7 Best Baby Powder Scented Perfumes for Her

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Baby powder is an aroma that most of us are familiar with and have had memories of, since our earlies stages of development. That soft and delicate scent, almost instantaneously brings about thoughts of being clean. As such, that style of smell, is pretty popular in the fragrance world. It’s not super dominant or anything, but happens often enough to be its own niche.

In this post, I am going to give seven options, for perfumes that are scented like baby powder. I have already done the men’s list, so, check that out too for more options (that aren’t overly masculine).

What are the Best Ladies Perfumes that Smell like Baby Powder?

Classic Kenzo Powder

Flower by Kenzo for Women – 3.3 Ounce EDP Spray– Kenzo Flower is a very popular fragrance and has been for a long time now. It also happens to have an aroma that pretty closely approximates baby powder.

It’s a bit sweeter and creamier, than the real thing, which is to be expected with vanilla and black currant notes. However, the violet and rose, give Flower a very powdery finish that is quite soft and comforting.

The opening act, is probably the least like our target, but it settles down into that fresh powdery scent. The rose note isn’t overwhelming here, either. So, don’t expect it to be heavy, in that regard.

Prada Iris

Prada Milano Infusion D’Iris Eau de parfum Spray Women by Prada, 3.4 Ounce– Less of a heavy powdery iris note here, but one that is very clean, fresh, with lovely citrus notes in support. The iris being kept in check somewhat, actually works to this fragrances advantage.

Orange flower, mandarin, neroli, and cedar come together to create a beautiful Prada fragrance with a soapy/powdery sort of dry down. Infusion D’Iris is woody and green to go along with the iris note, which create a soft ,and airy gem of a perfume.

Coming back to this one again recently, it really comes across as being dry and a freshly clean sensation. The iris and cedar note in the final stages is utterly wonderful.

Sweet Gourmand Powder

EAU DE CHARLOTTE Eau De Toilette Spray, 3.4 Ounce– Eau de Charlotte is a wonderfully unique yet simple blend of floral notes, vanilla, and cacao. You get a strong mimosa in the start of the perfume, then the floral aroma shifts more to lily of the valley.

Even the cacao note, gives Eau de Charlotte a drier quality versus a creamier refined chocolate sort of smell. It does give a slight variation to what we’re going for but still close by.

Meanwhile, the clean and sweet undertones, create a powdery and ever so slight gourmand scent. This one is light with decent performance and a cheerful disposition. Not an exact replica of baby powder, but an interesting take, nonetheless.

Guerlain Baby Powder and Cream

Shalimar Eau De Toilette Spray for Women by Guerlain, 3 Ounce– The EDT version of Shalimar goes much more in the baby powder direction, than does the EDP. The opening features a nice citrus top, provided by bergamot, before the other notes fully emerge. In this one you get: iris, tonka bean, and vanilla.

Obviously, that iris is going to give you a powdery finish, while the tonka and vanilla bring that creamy sweetness. The citrus note, sets this one apart, and give Shalimar EDT a nice distinction from the rest of the lot. Shalimar is refined, classic, and mature without being stale.

The opening has a dynamic feeling to it, with the citrus and a greater influence of the other floral notes. Actually, some earthiness is present early on. Not a lot, but detectable. The dry down softens and becomes more weighted towards powdery and vanilla touches.

Donna Karan Clean Fragrance

Cashmere Mist By Donna Karan For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.4-Ounces– Suede, vanilla, and sandalwood come together to create a powdery sort of aroma. Later, Cashmere Mist becomes a bit muskier, but the EDP has less of that than the other versions.

It is fresh and clean, with an amber and sandalwood dry down. The jasmine/sandalwood, gives it a somewhat soapy quality, but it’s more of a powder overall.

Very soft and cozy wear. The undertones are floral and woody versus anything coming across as sweet. Clean, powdered, and comfortable with a nice performance level.

Floral Make-Up Bag and Baby Powder

Paris By Yves Saint Laurent For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 4.2 Oz.– A classic from YSL named after the city and provides a wonderful floral experience with very powdery qualities. Now, this one kind of mixes that lipstick/makeup bag sort of powder with a more traditional baby powder, probably leaning more towards the former.

