15 signature scents and fragrances worth gifting this holiday season

From reimagined classics to the latest launches, these signature scents and fragrances garner our stamp of approval.

signature scents for the holidays
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Historians have difficulty indicating the precise time of when aromatherapy began, but for at least 6,000 years, ancient Egyptians dosed themselves in fragrances to cure ailments and connect to spiritual Gods. 

Fortunately for us, technology has enhanced, and we no longer have to handmake these signature scents (there are now factories to do that). Though, the one thing that still rings true? Signature scents are still a preferred method of healing. 

Our relationship with specific scents is powerful; locating the right aroma can drastically enhance our mood, increase a room's vibe, and even penetrate a distinct part of our persona. 

There are universal substances such as lavender and chamomile that will make you zen as the best yoga mat, while vanillas are essential for comfort, and when you're searching for a fragrance that's so precisely you? That takes a bit of research. 

You must narrow down your search: are you in search of something timeless and classic or a signature scent that's new and trendy? Or perhaps you are neither? In that case, we're here to help, and in doing so, have narrowed down the search — and did so just in time for the holiday season. 

From floral fragrances to musky aromas, these are the 15 signature scents to boost everyone's moods — from loved ones to friends — this holiday season. 

15 signature scents and fragrances worth investing in this holiday season

1. Yves Saint Laurent, Libre

Signature scents

(Image credit: Sephora)

Yves Saint Laurent, Libre Eau De Parfum starting at $80, at Sephora

Let us introduce you to the new fragrance of freedom, YSL's Libre. This signature scent combines lavender essence from France with the sensuality of Moroccan orange blossom; for a unique floral fusion complemented by a daring note of musk accords. 

2. Vikor & Rolf, Flowerbomb

signature scents

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Viktor&Rolf, Flowerbomb starting at $85, at Sephora

This veritable garden party in a bottle is an intoxicating fragrance for women, offering an enchanting whirl of cattleya, jasmine, and rose perfumes. Grounded in patchouli and vanilla, Flowerbomb is the highly addictive aroma of voluptuous sensuality and glamour. 


3. Burberry Brit

signature scents

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Burberry Brit Eau de Parfum starting at $85, at Sephora

This luscious and addictive candied-floral perfume is exquisite. You'll take in notes of crisp, icy pear mixed with sugared almond and intense vanilla. Aside from being known for its iconic bottle, it's also been one of my personal favorites since birth. 

4. Dolce & Gabbana, Light Blue

signature scents

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Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau de Toilette starting at $82, at Sephora

This fresh and floral scent reflects the desire of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Sicilian cedar mixes with the freshness of the green apple and the botanical allure and spontaneity of the bluebell, as the top note captures the heart of a sunny South Italian summer.

5. Tom Ford, Tobacco Vanille

signature scents

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Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille starting at $155, at Sephora

This scent reinvents traditional tobacco with smooth tonka bean, vanilla, cocoa, dry fruit accords, and luscious wood sap for a contemporary, opulent, and intoxicating idea of confidence and influence.

6. Chanel N°5

signature scents

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Chanel N°5 L’EAU starting at $82, at Sephora

The Eau de Parfum draws influence from the Parfum, with which it bestows its floral aldehyde signature. This floral bouquet is fashioned around May Rose and Jasmine that highlights bright citrus top notes. Aldehydes create a unique bearing, while the creamy touch of Bourbon Vanilla leaves an astonishingly sensual path. Specifically tailored to smell like no other perfume, this signature scent is the very essence of femininity and complexion. 

7. Chloé Eau de Parfum

signature scents

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Chloé Eau de Parfum staring at $79, at Sephora

The Chloé Eau de Parfum opens with a combination of botanical, powdery notes: hints of peony, lychee, and springtime freesia. The spacious, flirtatious head note drifts away to reveal a bountiful, more sensual side of the rose. This peculiar quality is accompanied by magnolia and lily of the valley, in addition to subtle reminders of warm amber and the most elegant cedarwood. 

