Best Of
The Most Romantic Fragrances for Date Night (and Valentine's Day)
A date-night perfume is one you’ll be smelled in at close range, across a table or a sofa, so it should be warm, a little sweet and comfortable up close. These eight split into four for women and four for men, though anyone can wear any of them. Start with Dior Hypnotic Poison for almond and vanilla, YSL Black Opium for coffee, and Spicebomb Extreme for tobacco and spice.
What Makes a Perfume Smell Romantic?
Mostly warmth and skin. The materials perfumers reach for in evening scents have something body-like about them. Jasmine contains indole, which in tiny amounts gives the flower a warm, slightly animal richness. Vanilla, tonka and amber are soft and enveloping. Musks and ambrette smell like clean, warm skin, and at close range they blur into the wearer’s own smell. Fresh citrus and sharp herbs, the summer materials, fade fast and keep their distance.
So a date-night perfume needs to work at short range rather than fill a room. Two sprays is usually plenty; our cologne guide has more on how much to wear.
| Perfume | The warmth | What’s with it |
|---|---|---|
| Dior Hypnotic Poison EDT | Almond, vanilla | Jasmine sambac |
| YSL Black Opium | Vanilla | Coffee, white flowers |
| Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb | Vanilla, amber, patchouli | Rose, jasmine, orchid, freesia |
| Chanel Coco Noir | Tonka, patchouli | Bergamot, rose, geranium leaf |
| Viktor&Rolf Spicebomb Extreme | Tobacco, vanilla, bourbon | Lavender, cinnamon, saffron |
| Tom Ford Oud Wood | Oud, sandalwood, tonka | Cardamom, rosewood, vetiver |
| Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male | Woody vanilla | Black lavender, pear |
| Dior Sauvage EDP | Vanilla, Ambroxan | Bergamot, Sichuan pepper, lavender |
4 for Her
Dior Hypnotic Poison
Hypnotic Poison EDT is bitter almond, jasmine sambac and vanilla: marzipan with a warm floral glow. Jasmine’s indolic side is what makes it sensual rather than just sweet. One wearer who has worn it as a signature loves the warm vanilla and creamy almond. The EDP is a different composition.
YSL Black Opium
YSL describes the original Black Opium EDP through coffee, white flowers and vanilla. Coffee gives it a roasted, late-night edge, like a dessert with an espresso. It’s the most playful pick for her. Le Parfum, Extreme and Over Red are separate compositions.
Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb
Flowerbomb is peony, centifolia rose, jasmine, orchid and freesia over amber, patchouli and vanilla. It’s a bouquet dipped in sugar, flowers first and then warm and sweet. The pick for someone who likes florals but wants an evening version.
Chanel Coco Noir
Coco Noir is bergamot, then May rose and geranium leaf, over tonka and patchouli. It’s the darkest of the four: rose and patchouli, made smooth with tonka. Geranium leaf adds a green, slightly minty sharpness. Wear it to dinner somewhere with low lighting.
4 for Him
Viktor&Rolf Spicebomb Extreme
Spicebomb Extreme lists lavender, pepper and saffron alongside tobacco, bourbon, vanilla and woody amber. It’s a cigar box in a warm bar: tobacco and vanilla, with cinnamon to sharpen it. It’s dense, so one or two sprays is enough for a table for two.
Tom Ford Oud Wood
Oud Wood brings cardamom and rosewood to oud, sandalwood and vetiver, with tonka and amber. It’s the pick for someone who wants warmth without sugar: smooth wood and spice, sitting close to the skin. Oud Wood Parfum and Intense are separate versions.
Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male
Ultra Male is black lavender, pear and woody vanilla. It’s Le Male’s barbershop made sweeter and darker: pear for juice, vanilla for warmth, lavender to keep it a men’s perfume. It’s the sweetest of the four for him.
Dior Sauvage Eau de Parfum
Sauvage EDP is Calabrian bergamot, then Sichuan pepper, lavender and star anise, over vanilla and Ambroxan. It’s the freshest pick here, and the vanilla is what makes the EDP warmer than the EDT. Pick it if your date doesn’t like sweet perfume.
Choosing a Fragrance for a Date or a Gift
Wear something you already know you like. A first date is not the moment to find out a new perfume turns sour on you. For a gift, find out what your partner already wears, or choose together: a note such as oud, vanilla or jasmine doesn’t tell you whether someone will like the whole perfume.
If you prefer fresher scents, try clean and subtle colognes. For sweeter options, see vanilla colognes and dessert perfumes.
Not sure which fragrance is you?
Answer seven questions to explore fragrances for your preferences.
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