However,  the rose, mimosa, and heliotrope notes ebb and flow in terms of power and can definitely change how this comes across. This used to be a heavier powdery fragrance, it’s still there but not to the same extent, from the last time I checked in.

Paris does have an old school feeling, but I’ve always found it to be a charming perfume.

paris

A One Note Perfume

Demeter by Demeter Baby Powder Cologne Spray 4 oz– Demeter is a brand that sells perfumes, specifically designed to smell like a specific note or product. The results can be hit or miss, but this one, definitely captures that baby powder aroma to a tee.

It is essentially that fresh and slightly sweet aroma in a spray perfume form.

You can get a bottle for $20-30, but don’t expect much in the way of development, or insane performance. However, if you want just a pure capture of that scent in perfume form, this is it.

Best Les Eaux de Chanel Fragrances

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Chanel released its line of perfumes under the Les Eaux de Chanel banner starting a few years ago. There are currently five fragrances with the designation and I grabbed samples of them a few months ago.

Since then, I’ve tested out these scents, and wanted to create a post ranking them. The following is my current standings and I’ll update this page if I change my mind or any new releases are brought to market in the future.

What are the Top Les Eaux de Chanel Perfumes?

The Best

Paris-Venise by Chanel– Paris-Venise is my pick for the best of this Chanel line. My number two pick was a close challenger, but I think Venise pretty easily surpasses the other options.

Venise features notes of neroli, vanilla, and tonka bean. It kicks off with a great citrus accord, ylang-ylang, and a powdery mix of iris and violet. It’s fresh, unique, and a dynamic summertime wear.

The citrus, iris, and ylang-ylang (plus other floral notes) are most prominent in the opening act. Then, as it settles, you get the softer sweet and creamy notes coming through. With enough of the iris/violet combination to make it interesting. Paris-Venise is a very beautiful fragrance.

Lime and Basil Wonder

Paris-Deauville by Chanel– Deauville secured the number two spot without much trouble. After testing each of these perfumes, I kept coming back to this gem, time and time again.

Lime, lemon, and mandarin orange start things off here. But, it’s not a purely citrus fragrance, as there is also a prominent basil note and an overall green aroma in Paris-Deauville. The main notes are lime, basil, and patchouli.

That’s the trio for most of the wear. There is a floral aspect to this with a bit of rose and jasmine, but they really aren’t that major in the mix.

I get about 7 hours of wear on my skin. Deauville is a pretty simple scent, that’ll be a spring and summer wear, but it’s a really great use of lime. Read my full review

Green Gin Forest

Paris – Édimbourg– Paris–Édimbourg is the next in line and the top Eaux des Chanel for men. The others on the list, outside of Biarritz maybe, are pretty darn feminine.

This one is also the most unique. With this we go green and really fresh with notes of juniper and cypress, producing a gin-like aroma. It’s bright and woodsy, with the vetiver playing a larger role in the latter stages.

Vanilla adds a light creamy and sweet touch to the fragrance and helps to keep it more in the unisex camp. If you don’t want to go with a citrus or citrus/floral wear from this line for the summer, check out this, because it could be your number one pick. Paris-Edimbourg Review

Zesty Neroli

Paris-Riviera by Chanel– Riviera could easily be in the third spot, but I ultimately decided that I liked the unique aspect of Edimbourg more.

Paris-Riviera is a citrus floral perfume, with top notes of orange, neroli, and petitgrain. I recognize that Chanel orange note immediately and the neroli reminds me of the various Tom Ford summertime perfumes.

Riviera is quite zesty and uplifting in the early stages with a slight fresh spiciness to it. As it wears on, this Chanel will become more about the floral notes. Jasmine will eventually overtake the neroli, but it is a pretty even split.

The tail end becomes muskier with a late kick from the sandalwood note to add a further dryness to the mix. While I like Biarritz listed below, Riviera is better and lasts longer, so it’ll get the number four spot.

