What Perfume Do Celebrities Wear? Sourced, Not Guessed

Search "what perfume do celebrities wear" and you will find the same lists copied from site to site, often with no source at all. A star "loves" a scent because a blog said so, which was because another blog said so. We did it differently. Every name below comes with where the claim came from and how strong it is, from "she said it on camera" down to "a friend posted a video". Rumours we could not trace to the person are listed separately and do not count.

You get 23 celebrity signature scents, sorted into evidence levels, a men's list, a guide to trying any of them without wasting money on a blind buy, and a ready-to-play quiz round. Nothing here is an endorsement, and none of these people are connected to this site.

Key takeaways

• The strongest answers come from the person's own words: interviews, video diaries or quotes on record. Marilyn Monroe and Chanel No. 5 is the classic case.
• Many famous "signature scent" claims are weaker than they look. Rihanna's widely shared Kilian pick traces back to a 2016 video posted by a friend.
• A star fronting an advert, or launching a perfume under their own name, tells you nothing about what they wear on a day off.
• Taste changes. Each claim below gives its source and, where the source does, a year. A pick from 2015 may not be true today.
• Most celebrity picks are classic or niche perfumes you can smell in big department stores. Read the notes first, sample second, buy last.
• Want to smell a famous scent before buying it? Start with the Tom Ford Black Orchid notes and accords to see how much detail a notes page gives you before a counter visit.

Contents

• How we sorted the evidence
• On record: what perfume do celebrities wear, in their own words
• Reported by others: credible, but not their own words
• Widely repeated, weakly sourced
• Made for them: perfumes created for one person
• What cologne do celebrities wear? The men's list
• Their own name on the bottle
• Ambassadors: the faces that do not count
• Rumours we left out
• Where to smell celebrity picks in seven cities
• How to smell like a celebrity without blind buying
• Mistakes to avoid
• Play it: a who-wears-what round
• FAQ
• Your next sniff

How we sorted the evidence

A fragrance claim about a famous person can come from five very different places. Lumping them together is how bad lists happen, so we kept them apart.

Most named picks below were gathered by Marie Claire's June 2025 round-up of the fragrances celebrities swear by, which credits each claim to an original interview or outlet, mostly American Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. We kept a pick only when that attribution was there. Where we give no other year, read the claim as "reported as of June 2025". Where the original was footage or a third party, we say so.

Why "signature scent" is a slippery phrase

A signature scent is the one perfume a person is known for. In celebrity coverage, the phrase gets attached to anything a star mentioned once. Rita Ora, for example, called her pick her favourite "of the moment". That is honest, and it is not the same as a lifelong signature. We have kept the original wording where it matters.

On record: what perfume do celebrities wear, in their own words

These are the strongest answers: the person said it. Dates matter, so each one says roughly when.

Marilyn Monroe: Chanel No. 5

The most famous answer in perfume history. In a 1960 interview with Marie Claire, Monroe retold the story of being asked what she wore to bed and answering "Chanel No. 5", adding that it was the truth. Chanel itself later used her recorded voice in its own advertising. If you searched what perfume did Marilyn Monroe wear, this is one of the best-documented answers on this list. Chanel No. 5 dates from 1921 and is an aldehydic floral: a bright, soapy, sparkling opening over rose and jasmine.

Hailey Bieber: Ex Nihilo Fleur Narcotique

Hailey Bieber told American Vogue that she wears Fleur Narcotique by the Paris house Ex Nihilo, and that she always has a bottle in her bag. So the answer to what perfume does Hailey Bieber wear has a direct source. It is a bright floral with peony, orange blossom and jasmine among its notes.

Inès de la Fressange: Guerlain Mitsouko

The French model and designer told American Vogue in 2015 that she had worn Mitsouko for years, and that her daughters got annoyed if she wore anything else. Mitsouko, from 1919, is one of the great chypres: peach over oakmoss. It is a perfect example of a true signature scent, worn for decades.

Elizabeth Olsen: Diptyque Philosykos

Olsen told Harper's Bazaar that many perfumes give her a headache, and that a fig scent from Diptyque is the only one she uses. Philosykos is Diptyque's fig fragrance: green leaves, milky fig and cedar. A good pick for anyone who thinks they "don't like perfume".

