Sweet and innocent yet sensual and delectable, cherries are one of the more innuendo laden fruits. Simultaneously alluding to the nostalgia of childhood summers, a loss of innocence, and the art of seduction, the not-so-humble cherry is a multifaceted fruit that is ripe for artistic—and olfactory—-interpretation. Cherries are far from one note, with the fruit able to be sweet and juicy, fresh and tart, or rich and indulgent. Their ability to flit from nostalgic and comforting to sensual and even carnal makes cherry perfumes one of the more interesting—and varied—gourmands on the market. As a fragrance notes, cherries can be layered with everything from rich ouds, intoxicating spirits, smooth woods, and heady leather to delicate florals, other fruits, and sweet vanilla and baking spices.
Today, the best cherry perfumes are vastly removed from the saccharine, syrupy glazed cherry scents of your youth. Whether you’re after something that bottles the youthful freshness of cherries by pairing them with soft florals and subtle vanilla or looking for an intoxicatingly dark and decidedly grown-up take on the forbidden fruit, these are the best cherry perfumes to try.
1. The 7 Virtues Cherry Ambition
One of our favourite gourmand cherry perfumes, The 7 Virtues Cherry Ambition balances sweetness with sophistication. While the notes of cherry, marshmallow, vanilla, florals, and musk read conventionally sweet and gourmand, The 7 Virtues Cherry Ambition tones it down with saffron and sandalwood, which add warmth and spiciness. This scent starts off with rich, syrupy, boozy cherries but quickly settles down into a comfortable skin scent that sees a more literal cherry mixed with smoke and spice, not dissimilar to a cherry pie baking in the oven.
Price: $156AUD
Scent notes: cherry, pink pepper, mandarin, marshmallow, cherry blossom, osmanthus, orris, saffron, vanilla, amber, musk, frankincense, guaiacwood
2. BDK Parfums Rouge Smoking Extrait
This cherry perfume is a darker, feminine, more intoxicating take on the stone fruit. Syrupy cherries cross over to the dark side courtesy of oud, rum, and the faintest hint of leather, while the dry down leans sweeter and more creamy, thanks to a lactonic note and the addition of tonka bean, vanilla, benzoins, and amber. BDK Parfums Rouge Smoking Extrait lingers on the skin for a long time as a creamy, sweet scent, however despite being an extrait, it’s not a heavy hitter in terms of projection.
Price: $499AUD
Scent notes: mandarin, cherry, almond, pink pepper, bergamot, elemi, balsam, tonka bean, cistus labdanum, milk accord, saffron, rum, ambroxan, oud, benzoin, woody amber accord, vanilla, patchouli, cypriol
3. Kayali Lovefest Burning Cherry
A fragrance that lives up to its name. Kayali Lovefest Burning Cherry sees sweet dark cherries, tart raspberries, rose, and sweet praline suffused with woodfire smoke, palo santo, and patchouli. The cherry note here is realistic rather than artificial or medicinal, however there’s an underlying gritty, slightly dirty quality thanks to the earthy, woody, smoky base notes. It smells sexy and #expensive in an offbeat, slightly mysterious way, like that hot girl at the bar sipping old fashioneds spiked with cherry liquor, who may or may not have once been part of a hippie commune.
Price: $146AUD
Scent notes: bergamot, raspberry, black cherry, rose damascena, jasmine sambac, heliotrope, praline, palo santo, guaiac wood, patchouli, peru balsam, tonka bean absolute, haitian vetiver, ambrettolide
4. Sabrina Carpenter Cherry Baby
She may be best known for singing about espresso, but Sabrina Carpenter has shown she can make a good cherry perfume too. Celebrity perfumes often err on the sickeningly sweet side, however Sabrina Carpenter Cherry Baby manages to create a sweet gourmand that isn’t too sweet and still leans mature. For the girlies who look like a snack and want to smell like dessert, Sabrina Carpenter Cherry Baby sees the star stone fruit accented with just a touch of booze and further sweetened with dark chocolate, brown sugar, glazed apple, and plum, while cashmere woods and amber on the dry down preclude it from being cloying. Sweet and delectable without being childish, it smells like fortified cherry wine served with dark chocolate; a gourmand for maturer tastes.
Price: $54.99USD
Scent notes: cherry cosmo, brown sugar, glazed apple, plum, dark chocolate, red poppy, vanilla orchid, peony, cashmere wood, amber, musk, patchouli, resin
5. Guerlain Cherry Oud
Eschewing overt sweetness, Guerlain Cherry Oud captures the dark and intoxicating nature of red cherries by using them to lend tartness to heady oud and leather. Bulgarian rose essence and Turkish rose absolute add a delicate quality that works to soften the bolder notes. Like many of the French fragrance house’s scents, Guerlain Cherry Oud has excellent projection and longevity, with a spray or two enough to make an impression and last all day.