Hyper-Citrus Aquatic

Paris-Biarritz– Paris-Biarritz starts off with a powerful blast of cold citrus notes. Here it is going to be grapefruit and mandarin orange, according to Chanel. However, there is also very clearly a lemon note in here and it’s actually the strongest at the beginning.

Underneath that, what I think may throw some folks off, is the aquatic note in here. There is an oceanic aroma, not super strong, but it’s there and gives this a different feel. Lily of the valley and vetiver are present in the dry down.

I’m giving this one the bottom spot, even if it’s not a bad fragrance. Actually, I like it quite a bit. However, there are better options on this list that have a similar style and other Chanel fragrance that are also close to this.

Paris-Biarritz does have that awesome ice cold citrus and aquatic aroma that I like. Ultimately, the performance isn’t good enough and it doesn’t do anything better than the others on the list. Really, the 3 to 5 spots could be up for grabs, but this is how I’ve landed after using each for a while.

Guilty Love Edition Pour Homme by Gucci

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Guilty is a line that is continually having new fragrances brought out under its banner. 2020 saw the release of the first Love Editions, which were followed up in 2021. For this review, I am taking a closer look at Guilty Love Edition Pour Homme (2020). I hadn’t tried it out last year and wanted to see what it was all about. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a buy?

What does Guilty Love Edition Pour Homme Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin orange, kumquat, ginger, lavender, rosemary, geranium, pink pepper, vetiver, patchouli, benzoin

Click here to try: Gucci Guilty Love Edition by Gucci Eau De Toilette Spray 3 oz Men

My Full Review

Guilty Love Edition opens up with a fresh blast of kumquat and mandarin orange. This is sitting on top of a mix of ginger, rosemary, and pink pepper. The ginger has a short run at the top, but the rosemary will become a more dominant force.

The citrus, floral, and spiciness is pretty reminiscent of a fragrance like Acqua di Gio. That’s the style of cologne to expect here, but this Gucci isn’t really an exact match.

The citrus is bright, but not all that juicy. In fact, this comes across as a pretty dry fragrance. The mandarin does have the edge, in terms of strength over the kumquat.

Once that initial opening burns off, we enter a more floral/woodsy phase. The stars here will be: geranium, lavender, and vetiver. Rosemary sticks around and fully overtakes the pink pepper and faded ginger note.

Guilty Love now has a soapier quality to it versus that initial citrus blast. The lavender is the center point, though, it doesn’t completely overpower the other notes. Guilty Love Pour Homme has more balance.

The geranium and vetiver give it a cold and dry aroma. Then, there is the remaining herbal notes floating around. The patchouli is noticeable at this point, giving this an earthier kick to finish. It’s not too complicated of a cologne.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this is a light to moderate fragrance. You do have to go pretty heavy on the sprays for it to have very much ability to project. Even then, it’s not going to be for all that long. Performance is definitely the weak spot of Guilty Love.

In terms of longevity, I can get up to six hours of wear. It’s more of a range of 4-6 hours. Again, not great, but I’ve got other workhorses in my collection for it to be too much of an issue personally.

However, this wouldn’t be my go to cologne, if I were looking for one scent to be my go to.

Seasonally, it’s mostly a spring and summertime wear. I’ve been wearing Guilty Love Edition here in the autumn and it works well. So long as it’s not too cold, this is a decent option.

This Gucci flanker is mostly or casual wear. It is clean enough to be worn semi-formally and light enough that it isn’t ever going to offend. The cleanliness and freshness do allow it to have more use cases versus something completely niche.

While it’s called Love Edition, that doesn’t seem to have any real bearing on its actual presentation. It’s not a particularly sexy fragrance, even among its peers in the series.

 

Overall Impressions of Guilty Love Edition

Overall, do I like Guilty Love Edition Pour Homme? I do. I bought a full bottle in my last fragrance order, so, it definitely appeals to me.

That being said, this didn’t seem to be all that popular of a cologne in 2020. I just really enjoy the opening act and how it emanates from my skin. Mandarin and kumquat together are great. I love ginger as a note and the dry fougere base notes give it some more refinement.

I had the sample of this Guilty along with the EDP version and kept coming back to this versus that one. Both of them have spices and floral notes, but I think the pairing simply works better here.

