There is one brand, in my opinion, that knows how to create a popular perfume better than anybody else. Dior perfumes are, hands down, some of the most well loved, adored and purchased in the world. Sure, the brand knows a thing or two about what makes the best perfumes the best, but beyond that, Dior is a brand that knows how to make women feel great—and this is a unique talent that really shows in its fragrance offering.
I am a beauty editor who has dedicated my entire adult life to trying to understand what makes a great scent a classic perfume. And while there are plenty of fragrance houses around who know exactly what they need to do to produce a hit, the je ne sais quois that Dior fragrances possess can't be likened to anything else. While Chanel perfumes have a longevity and richness that can't be mimicked, and Diptyque fragrances manifest a wearability unlike any others around, Dior's specialty lies in its ability to produce scents that draw people to you like a magnet.
It won't surprise you to know that I wear a different perfume almost every day—I am constantly switching things up to see how certain scents make me feel and how other people react when I where them. Despite the fact my perfume collection requires its own floor-to-ceiling storage solution, I don't keep hold of every fragrance I try. And yet, as I stand in front on my fragrance wardrobe, it's impossible not to notice the sheer number of Dior perfumes on the shelves. From classic floral scents, like Miss Dior, and fresh fragrances, like New Look, to summer perfumes à la Eden-Roc and Dioriviera, Dior is, hands down, my most worn fragrance brand.
Why? Well because my main marker for what makes a great perfume is how many compliments I receive when I wear it. It needs to make me feel great while also inciting interest and intrigue from others. When I spend three figures on a fragrance, I want everyone around me to love it, too—and for them to tell me. And this is the thing Dior perfumes do better than any other.
And while the brand has hundreds of perfumes under its belt (with over 70 different scents available at the time of writing this), I have spent many, many months identifying the best Dior perfumes out there. I have spritzed myself silly in as many Dior fragrances as I could get my hands on, noted my response, noted the response of those around me and, ultimately, decided that these 16 Dior perfumes are up there with the best fragrances ever made.
1. Dior Miss Dior
It's unlikely you need me to tell you why Miss Dior Eau de Parfum might just be the best perfume Dior has ever made. The original Miss Dior was the first perfume Christian Dior himself ever created all the way back in 1947, but its punchy nature doesn't transpire well in the 21st century. So, considering Miss Dior is a perfume that is supposed to reflect the beauty and joy of youth, Miss Dior Eau de Parfum was released in 2021—and boy oh boy did Dior nail it.
Miss Dior Eau de Parfum is the sort of crowd-pleasing fruity floral that stops anyone and everyone in their tracks as soon as they smell it. It hits the skin with an uplifting juiciness before settling down into a creamy gourmand that lingers on clothes and skin for hours after first spritz. Whenever someone tells me they're looking for a new signature perfume or are looking to buy a wearable, versatile scent for a loved one that will work for day or night, I send them straight to Miss Dior.
2. Dior J'adore
J'adore was the first ever luxury perfume I owned at the ripe age of 11—and this is a fact that should give you some idea of how high my perfume standards have been my whole life. To this day, J'adore is still one of my most cherished perfumes. It is clean-smelling, opulent, powdery and soapy. It is, no doubt, a white floral scent as its heart, but it has a sort of freshly-washed-skin aroma that keeps you going back for more. To me, it's like you've just washed your hands with a very luxe, expensive soap that works into a thick, rich lather, dried them off on fresh fluffy towels and then covered them in a floral-scented powder.
3. Dior La Collection Privée Dior New Look
New Look was a new introduction from the brand for 2024, and it has proved one of my most worn perfumes of the year. It has a sharp, teeth-clenchingly fresh hit of aldehydes—which if you aren't familiar, have a sharp, clean, soapy, somewhat metallic aroma. New Look is all sharp lines and clean-cut finishes, proving inexpicably fresh and moreish without a hint of bubbly fizz or lathered soapiness. It is crisp, biting and incomparably luxe.
4. Dior Miss Dior Parfum
I know I have already mentioned that Miss Dior Eau de Parfum is, as it stands, the best overall Dior perfume, but the Parfum is nipping at its heels for top spot. Although it is one of the more recent Dior fragrance launches, Miss Dior Parfum is like the older, more mature sister to the Eau de Parfum. It is brimming with deep, fruity jasmine and has a sexy edge that makes you want to nuzzle your nose right into it. If you're heading out on a date night, Miss Dior Parfum should be your only choice.
5. Dior La Collection Privée Dior Eden-Roc
Antibe's iconic Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc is the physical representation of the old-money glamour of the French Riviera, and this fragrance is an ode to that iconic hotel, adored by Christian Dior himself. For this reason, it won't surprise you to learn that it smells like carefree summertime joy, like salty waves rippling onto tree-lined coasts. It is sunlit and sparkling, but not in a creamy, solar perfume sort of way, rather it is fresh, cooling and luxe.
5. Dior J'adore L'Or
You know how I mentioned that Miss Dior was given a new lease of life in 2021? Well, consider Francis Kurkdjian's iteration of J'adore the same sort of thing. J'adore L'Or brings the classic fragrance into the modern day—it is punchy, intense and more obviously floral than the classic, making it a warming, creamy delight for anyone who finds the original J'adore to be too powdery for their tastes. Whenever I wear L'Or, I'm guaranteed a compliment from my husband.
