Top: Golden saffron
Middle: Amber resin
Base: Sandalwood

Best Vanilla

By Rosie Jane Dulce

$86 Buy Now on Amazon

$86 Buy Now at Sephora

$73 Buy Now at Nordstrom

With sophisticated, layered vanilla as one of 2025’s top fragrance trends, wearing By Rosie Jane Dulce is a smart way to smell of the moment while staying kind to your wallet. The warm, comforting scent that blends the familiar sweetness of vanilla with a hint of woody earthiness aims to evoke “long kisses, mixtapes, and sweet dreams”—and who doesn’t want to smell like that?  

Top: Vanilla bean, brown sugar
Middle: Vanilla flower, dulce de leche
Base: Sugar cane, gilded amber, tonka bean

Best Gourmand

Phlur Cherry Stem

$99 Buy Now at Sephora

$99 Buy Now at Revolve

Thanks to elevated fragrances like Phlur Cherry Stem, you don’t have to worry about your gourmand scent making you smell like a full-on fruit salad. This fragrance’s unique, elevated, and decidedly not-sweet take on a cherry perfume pulls in warmth from woody and leather base notes. It also includes floral and bright, yet also savory notes of freesia, jasmine, and plum nectar. The overall effect is a sophisticated, nuanced fragrance that’s elevated and expensive-smelling. The sturdy bottle with a magnetic lid is the… cherry on top.

Top: Black cherry, orange brandy
Middle: Red freesia, sugared jasmine, plum nectar
Base: Ebony woods, warm caramel, soft leather accord

Best Gender-Neutral

Dossier Citrus Tea

$49 Buy Now on Amazon

$49 Buy Now at Dossier

Herbaceous, citrusy, and woody, Dossier Citrus Tea is a lovely gender-neutral scent—another top 2025 fragrance trend. It’s also a solid dupe for Le Labo Thé Noir 29 Eau de Parfum. When you mist Dossier Citrus Tea, expect notes of bergamot, fig, black tea, bay leaf, tobacco, jasmine, vetiver, cedar wood, musk, hay, peach, and incense—but at a fraction of the cost of the Le Labo bottle.

Top: Bergamot, fig, black tea
Middle: Bay leaf, tobacco, jasmine, vetiver
Base: Cedarwood, musk, hay, peach, incense

Best Celebrity

Cosmic by Kylie Jenner

$84 Buy Now at Ulta

If you’re prone to picking a book by its cover, allow us to suggest Cosmic by Kyle Jenner for its packaging. The sculptural vial is basically a work of art in its own right, and once you spritz it on, it’ll leave you smelling of its pleasantly savory, amber floral scent. It’s one of our favorite new fragrances of the year. 

Top: Star jasmine, blood orange
Middle: Golden amber, red peony
Base: Vanilla musk, cedarwood

Best Budget

Bath & Body Works Covered in Roses

$19 Buy Now

For under $20—and sometimes on sale for less than $6—you can’t go wrong with giving this Bath & Body Works fragrance a shot. Not only will you get serious bang for your buck with this TikTok-trending fragrance, but many folks also consider it a dupe of the much pricier Delina by Parfums de Marly. The floral notes are nice and not at all overpowering, and you could certainly do much worse for an amount that costs less than an actual bouquet of roses.

Top: Ruby berries
Middle: Sugared rosebuds
Base: Blush amber

Best Multipurpose

Salt & Stone Saffron & Cedar

$45 Buy Now on Amazon

$45 Buy Now at Sephora

$45 Buy Now at Revolve

“Salt & Stone kindly sent me a bottle of this body and hair mist, and I liked it so much that I recently restocked on my own dime. While it’s on the lighter side, it’s meant to amplify your fragrance combo, so I layer it with CYKLAR’s Sex Musk and Commodity’s Juice. What I also love about this spritz is that you can apply it to your hair. I spray Salt & Stone’s mist on my wrists, neck, and in my strands so I can add a hint of saffron all over. I also appreciate how, at least to me, this scent leans sweet and ambery instead of woody. It has earned a clear spot in my year-round daily perfume routine.” — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster commerce editor

Top: Saffron, neroli
Heart: Jasmine, oakmoss, surf wax
Base: Sugar cane, cedarwood

Best Oil

CYKLAR Sex Musk

$24 Buy Now on Amazon

$24 Buy Now at Sephora

$24 Buy Now At CYKLAR

“When layering scents, it could be smart to introduce new formats, like a perfume oil. I found my perfect match in CYKLAR’s Sex Musk, which is an intoxicatingly warm and spicy scent. I roll a little on my wrists and beneath both ears, and if my collarbones or shoulders are out, on them, too. And if I don’t want to do my whole three-step perfume routine, I’ll stick to just this oil. Somehow, some way, this musky, floral scent pairs incredibly well with my fruity Juice by Commodity and my sweet Saffron & Cedar by Salt & Stone . All I can say is I hope CYKLAR makes this scent in more of its formulas, like a body wash and lotion. It’s become one of my ride-or-die fragrances!” — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster commerce editor

Top: Timur Nepal, rose, jasmine
Mid: Orris, tonka bean, vanilla infusion
Dry: Patchouli, musk, amber

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