Is it the greatest ever? Nope. The longevity is pretty mediocre also. The 2020 version of Guilty Love Edition is upbeat and enjoyable to wear. It requires lots of sprays and I’ll go through the bottle fast, but it’s worth it.

At full price? Probably going to be a pass for most guys. At a discount? Give it a shot or at least get a sample to see if it vibes with you.

Update (2024): It’s been out of production for a while now and definitely left the scene without making too much of an impact. I finished my bottle, mostly using at as a chill summertime scent or something light that I might wear to the gym.

If you can find a bottle for cheap, it can fit that sort of casual role well. I wouldn’t go out of my way to obtain a new bottle, but it’s a fragrance that I got some enjoyment out of wearing for a while.

Heures d’Absence by Louis Vuitton

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Heures d’Absence is the last Louis Vuitton perfume from my large sample batch, that I needed to review. Yes, I now have to track down all the other releases, but I’ve now gotten around a dozen scent reviews from this designer. Is Heures d’Absence saving the best for last? What does it smell like? How long does it last? Is it actually worth a buy?

What does Heures d’Absence smell like?

Notes include: mimosa, jasmine, May rose, balsam of Peru, sandalwood, musk

My Full Review

Let’s see how Louis Vuitton describes this perfume: A beautiful escape through the flowery fields of Grasse. Heures d’Absence is an invitation to let yourself go and enjoy those moments when time suspends its flight. An enchanting break we would love to last forever.

Heures d’Absence opens up with a scent that is a sweet floral clean, with a nice hint of juicy raspberry up top. Now, the fruit isn’t too strong, but I do appreciate its presence in the mix.

So, there apparently was a perfume from Louis Vuitton with this same name back in 1927, but I don’t know if this is a remake or the brand just reusing the name.

Among the floral notes, mimosa and jasmine are the strongest here. Also, Heures is quite musky giving it a further soapy clean kind of vibe. The third floral note is May rose and its plays a minor role here.

Jasmine will come to be the main attraction, but it shares that title with mimosa early on.

The fruitiness and sweetness settle down somewhat and the aroma becomes greener with a powdery smell coming from the mimosa.

There isn’t too much complexity with Heures d’Absence. The scent turns into a classic soap aroma with a strong freshness and a watery semi-aquatic finish to it. It’s sweetness makes it feel very feminine versus some of the other more unisex entries from Vuitton.

Finally, it dries down pretty green with sandalwood playing a larger role. In the end, it is a musky jasmine sitting on top of a base of sandalwood.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

To me, the performance of Heures is one of its top qualities. For a floral, it has strong sillage, in the early stages of the wear. It’s not a complete sillage bomb, but it projects well in the first few hours.

On my skin, it becomes pretty moderate thereafter, and isn’t a skin scent. I was always aware of its presence on my skin, right until it finally began to fade.

When was that? Well, the longevity is close to 10 hours. I don’t think it crossed the double digit mark during any of my tests, but Heures d’Absence came as close as it can to accomplishing that. One of the longer lasting Louis Vuitton perfumes that I’ve tested.

Seasonally, stick to the spring and summer months with this one. The sweetness, freshness, and general clean feeling might be too sharp in the air on colder days.

This is a versatile daily wear. It is inoffensive and can be worn casually or to the office or just around town. It’s not a sexy perfume and not one that’s really going to standout or be a nightclub monster.

Heures d’Absence is low key and understated, which can be exactly what some women are looking for.

Overall Impressions of Heures d’Absence

Overall do I like Heures d’Absence? It’s fine. It smells nice enough, but isn’t all that exciting. I don’t think that its worth the price of entry. That being said, it is a versatile and well performing fragrance, so it can be a worthwhile choice for some.

This Vuitton scent has a classic style and gives you a clean floral aroma, packed with plenty of jasmine.

I like the raspberry in the opening and the mix of the sweetness with the semi-aquatic qualities of this fragrance. The rest of it is something that I feel like I’ve experience a thousand times before, at a cheaper price point.

There’s nothing here that is all that memorable for me. It’s definitely not a bad perfume by any stretch. However, it doesn’t particularly move the needle.

