Beauty editors would prefer to keep these 6 subtly scented perfumes a secret

As a beauty editor, believe me when I say sometimes the best perfumes are those you can barely smell. Yes really, I mean it. We don’t always want our scent to enter the room before we do, or have a waft of a popular fragrance and someone be able to place it right away. While stronger, long-lasting perfumes are of course great, there’s an allure and elegance of someone not knowing whether you’re wearing perfume or if you just smell really good. 

That’s where skin scents come in. You’ve probably heard of them (maybe as pheromone perfumes or even TikTok’s classic 'clean girl aesthetic'), seen them and might even already own a few of these skin-like, fresh perfumes but not know it. Whether it's spring or summer, skin scents work for all. But what actually is a skin scent? We’ve tapped Nick Gilbert, Director and Evaluator at Olfiction, and founder of Boujee Bougies and Eau de Boujee to find out everything you need to know about the perfume that’s got everyone hooked. 

Plus we’ve rounded up some of our favourites if you fancy spritzing your own. 

What is a skin scent? 

Well, essentially it’s a fancy way of smelling like you—but better. "A skin scent refers to a kind of fragrance that wears closely to the skin, or smells like warm skin," explains Nick. "Instead of projecting an enormous scented aura around it, it creates a gentle, more subtle trail," he says. 

Unlike a lot of fragrances, which are designed to smell a very specific way and maintain the scent across the vast majority of people’s skins, skin scents all differ depending on who the wearer is and how it interacts. "In the case of [the note] Iso E Super, well known thanks to Molecule 01, it seems to behave more like an enhancer than an odour in its own right," Nick explains. "That's not to say it doesn't smell (it has a velvety, smooth cedarwood effect), but it is being used for its effect."

Why do people love skin scents so much? 

In short: they’re familiar. It’s no secret that we subconsciously prefer familiarity and this is like an elegant, elevated version of that. "They tend to appeal to people because they smell soft, clean and comfortable, like an enhanced version of our own skin," Nick says. Think of it as the perfectly tailored crisp white shirt of scents—one that is simple, classic and looks like it was made for you. 

People also love to gatekeep and be unique when it comes to fragrance. Knowing that even if someone asks what scent you’re wearing and spritzes on the same they won’t smell like you is special. In that sense, they’re a really intimate and special type of fragrance. 

What notes create a typical skin scent?

So, what notes should you look out for? Nick explains that musks like ebanol, ambrettolide and edenolide and ambergris style notes such as ambroxan and cetalox are favoured. “Woody notes from cedarwood and sandalwood, to Iso E Super and sandalore, ambrette seed, as well as iris root and some of its analogues are all useful for skin scents.” 

As for more summery skin scents, “it tends to be salicylate rich materials like jasmine and ylang ylang that remind us of sun warmed skin,” says Nick. 

Shop the 6 best skin scents

1. Escentric Molecules Molecule 01

2. Glossier You

3. Phlur Missing Person

4. Diptyque L'Eau Papier

5. Altra Skin

6. Le Labo Another 13