Naomi Campbell: Dior Diorissimo

At the 2018 Fragrance Foundation Awards, Campbell said she loves florals that linger, and named the lily of the valley in Diorissimo. Dior launched it in 1956. It is one of the most famous lily of the valley perfumes ever made.

Claudia Schiffer: Burberry Garden Roses

Schiffer told American Vogue that she uses it several times a day, and that Riccardo Tisci, then at Burberry, put her initials on the bottle. Note the relationship: this is a personal statement about a scent from a designer friend. It is a soft rose with lemon, vetiver and oakmoss.

Cynthia Erivo: Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka

Erivo told Harper's Bazaar that she found Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense while browsing airport duty free for something else. It is warm and resinous, with vanilla and tonka. Duty free is still one of the easiest places in the world to smell it.

Rita Ora: Chloé Magnolia Alba

In a Harper's Bazaar beauty-bag video, Ora named Magnolia Alba from Chloé's Atelier des Fleurs line as her favourite scent of the moment. A green, citrusy magnolia. Treat this one as a snapshot, not a lifelong signature.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Byredo Gypsy Water

On her own platform, Rose Inc., she listed five favourite perfumes and singled out Byredo's Gypsy Water as her all-time ultimate fragrance, according to Marie Claire's summary. She named Jo Malone's Lime Basil & Mandarin as a comfort pick too. Gypsy Water is a soft, woody, slightly piney scent.

Helen Mirren: Jo Malone

In a quote carried by Marie Claire's 2025 round-up, Mirren said her perfume is Jo Malone and that she loves all of them because they are light and do not overpower anyone. The round-up does not name the original interview, and she named the brand, not one bottle, so we list it that way.

Reported by others: credible, but not their own words

These come from reputable outlets, but the source is footage, a brand or people around the star rather than a direct quote. They are probably right. They are not proof.

Kim Kardashian: Tom Ford Black Orchid

According to Marie Claire, Tom Ford's own website once noted that Kim Kardashian loves Black Orchid enough to call it her signature scent. So the answer to what perfume does Kim Kardashian wear rests on a brand statement, not an interview we could find. Black Orchid is dark and rich: black truffle, ylang-ylang, plum, rum and patchouli. It is strong, so if it is too much, browse perfumes that smell similar to Black Orchid for softer relatives.

Kate, Princess of Wales: Illuminum White Gardenia Petals

According to American Vogue, the then Kate Middleton wore White Gardenia Petals by Illuminum on her wedding day in 2011. If you are asking what perfume does Kate Middleton wear today, the honest answer is that the wedding is the well-reported moment. Later reports of other scents are thinner.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex: Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt

American Vogue reported that Meghan alternates between scents but stays loyal to Jo Malone, especially Wild Bluebell and Wood Sage & Sea Salt. The second is a breezy, salty, woody scent that suits almost any climate.

Diana, Princess of Wales: four florals

American Vogue reported that Diana loved big florals and alternated between Dior Diorissimo, Hermès 24 Faubourg, Cartier So Pretty and Penhaligon's Bluebell. Notice the word "alternated". There is no single Diana scent, and lists that name just one are simplifying.

Beyoncé: Kilian Angels' Share

Harper's Bazaar reported that during her 2023 Renaissance tour stop in London, Beyoncé visited the Harrods beauty hall after hours to stock up, and Angels' Share was among the reported picks. It is a cognac scent with cinnamon, vanilla and sandalwood. Read the Kilian Angels' Share notes and season votes before you try it, because it is very much a cold-weather fragrance.

Taylor Swift: Tom Ford Santal Blush

What perfume does Taylor Swift wear? Harper's Bazaar spotted a bottle of Tom Ford Santal Blush in the background of a clip from her 2020 documentary, Miss Americana, and fans linked it to her Reputation era. That is footage, not a statement. Swift also launched her own perfumes with Elizabeth Arden, starting with Wonderstruck in 2011. You can read the notes of Taylor Swift's own Wonderstruck, but owning a line and wearing it daily are different things.