Guilty Pour Homme EDP by Gucci

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Guilty has been a massively successful line from Gucci in the past decade. It has seemed like each successive iteration has had less to do with the original fragrance than those that preceded it. Until, they’ve become colognes that just have the same name.

So, getting ahold of Gucci Guilty Eau de Parfum, I wasn’t sure of what to expect from this. How does it smell? Is the performance amped up? Is it even worth trying?

What does Guilty Pour Homme Eau de Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, French lavender, neroli, chili pepper, orange blossom, patchouli, vinegar, salt

Click here to try: GUCCI GUILTY POUR HOMME by Gucci, EAU DE PARFUM SPRAY 3 OZ

Full Wear Review

Here’s how Gucci describes it: The celebration of freedom expressed by the statement #ForeverGuilty continues with Gucci Guilty Pour Homme Eau de Parfum, a Woody Aromatic Spicy fragrance created to provoke. A contemporary take on two iconic perfumery ingredients popular in the ’70s.

The starts of Guilty EDP is intriguing. I read the list of notes before ever trying out this fragrance and wanted to know how they were going to infuse chili pepper, vinegar, and salt into this blend…because it sounds weird.

It does open up with a balsamic aroma. It’s spicy, warm, and has a greenish finish thanks to the presence of the rose (it doesn’t strike me as a red rose, more of a pink).

There is a touch of salt in the air, but the parfum has a fresh and soapier cleanliness that lurks underneath. One that will grow, as we move forward.

Neroli and red pepper add spice and the white floral notes sit underneath the rose. It favors the rose at first. Then, the neroli and orange blossom shine. Finally, the fragrance will feature the lavender and orange blossom.

The patchouli and rose combination do provide this with a classic feeling and an overall greenish earthiness.

At some point, the spiciness rolls off and it becomes a warmer floral fragrance, with patchouli and light woods. That soapy clean aroma becomes more apparent. There still is some chili pepper, but the balsamic aspect goes away.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

I was expecting a much more powerful scent with this eau de parfum version. Actually, the sillage is softer to moderate. Sure, the early stages are pretty solid, and that lasts about an hour or two. Thereafter, Guilty EDP is quite soft.

The longevity isn’t all that great either. It’s really not much different from the EDT, from my recollection. EDP sticks around for 5-6 hours. That’s about it.

The Guilty collection is fairly hit and miss with how long each of them lasts. They all seem to top out at the 8-9 hour mark, at the high end, and around here for the rest of them.

Guilty eau de parfum does provide a versatile wear, even if the performance isn’t top notch. It might not have a clear universal appeal, but for those who enjoy it, EDP can be worn almost anywhere and not feel too out of place.

It’s low key enough to be worn to an office. Though, I’d more want to wear it casually or for certain evenings out.

It’s not amazing in the heat. I’ve worn it in cooler autumn temperatures and on more moderate days without issue. It’s really when this cologne is at its best. Not too hot or too cold.

Overall Impressions of Guilty Pour Homme EDP

Overall, do I like Guilty EDP? Sort of. The opening act is really good. The balsamic rose with red pepper spice? Very interesting and smells great. Not my favorite fragrance ever, but it wasn’t a boring experience.

After that? Meh. It’s got some of the same notes as earlier entries into the series. Lavender, orange blossom, cedar. But, it doesn’t strike me as the same as Intense or even EDT. There’s elements there, though, the aroma is different.

I currently have an mini of Guilty Intense and the resemblance comparing them side by side, just isn’t that great.

Guilty Pour Homme EDP goes from interesting to forgettable. Yet, it still never reached a high level of enjoyment for me. It’s fine in terms of the smell.

I actually opted for a bottle of Guilty Love 2020 after sampling both it and EDP. Also, I later bought Guilty Parfum when it was released. I liked that better than EDP, as well. But, it’s also not amazing, kind of got boring after a while.

Plus, the performance isn’t all that great.

I do think that Guilty EDP is worth a try. Perhaps, you will have more of a love for it than I do. It’s fine, has its moments, but not one that I personally need to own.