20 Best French Perfume Brands

French perfume brands are not only popular in France region, but they have also created a legacy worldwide. France is renowned for its perfume industry and known as the capital of perfumes. There are several reasons behind the success of French perfumeries. The main factor of this is that making aromas is like an art for them. Their knowledge, innovation, and creativity lead them to develop unique perfumes by experimenting with new fragrance combinations.

However, many French perfume houses positioned themselves as a luxury and global brand. They are acknowledged as experts in fragrance formulas crafted with high-end ingredients. It is the home of numerous world-famous French fragrance houses i.e. Dior, Diptyque, etc.

In this article, we will learn about the 20 best French perfume brands.

List Of 20 Best French Perfume Brands

1. Chanel

Chanel is a beauty brand that offers a wide range of perfumes. This French fashion brand was founded by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in the year 1910. Chanel is very famous for crafting iconic and classic products. This luxury brand has a wide range of fashion and fragrance products. A few of its best-selling fragrances are Chanel No. 5, Coco Mademoiselle, Allure, Les Exclusifs de Chanel, etc.

2. Dior

Christian Dior founded Dior in 1946. It is a luxury fashion brand that has a significant presence in the perfume industry. The modern and sophisticated fragrance attracts many people, as well as its identifiable shapely bottle. The perfume has top notes of fruits, middle notes are lead to spicy floral, and base notes end with woody and vanilla notes.

3. Mugler

Mugler is a French perfume brand, founded by a famous French perfumer, Thierry Mugler. This brand has a reputed name in the fashion and fragrance industry. This company is known for changing the world of perfume with its amazing and signature aromas. A French group, L’Oreal acquired this brand in the year 2019. A few famous personalities who are fans of Mugler’s perfumes are Bella Hadid, Megan Fox, etc.

4. Hermes

Hermes is one of the most famous luxury brands in the world, with a history dating back to 1837. It has long been synonymous with sophistication and specialty. Their entry into the world is proof of their loyalty to its quality and artistry. People can enjoy the top notes of this perfume with grapefruit and orange, the heart notes with pelargonium and black pepper, and the base notes with benzoin and vetiver.

5. Memo Paris

The Memo Paris brand was launched in 2007 by John and his wife Clara Molloy in the Parisian fragrance house. This fragrance house sees the fragrance in its journey and creates its identity around magical destinations and powerful raw materials. It has an illustrious history of 15 years with 57 perfumes in its database.

6. Aerin

Aerin is one of the most luxurious fashion brands inclined by the signature style of its creator Aerin Lauder, and it was manufactured in 2012 to bring effortless style and beauty to the residences of women all over the world.

7. Goutal

Goutal is a famous fragrance brand, it was created by Annick Goutal her first signature perfume in 1981, with a touch of tomato leaf. This brand fragrance is doubtless the best fragrance ever (for women).

8. Maison Margiela

Maison Margiela is a popular French fashion house. The name of this perfume is taken from its founders Martin Margiela and Jenny Meirens. Along with fashion accessories, this brand is also popular for making high-quality perfumes. They are famous for creating unique traditional to modern aromas. A few best-selling perfumes by Maison Margiela perfumery are Mutiny, At The Barber’s, By the Fireplace, etc.

9. Parfums de Marly

Parfums de Marly is a well-known and well-settled name in the perfume industry. They manufacture amazing fragrances and follow French elegance in their products. However, this brand is known for making high-end perfumes but expensive, because of the ingredients they use for making perfumes. Parfums de Marly mainly craft designer perfumes, which are usually made with expensive pure and natural ingredients. But all of their fragrance is well worth the selling price.

10. Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) is a French perfume brand, sometimes known as Saint Laurent. YSL was founded in 1962 by Yves Saint Laurent. Opium is their most famous scent of all time. This luxury fragrance brand is famous for manufacturing innovative, signature, and high-end perfumes with long-lasting aromatic effects.

11. Guerlain

The Guerlain is a well-known fashion brand, it was designed and crafted custom fragrances by Pierre Francois with the help of his two sons (Aimé and Gabriel) in 1828. It has long captived the world with its fragrance and traditional creations. Guerlain perfumers have an enduring intelligence and a unique fragrant specialty that combines the Maison’s favorite ingredients which include bergamot rose, iris, vanilla, tonka bean, and jasmine.

12. Nina Ricci

Nina Ricci is a popular French fashion brand known for lady-like clothing and famous perfumes, it was founded by Nina Ricci in 1932. This is a vegan fragrance that is very fresh and fantastic like toffee, and apple. It is a present-day citrus-floral scent, full of positiveness and a touch of friskiness.

13. Ex Nihilo

Ex Nihilo is a French luxury brand, it was established by a young trio from Paris in 2013 with a mission to use the finest natural components while designing unique and unusual products. It wraps you up with a wonderful mixture of flowers like peony, jasmine, and orange blossoms.

14. Chloé

Chloé is one of the most powerful fragrances ever when it was designed by perfume designer Karl Lagerfeld. This brand was established in 1952 by Gabby Aghion. The first perfume of this brand was released in 1975, named Chloé Fragrance for Women.

15. Diptyque

Diptyque is a well-known brand in the French perfume brands. The story of Diptyque describes the creative adventure of a trio inclined by nature, travel, and art, who founded a collective of artists. It has a warm spicy fragrance, starting with cinnamon, cardamom, and citrus top notes. Then it softens with a floral bouquet of rose, violet, and iris and turns into shades of wood, resin, and eucalyptus.

16. Lolita Lempicka

Lolita Lempicka is a French and fashion perfume brand. They introduced their signature Lolita Lempicka perfume for women in 1997 which received numerous fragrance awards. This brand is renowned for making unique and luxurious floral and fruity blended perfumes. A few best-selling scents of this brand include Mon Premier, Sweet Lolita Lempicka, etc.

17. Cacharel

Cacharel is a famous French perfume brand founded by, Jean Bousquet. The brand was started with feelings of freedom, romanticism, and youthfulness. This perfume is famous for manufacturing fragrances to empower women. They are popular for their unique floral and fruity blending formulations.

18. Vilhelm Parfumerie

Vilhelm Parfumerie is a famous cruelty-free and vegan French brand, released in May 2015. This brand is generally known for making rare blending perfumes in traditional and modern fragrance styles. 125th & Bloom Eau De Parfum, Morning Chess Eau de Parfum, Vilhelm Parfumerie To My Father Eau de Parfum, etc., are a few popular perfumes by Vilhelm Parfumerie. 

19. Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gaultier is a French perfume brand inspired by Jean Paul Gaultier, a well-known perfumer. This brand is famous for creating chemical note mixed fragrances, which are categorized under luxury aromatic products. Men Le Beau Eau De Toilette, Male Le Male Essence Eau De Parfum Intense, etc., are a few best-selling French scents by this perfume house.

20. Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Maison Francis Kurkdjian is a luxury perfume brand and is renowned for making signature blends of expensive ingredients such as Jasmine and Saffron. That makes their perfumes expensive. They have created numerous successful perfumes. A few of them are Baccarat Rouge, Oud Silk Mood Eau De Parfum, etc.

Conclusion

Perfumery is a billion-dollar industry and there is a wide range of luxury and famous perfume brands. French perfumes are a part of this industry. The above-mentioned list of French perfumes is for general reference only. You can select any perfume according to your preferences. All these products are available for purchase via online and offline stores.