8. Lancôme, Idôle Eau de Parfum 

signature scents

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Lancôme, Idôle Eau de Parfum starting at $59, at Sephora

Refined yet unapologetically modern, this fresh and floral scent bursts alongside notes of citrus, rose, jasmine, and white musk and is layered atop a vanilla core.

9. Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Baccarat Rouge 540 

signature scents

(Image credit: Saks Fifth Avenue)

Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Baccarat Rouge 540 starting at $300, at Saks Fifth Avenue

Luminescent and refined, Baccarat Rouge 540 sets on the skin like an amber, floral, and woody breeze, creating poetic alchemy. 

10. Gucci, Bloom Gocce di Fiori Eau de Toilette

signature scents

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Gucci Bloom Gocce di Fiori Eau de Toilette for $115, at Nordstrom

Blended to convey the budding first days of the season and the heightened rush of promise in everything new, Gocce di Fiori is a delicate scent rendition of Gucci Bloom. Fragile and effortless —like the raindrops that fall in spring — this signature scent is a simple, raw redaction of the brand's original version. 


11. philosophy, Amazing Grace Eau de Toilette

signature scents

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philosophy Amazing Grace Eau de Toilette for $52, at Sephora

Welcome your grace and display your delicacy with this signature scent. The brand's best-selling fragrance includes notes of embracing bergamot to greet the senses, irresistibly soft, clean Muguet blossoms, and remaining musk with its timeless elegance.

12. Maison Margiela 'Replica' Beach Walk Eau de Toilette

signature scents

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Maison Margiela 'Replica' Beach Walk Eau de Toilette starting at $130, at Sephora

The fragrance of salt air, the perfume of sunscreen, the glow of sunkissed skin, this perfume evokes the memory of endless summer days with the radiant notes of bergamot, lemon, heliotrope, coconut milk, and musk.

13. Nest Fragrances Black Tulip Eau de Parfum Spray

signature scents

(Image credit: Saks Fifth Avenue)

Nest Fragrances Black Tulip Eau de Parfum for $76, at Saks Fifth Avenue

This seductive scent blends the sensuality of Japanese violet and Indonesian jasmine and pairing it with the creaminess of patchouli and the freshness of pink peppercorn. As the black amber plum and black cherry come to fruition, the two bring forth a dark fruity accord to create a sultry aroma.


14. Jo Malone London, Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne

signature scents

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Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne starting at $72, at Sephora

Escape every day grind along the windswept shore where white waves break, and the air is fresh with sea salt and spray. Bustling with a mineral aroma of mountainous cliffs, blended with the woody earthiness of sage, this cologne is uplifting and joyful. 


15. diptyque Essences Insensées

signature scents

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diptyque Essences Insensées for $250, at Nordstrom

Diptyque extolled the majesty of this solar flower in a distinguished bottle radiating light, as the Tiare flower blossoms throughout when sprayed. 


Still, want more? Check out more signature scents below: 

  • Guerlain Les Parisiennes Baiser de Russie Eau de Parfum
  • Ouai Melrose Place Eau De Parfum
  • Bvlgari Eau Parfumee Au The Blanc
Brittany Romano

Brittany Romano is Future's U.S. Shopping Editor, residing on the Upper East Side in New York City. From her start as a freelance fashion market assistant at Marie Claire to building a highly profitable commerce vertical at Us Weekly and AMI brands, Brittany has produced award-winning content covering everything from celebrity beauty hacks to must-have items from online sales. She is a graduate of New England College. When she isn't writing, you can spot her on Fifth Avenue lusting over the yet-another Chanel bag, making a stylish statement on her velvet couch (in the most luxurious sleepwear), or at a Boston Bruins game, in her signature So Kate Louboutins. 


Follow her on Instagram at @ItsBrittanyRomano