Eva Longoria: Victoria Beckham Portofino '97

Marie Claire's 2025 round-up says Longoria has said she usually wears Portofino '97, but it does not name the interview, so we file it here rather than under "on record". Worth knowing: it is from her long-time friend Victoria Beckham's beauty line. That does not make the claim false, but it is not a neutral pick either.

Widely repeated, weakly sourced

These are the claims everyone repeats. We include them because people search for them, and because the honest answer is more interesting than the myth.

Rihanna: Kilian Love, Don't Be Shy

What perfume does Rihanna wear? The claim you will see everywhere is Kilian's Love, Don't Be Shy, a sweet orange blossom and marshmallow scent. As Marie Claire's July 2019 report on how Rihanna's perfume was identified explains, it traces back to a 2016 video from a friend's anonymous Instagram account, in which the friend named the perfume, to Rihanna's visible annoyance. Beauty creator Jackie Aina later bought it and said it smelled a lot like her. No interview from Rihanna herself confirms it. She also has her own fragrances, starting with Rihanna's own Reb'l Fleur notes from 2011, and later Fenty.

Harry Styles: Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille

What cologne does Harry Styles wear? Tobacco Vanille is the standard answer. In May 2020, Grazia reported a cheap vanilla candle selling out in the US after fans compared it to the Tom Ford scent Styles "reportedly" wears. That word matters. We could not find Styles naming it himself, so treat it as popular belief. Tobacco Vanille is exactly what it says: sweet pipe tobacco, vanilla, tonka and cocoa.

Made for them: perfumes created for one person

Audrey Hepburn: Givenchy L'Interdit

American Vogue describes L'Interdit as Hubert de Givenchy's tribute to his muse. It was Hepburn's exclusive scent for a time, and the story goes that when Givenchy wanted to sell it to the public, she protested "I forbid it", which gave the perfume its name. A designer making a scent for a friend is the oldest form of celebrity signature scent there is.

Jackie Kennedy Onassis: Krigler Lovely Patchouli 55

This one comes from the perfume house itself. Krigler has said that Aristotle Onassis bought a bottle of its Lovely Patchouli 55 at New York's Plaza Hotel, and that it became known as the "Jackie O" scent. A brand telling its own story is a weaker source than the wearer, so we file it here, clearly labelled.

What cologne do celebrities wear? The men's list

The honest answer to what perfume do celebrities wear men is: the record is much thinner. In the sources we checked, far fewer male stars named a scent on record, so many popular men's lists are guesswork. Here is what holds up.

Shah Rukh Khan: a Dunhill and a Diptyque, layered

What perfume does SRK use? Co-stars have talked about how good he smells for years. According to Gulf News, July 2025, Khan said in a GQ interview that smelling good is very important to him and that he mixes two fragrances: a Dunhill scent sold only at its London store and one from Diptyque. He did not name the exact bottles, so any list that does is guessing.

Harry Styles

See above: widely reported as Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, never confirmed by him in a source we found.

Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and the advert problem

Johnny Depp has fronted Dior Sauvage campaigns since 2015, and Brad Pitt starred in a Chanel No. 5 advert in 2012. Neither tells you what they wear at home. They belong in the ambassador section, not on a celebrity signature scents men list.

If you want a starting point instead of a famous name, the top-rated men's colognes to sample first are a better guide to what smells good on most people than any rumour.

Their own name on the bottle

What perfume does Ariana Grande wear? Ariana Grande has launched a long line of her own scents since Ari in 2015, and Cloud from 2018 is the best known. That tells you what she sells. Whether she wears her own every day is a separate claim, and we did not find her saying so in a source we could check. Browse Ariana Grande's full fragrance line if you want to smell the range.

The same applies to Jennifer Lopez (Glow, 2002), Beyoncé (Heat, 2010), Rihanna (Reb'l Fleur, 2011), Lady Gaga (Fame, 2012), Taylor Swift (Wonderstruck, 2011) and Billie Eilish (Eilish, 2021). Celebrity perfumes like these are made and sold by fragrance companies under the star's name. Our celebrity perfume trivia questions with answers cover who made each one and when.

Jane Birkin is the lovely exception. She said almost all perfumes were too strong for her, except L'Air de Rien, the one she created with Miller Harris. When a star helped make the scent and says it is the only one she can stand, that counts.

