26 Niche Fragrances You Need to Have on Your Radar in 2025

One of my all-time favorites is Ground by London-based brand Gabar. It's warm, smoky, and such a comforting scent. I could wear this every day.

Notes: Coriander, saffron, pink pepper, ginger, orris, fig, cedarwood, oud, sandalwood, vetiver, musk

My best friend showed me Vyrao, a brand that brings intention and energetic healing to fragrance. Magnetic 70 was made for attraction and protection, with vetiver for sensuality and grounding, cedarwood for positivity, frankincense for illumination, and angelica seed for protection.

Notes: Vetiver oil, cedarwood oil, frankincense, angelica Seed, juniper wood, elemi oil, iris absolute 

The same friend who showed me Magnetic 70 introduced me to The Apartment. It reminds me of Tom Ford's Lost Cherry, with tart cherry and cacao. All of Abel's scents are 100% natural and made from natural, plant-derived ingredients.

Notes: Tart cherry, rum, tuberose, cacao, jasmine, myrrh, tolu balsam

The final recommendation from the same friend is this Astier de Villatte Ambre Liquide, which she discovered at Liberty London on a recent vacation to Europe. Her review? "It's definitely a complex and expensive-smelling perfume. Not necessarily instantly palatable. Two hours later, and I like it the best now." Featuring damask rose, amber, cistus, myrrh, styrax, frankincense, and vanilla, it's described as "drawn straight from the fantastical Middle Ages."

Notes: Damask rose, amber, cistus, myrrh, styrax, frankincense, vanilla

I found this one through ScentedStories on TikTok, who compared it to Byredo's Bal D'Afrique. It's now become one of my go-tos for spring and summer.

Notes: Bergamot, black currant, lemon, violet, lily of the valley, vetiver, tonka bean, cedarwood

If you're a Bal D'Afrique lover, you should also know Vétiver Tonka by Hermés. I recently tried Ambre Narguilé and now I want a full bottle of both.

Notes: Vetiver, tonka bean, hazelnut

This might be my favorite vanilla scent I've ever tried. I also love that Sana Jardin supports female harvesters in Morocco, with sales directly contributing to their livelihoods.

Notes: Bergamot, coriander, cardamon, jasmine absolute Morocco, frankincense, benzoin, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver, patchouli

Legendary artist Serge Lutens founded his own exquisite perfume brand. As an amber obsessive, I'm a fan of Ambre Sultan, Un Bois Vanille, and Santal Majuscule, which are all on my wish list.

Notes: Amber, vanilla, patchouli

One of the most popular notes in fragrance these days is santal, and Matiere Premiere is top tier.

Notes: Iris, sandalwood oil from Australia, benzoin, tonka bean absolute

Byredo has become a household name at this point, but some of its scents still feel underrated. Velvet Haze was my entry point into fragrance as an adult. Since then, Vanille Antique has become my fall/winter signature scent, and Bal D'Afrique will forever be in rotation.

Notes: Vanilla, cashmere, wood, ciste, musk

My boyfriend;s notoriously picky with scents—his only previous bottles were Molton Brown's Black Pepper, Le Labo's Miami, and Aesop's Tacit. So when he actually liked this Comme Des Garçons one after I kept telling him to try it, it felt very satisfying. It has black pepper oil, Madagascan and Venezuelan pepper, akigalawood, musk accord, leather accord, cedarwood, tonka beans, cypress wood, gaiac wood, patchouli, and vetiver.

Notes: Pepper, musk, tonka, agarwood, cedar, patchouli

He loves woody scents too, and Forest Lungs is inspired by the Japanese practice of forest bathing, so when he smelled this at Happier Grocery he gave it his seal of approval.

Notes: Bergamot, black pepper, pimento berry, cardamon, lentisque absolute, cedarwood, patchouli, pine

I've been torn between D.S. & Durga's Deep Dark Vanilla and Amber Kiso for months. I hope someday the brand makes a perfume version of its Tuberose Myrrhder candle, too.

Notes: Japanese cedar, incense, sawara cypress, asahi zuru maple, patchouli, iris, hinoki, leather, treemoss

Another TikTok discovery, Babycat is a lesser-known YSL scent that's known for its sensuality. It's a spicy vanilla bourbon inspired by the brand's iconic leopard print.

Notes: Pink pepper essence, black pepper essence, elemi essence, olibanum essence, resin, saffron accord, vanilla, cedarwood, suede accord

From the Courrèges line, Slogan is my first choice—a musky ambrox. On first smell, it actually reminded me of Glossier You.

Notes: Juniper berries, white musk, ambrox

Apparently Narciso Rodriguez For Her is wildly popular in France. The original version is especially chic, with musk, honey flower, amber, and warm wood.

Notes: Orange blossom, osmanthus, rose, solar musk, peach, amber, soft musk, vanilla, vetiver, musk

If you're on perfume TikTok, you've likely heard about Escapade Gourmande. It's an elevated gourmand of black sugar, vanilla, tonka bean, and musk. I have a sample I can't stop wearing, and I think it's going to be my next full-size purchase.

Notes: Black Sugar, vanilla, tonka bean, musk

Régime des Fleurs makes fragrances that all feel one-of-a-kind. For example, Glass Blooms may be one of the most unique scents I've ever smelled. I'm not usually into floral perfumes, but this is one of my exceptions.

Notes: Ambrette, peony, incense, tea rose, muguet, riesling grape, ylang ylang, sandalwood, tonka bean

If you're a fan of Escentric Molecules, 27 87's Genetic Bliss is for you. For something more summery, Hamaca uses marine accord, sandalwood, coconut, tonka bean, and vanilla.

Notes: Marine accord, sandalwood, coconut, tonka bean, vanilla

Described by Trudon as "the life of a forest that permeates through the seasons." It's a true green scent.

Notes: Green leaves, pine, juniper, ambroxan, cashmeran

Diptique is far from niche these days, but if you're only familiar with department store staples, suggest starting with Eau Duelle. It went viral after Caroline Stern labeled it a "hotel lobby vanilla"—elegant and not too sweet.

Notes: Vanilla, pink peppercorn, cypriol, incense

We all know Prada, but I hadn't heard of this Amber scent until recently. It was actually the brand's first fragrance, inspired by the ancient perfumery of India and Persia.

Notes: Bergamot, Italian orange, orange, mandarin, mimosa, rose, peru balsam, patchouli oil, raspberry flower, labdanum, tonka bean, vanilla, musk, sandalwood oil

Described as "a citrus overdose grounded by earth and rain," En Plein Air is my favorite from Jouissance. With notes of grapefruit, lemon, bergamot, white flowers, rain, and musk, it's a light, bright scent.

Notes: Grapefruit, lemon, bergamot, white flowers, rain, musk

I was gifted a bottle of Of True Minds, which first introduced me to Liis. Since then, I've smelled the brand's entire sample set. Ethereal Wave stood out immediately, feeling breezy and coastal, composed of bergamot, cardamom, white tea, black tea absolute, blonde woods, and velvet musk.

Notes: Bergamot, cardamom, white tea, black tea absolute, blonde woods, velvet musk

Vanilla Embers is depicted as "warmth that radiates from within, like the lingering glow of an ember." Eauso Vert is a female, Latin-owned brand that's vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainable.

Notes: Cardamom, range flower, sandalwood, turmeric root, vanilla bean

Moonmilk, made by Stockholm-based Stora Skuggan, is inspired by a 16th-century Swiss naturalist's account of moonlight in a cave.

Notes: Black tea, lime, cardamom, lily of the valley, mandarin, sandalwood, leather