7. Dior Joy
Despite the amount of advertising and marketing I see around Joy, I must admit that I don't see a lot of talk around it. Truthfully, I don't know anyone who wears it, and up until very recently, I didn't keep it in my collection. Despite its youthful, carefree image, Joy is actually a very mature fragrance. I say this for a few reasons: 1. It is punchy and has the sort of longevity you struggle to find in modern-day scents. 2. It is multi-faceted and complex in a way that 21st century perfumes don't tend to be—pulling out any single note is near-on impossible. 3. It is unapologetically shimmering, sparkling, radiant and traditionally feminine. It is a rare scent in a sea of stripped-back simplicity in 2024, and for that reason, I adore it.
8. Dior La Collection Privée Dior Dioriviera
When I first heard about Dior's plans to launch Dioriviera, I was confused. Why oh why would they launch another Riviera-themed scent when Eden-Roc is just so perfect? But then I smelled it and everything fell into place. If Eden-Roc is like a freshly-pressed linen suit worn to breakfast, Dioriviera is a bright, crochet two-piece worn to the beach club. It is juicy, creamy and dripping in sticky, sun-drenched goodness.
9. Dior La Collection Privée Dior Jasmin Des Anges
While I personally adore a white floral fragrance (making jasmine a favourite note of mine), I totally understand that the intense, velvety and creamy nature of them isn't for everyone. Jasmine des Anges, however, is the jasmine perfume for those who prefer their fragrances to have a sweet bite. It is creamy, sure, but the addition of sticky apricots and syrupy honey give it a steamy, sun-warmed finish that make it feel gummy on the skin—the perfect sweet addition to any summer's day.
10. Dior La Collection Privée Dior Lucky
Lucky, arguably, competes with New Look as my favourite Dior perfume out there. The reason it's not at the top of this list is because I need to stay true to my journalistic core and judge each of these perfumes in an unbiased way. You see, fresh and crunchy green perfumes are my thing, and Lucky tends to my wants and needs masterfully. It is notably sweet and uplifting without being saccharine, while a juicy crunch comes bursting through like freshly-cut bouquet stems. It is impossible to smell Lucky and not smile.
11. Dior Addict
When I revisited this fragrance recently it was like a pure hit of nostalgia. Dior Addict smells like every department store in the late noughties and, for me as a millennial, is the smell of Dior. This juicy amber floral was a mainstay in every clutch bag in every club across the UK thanks to its endearing, moreish nature—making it easy to see where it got its name. It smells like make-up, glamour, freedom and a really great night out. And, although it might seem a little retro in spirit, actually I think now is the time for a great Dior Addict comeback. It is warming, inviting and sits close to the skin (as all great vanilla scents do), but there is a peppery, palatable modernity to it that makes it odd, different and intriguing—the blueprint for fragrant success in 2024.
12. Dior La Collection Privée Dior Rouge Trafalgar
Now here is a Dior perfume that simply does not get enough airtime. It is, in my opinion, one of the most perfect fruity perfumes out there and is a year-round hit. In autumn, it is like taking a forest walk where berries are crushed under foot, seeping out their crisp, sticky juices onto surrounding greenery. In spring, it is like foraging for ripe fruits in a field of wildflowers. Sweet and moreish, Rouge Trafalgar is good, clean fun.
13. Dior Collection Privée Dior Gris Dior
Gris Dior is a polarising scent, I'll grant you that. If you aren't a fan of what I like to call velvety scents – that is perfumes that possess a deep, powdery smoothness – then look away now. Gris Dior isn't creamy or sweet, nor is it it smoky or dark—it sits somewhere between the two, much like the colour grey does between white and black. For me, it is the violet that shines through brightest, delivering a welcoming skin-like element, while rose and oakmoss give it a sillage that holds its own. Gris Dior is a personal favourite of mine, and it's guaranteed to incite interest.
14. Dior Hypnotic Poison
While I'm the first to admit that Dior's classic power perfume, Poison, doesn't really have much of a place in the modern day, some of the brand's iterations of it certainly do—and Hypnotic Poison is one of them. (As is my long-time favourite Pure Poison, but that didn't make this list as I don't believe it to be crowd-pleasing enough for everyone.) I simply cannot get enough of this perfume whenever I smell it. It is chocolatey, creamy, milky and warming, while bitter almond gives it a sharp nutty bite that makes it totally intoxicating. If one Dior perfume is going to make you love drunk, it's Hypnotic Poison.
15. Dior La Collection Privée Dior Ambre Nuit
I am not somebody who counts amber perfumes as favourites, but that's not to say I don't appreciate their beauty. Typically, amber perfumes give me a bit of a headache, meaning I don't find them particularly easy to wear. Ambre Nuit, however, is in a league of its own. It doesn't possess any of that usual heady, boozy spiciness. Instead, it champions a light, fresh, juicy rose that is shrouded in a plume of sweet, wispy, comforting ambergris. One spritz of Ambre Nuit is so welcoming that it will have everybody wanting to confide in you.
16. Dior La Collection Privée Dior Oud Isaphan
As with any oud fragrance, Oud Isaphan is not for the faint hearted but that's not to say it is your typical oud perfume, either. I could write reviews of any given oud perfume in my sleep: animalic, deep, smoky, spicy, intense, leathery, like meandering through a Middle Eastern perfume souk at dusk. And yet, Oud Isaphan is none of that. The star of the show, once again, is rose—a smoky, intense, escapist sort of rose that makes you eyes roll into the back of your head. But around the rose is a spicy silkiness that is brimming with expense. If you like your perfume to smell like you're dripping in money and extravagance, Oud Isaphan is it.