Ambassadors: the faces that do not count

A campaign face is a paid job. It does not mean the star wears the perfume. Lana Del Rey fronted Gucci Guilty, and to her credit she said it was close to a scent she wore in high school. That is a nice detail, but it comes from inside a paid campaign, so it stays here.

Rule of thumb: if a claim only appears next to an advert, it is marketing, not a signature scent.

Rumours we left out

These appear on many famous people's signature scents lists, but even the outlets repeating them use words like "apparently", "rumoured" or "it has been reported", without a traceable source:

• George Clooney and Creed Green Irish Tweed
• David Bowie and Creed Silver Mountain Water
• Adele and Dior Hypnotic Poison
• Angelina Jolie and Histoires de Parfums 1969

They may be true. We just could not find the person saying so, so they are not counted. We also looked for on-record picks from Jennifer Aniston and Zendaya, two of the most searched names, and did not find one in the sources we checked. When we do, they will go on the list.

Where to smell celebrity picks in seven cities

Most of these perfumes are sold worldwide, but where you smell them changes the experience. Here is where each city makes it easier, and what local weather does to the scents.

Paris

Home of many of these houses. Guerlain's flagship on the Champs-Élysées is the obvious place to smell Mitsouko, and Diptyque opened its first shop on Boulevard Saint-Germain in 1961, so Philosykos is easy to find. Ex Nihilo, Hailey Bieber's pick, is a Paris house too.

London

Harrods, where Beyoncé reportedly shopped after hours, has a famous perfume hall. Jo Malone and Penhaligon's are London brands, so Meghan's, Helen Mirren's and Diana's picks are easy to smell. Dunhill's London store is the one Shah Rukh Khan mentioned.

New York

Big department stores carry nearly all the designer and niche names here, including Tom Ford's Black Orchid and Santal Blush. Hot, humid summers make heavy picks like Black Orchid feel much louder than they do in January.

Dubai

The region's own perfume culture is rich and layered, with oud and amber everywhere, so mall perfume floors carry a huge range. Angels' Share and Black Orchid sit comfortably next to local styles. In summer heat, spray less than you would at home.

Mumbai

Some niche houses are harder to find in stores than in Europe, so samples and decants matter more. Monsoon humidity makes sweet scents like Love, Don't Be Shy feel heavier. Fig and green scents such as Philosykos hold up better.

Tokyo

Department store fragrance floors are well stocked and calm, ideal for testing strips one at a time. Crowded trains reward lighter choices: Gypsy Water or Wood Sage & Sea Salt rather than Black Orchid.

Sydney

Australian beauty chains carry most of the big names. Seasons are reversed, so the cognac warmth of Angels' Share belongs to June and July, and Wood Sage & Sea Salt to beach days in January.

How to smell like a celebrity without blind buying

Knowing the answer to "what perfume do celebrities wear?" is the fun part. Buying a full bottle on a stranger's word is the risky part. Here is the smart way.

Step 1: Read the notes before you travel

Look the scent up and note its main ingredients. Then, if it is not sold near you, search perfumes by notes like fig, tuberose or lily of the valley to find others built the same way that you can actually smell locally.

Step 2: Check your own scent family

A celebrity pick only suits you if it suits your nose. If you love fresh citrus, Black Orchid will probably disappoint you whoever wears it. Take a 12-question perfume quiz that finds your scent family, then pick the celebrity scents that sit in your family.

Step 3: Smell two at once

When you are torn between two famous picks, line them up and compare two to four celebrity picks side by side before your counter visit, so you know what differences to smell for.

Step 4: Paper first, then skin, then a full day

Spray testing strips at the counter and walk away. Smell again after an hour. Put your favourite on skin and wear it for a day before buying.

Step 5: Buy small

Many of these houses sell travel sizes or discovery sets, and decants exist for almost all of them. A celebrity's favourite should earn a place on your shelf, not take one on trust.

Mistakes to avoid

• Trusting a list with no sources. If a page cannot say where a claim came from, assume it is copied.
• Treating an advert as a confession. Ambassadors are paid. Their campaign scent is not evidence.
• Forgetting dates. A pick from a 2015 interview may not be true now. People change perfume like they change haircuts.
• Expecting to smell like them. The same scent smells different on different skin and in different weather.
• Blind buying a very strong scent. Black Orchid and Angels' Share are powerful. Sample first.
• Mixing up "her perfume" and "her line". Owning a brand and wearing it are separate facts.