Price: $395USD
Scent notes: cherry, rose essence, rose absolute, oud, leather
6. Mind Games French Defence
A cherry perfume that plays chess, not checkers. Unlike other cherry fragrances that lean either sweet and gourmand or dark and intoxicating, Mind Games French Defence offers a cleaner, softer take on black cherry. Dark cherries are interlaced with mimosa, geranium, and rose, and underscored with smooth blonde woods and slightly boozy amber to create a unisex (or even slightly masculine) scent that plays to the succulence of the fruit without being overpowered by it. The drydown is warm, soft, and comforting, with Mind Games French Defence being one of the few cherry perfumes you can safely wear to the office.
Price: $375USD
Scent notes: cherry, violet leaves, chamomile, geranium madagascar, rose absolute, mimosa, amber, cedarwood, blonde wood
7. Flaner Fragrances Manhattan Cherry
It’s hard to find a good bourbon cherry fragrance that doesn’t lean medicinal, but Flaner Fragrances Manhattan Cherry fits the bill. Evoking the feeling of being ensconced in an underground bar during the Prohibition era, it sees dark cherries and even darker bourbon accented by smoke, woods, and leather.
Price: $189AUD
Scent notes: maraschino cherry, red vermouth, orange peel, bourbon, ginger, cinnamon, amber wood, tobacco, leather, vanilla
8. Tom Ford Lost Cherry
Quite possibly the cherry perfume that sent the olfactory industry into a cherry obsession, Tom Ford Lost Cherry is iconic for a reason. Forget cherry lollies or cola, this is a cherry cocktail in olfactive form; black cherry, cherry syrup, and cherry liqueur make for a bold opening, balanced with bitter almond, rose, spices, sandalwood, and sweetness from tonka bean and vanilla. Boozy, nutty, and slightly sweet, it’s a sultry concoction that leaves you wanting more. The only drawback? It quite literally leaves you wanting more, with the scent’s longevity not the best.
Price: $575AUD
Scent notes: black cherry, cherry liqueur, bitter almond, sour cherry, rose, vanilla, tonka bean, cinnamon, balsam, benzoin, sandalwood, cloves, cedarwood, patchouli, vetiver
9. YSL Black Opium Over Red
This is quite possibly one of the most beautiful cherry perfumes. Designer fragrances can be a bit hit and miss, but YSL Black Opium Over Red nails the brief when it comes to an intoxicating gourmand. The white florals, vanilla, and coffee notes of the original Black Opium pair perfectly with juicy cherries to create a sweet, decadent scent that keeps you wanting more. The coffee note lends an addictive quality that’s hard not to like, while cherries add a bright, jammy quality that’s both sweet and optimistic. The black tea note is an underrated hero here, adding an airy roundness to the scent that’s not as present in the original.
Price: $215AUD
Scent notes: cherry, mandarin, jasmine, orange blossom, black tea, vanilla, coffee, patchouli
10. Creed Carmina
Here, cherry is the supporting act rather than the main event. A faintly artificial black cherry note plays well with the brightness of pink pepper, the softness of rose, and the warmth of saffron to create a nuanced spicy rose opening, underscored by cashmere woods, myrrh, and frankincense. A feminine, princessy scent, Creed Carmina is slightly airy and aloof, with its nuanced take on rose and cherry making for a veritable compliment magnet.
Price: $469AUD
Scent notes: saffron, pink pepper, black cherry, rose, peony, violet, amber, cashmere woods, musks
11. Victoria Beckham Suite 302
Inspired by the Parisian hotel suite in which Victoria and David Beckham celebrate their anniversary. If Victoria Beckham Suite 302 is anything to go by, the duo spend their anniversaries smoking up a storm; it’s heavy on the tobacco and leather, with black cherries and rose in supporting roles. Smoky, heady, and sensual, the base notes dominate the scent here, making for a masculine leaning fragrance. Sexy and kinda dirty; while this is said to recall the Beckhams’ anniversaries, the vibe is more reminiscent of going back home to your spouse after spending a torrid evening with your lover.
Price: $330AUD
Scent notes: black cherry, red peppercorn, violet, rose, musks, tobacco leaves, black leather
Related: Smell Like A Sexy Ashtray (Or Don’t!) With The Best Tobacco Fragrances
12. Edeniste Oud Ghazal
A one-way ticket to an Arabic souk, Edeniste Oud Ghazal wraps you in syrupy black cherries and bright cardamom, before hitting you with smoky incense, resinous amber, and oud. Warm, spicy, and addictive, it’s an audacious scent that errs on the masculine side (though can be enjoyed by all).
Price: approx. $470AUD (£240)
Scent notes: black cherry accord, madagascan peppercorn, cardamom, oud, labdanum resin, tasuki oil, musk, vetiver, cedar atlas oil
Words by T. Angel