Play it: a who-wears-what round

This makes a great quiz round, and every answer above is sourced, so arguments end quickly. Read the scent, and let teams name the star. Use only the "on record" and "reported" sections.

1. Mitsouko, worn for years, to her daughters' annoyance (Inès de la Fressange)
2. Fleur Narcotique, always in her bag (Hailey Bieber)
3. A Diptyque fig, the only scent that does not give her a headache (Elizabeth Olsen)
4. Diorissimo, praised at the 2018 Fragrance Foundation Awards (Naomi Campbell)
5. White Gardenia Petals, on a 2011 wedding day (Kate, Princess of Wales)
6. Angels' Share, reportedly bought after hours at Harrods (Beyoncé)
7. Black Orchid, according to the brand's own website (Kim Kardashian)
8. Chanel No. 5, at bedtime (Marilyn Monroe)

Bonus point for anyone who can say which answer is the weakest sourced, and why (it is number 7: a brand statement, not her own words).

Then switch to faces

After the scents, put a faces round on the big screen. Try a free celebrity face quiz in your browser or the harder guess the celebrity by their eyes. For phones around a table, open a live Compete room for up to 10 players, or build your own celebrity picture round from the library using faces from this list. Fair warning: many of our cards are edited parody composites, not photographs of real events, and nobody pictured endorses the game. Here is how our edited parody images work.

FAQ

What perfume do celebrities wear the most?

There is no reliable count. No one surveys celebrities, and most lists of celebrities favorite perfumes are copied from each other. Among the sourced picks above, a few houses come up again and again: Jo Malone (Meghan, Helen Mirren, Cynthia Erivo), Dior (Naomi Campbell, Diana), Tom Ford (Kim Kardashian's reported pick, Taylor Swift's reported bottle) and Kilian (Beyoncé's reported pick, Rihanna's rumoured one). That reflects what gets reported, not a true ranking.

Is the celebrity perfume record different for women and men?

On the women's side the record is rich: Chanel No. 5, Mitsouko, Fleur Narcotique, Diorissimo and Philosykos all come from the wearer's own words. On the men's side it is thin. Shah Rukh Khan's layered Dunhill and Diptyque is one of the few on-record answers, and Harry Styles's Tobacco Vanille is popular belief rather than a quote.

What fragrances do celebrities wear on their wedding day?

The best-reported example is Kate, Princess of Wales, who wore Illuminum White Gardenia Petals in 2011 according to American Vogue. Wedding scents get reported because brands and journalists ask about them. Day-to-day choices rarely get the same attention, which is why wedding picks dominate many lists.

Are celebrity signature scents expensive?

Some are niche perfumes at the top of the market, and some are classic designer scents found in any big department store. You do not need a full bottle to try one. Samples, travel sizes and decants exist for most of the picks above, and smelling a scent at a counter costs nothing.

Do celebrities wear their own perfumes?

Sometimes, but a perfume line is a business deal with a fragrance company. Unless the star says they wear it, it is not evidence. Jane Birkin is a rare case where a star both helped create a scent and said it was the only one she could wear.

How can I find out what perfume a celebrity wears?

Look for their own words first: interviews, beauty videos and quotes in established magazines. Then look for credible reports that say where the claim came from. Ignore lists that give no source. If the only mention is next to an advert, it is a campaign, not a confession.

What scents do celebrities wear that are easy to try?

Jo Malone's Wood Sage & Sea Salt (Meghan, per American Vogue), Diptyque's Philosykos (Elizabeth Olsen) and Chanel No. 5 (Marilyn Monroe) are sold widely and are easy to find in big stores and airport duty free in many countries.

Your next sniff

Next time someone at the table asks "what perfume do celebrities wear?", you can answer with a source. Then pick one on-record celebrity scent from your favourite family, read its notes, and smell it on paper before you think about a bottle. If it is not for you, the person behind it will not mind. For more rounds about famous things, try our fun facts about perfume for a quiz night, or find more celebrity quiz guides on the blog.