At this point, I've smelled almost every Byredo fragrance there is. It's easy to see why the Stockholm-based brand is so popular; in addition to the incredibly chic and minimal packaging, the unisex scents are unique yet undoubtedly wearable and intriguing—they're considered as one of the best perfume brands amongst fashion insiders. Trust me—everyone will ask you what scent you're wearing when you spray on Byredo, and anything you buy from the brand is worthy of the price tag, but I'm here to help you narrow it down because there are so many good ones to choose from.
For my own fragrance-buying mission and for your fragrance-buying missions (I'm here to serve), I asked Byredo to send me samples of its best-selling scents, and the brand kindly obliged. Over the past few weeks, I've been switching up my scent daily, because variety is the spice of life, and I wanted to give you my honest reviews of the best Byredo perfumes.
There are plenty of perfume reviews out there, but I find them to be quite technical, speaking to all of the different layered notes in a scent. My reviews are more about how they'll make you feel when wearing them, the best occasions and seasons to wear them for, how versatile they are, etc. Keep scrolling if you're intrigued, and be sure to head all the way to the bottom for the rest of the Who What Wear team's favourites.
The Best Byredo Perfumes, Listed:
- Best new Byredo perfume: Blanche Absolu (£190)
- Best for everyday wear: Gypsy Water (£150)
- Best for all year round: Rose of No Man's Land (£150)
- Best for summer: Bal d'Afrique (£150)
- Best for sharing with your partner: Desert Dawn (£150)
- Best for winter: Rose Noir (£150)
- Best for special occasions: Slow Dance (£150)
- Best for spring: Inflorescence (£150)
- Best for autumn: Bibliothèque (£150)
- Best for daytime : Mojave Ghost (£150)
- Best for gourmand lovers: Vanille Antique (£280)
- Best for evening: Oud Immortel (£150)
1. Blanche Absolu
Byredo's newest perfume, Blanche Absolu, is a more intense version of it's iconic Blanche (£150) fragrance, which is the cleanest skin scent you could imagine. Blanche Absolu is the more intense, longer-lasting sister, which is inspired by the feeling of fresh sheets on your skin and soap laundry detergent. This version is more musky and aldehydic, so it's the perfect one if you love a clean-smelling scent that will last for hours on end.
Best for: Fans of Byredo's original Blanche scent
Key notes: Aldehyde, black pepper, neroli, rose absolute, violet, jasmine, cashmeran, musks, ambroxan, cashmere woods
2. Gypsy Water
Friends it's decided, my number one paycheck-worthy pick is Gypsy Water. Sorry, no surprise here! It's the brand's best-selling, most well-known, and most-Instagrammed (I checked) scent, and for good reason. It's the one I reached for the most these past few weeks because wearing it just makes me happy. It smells of sandalwood and vanilla, lemon and campfires and so many other things you would never believe could smell so intoxicatingly good together. It smells so beautiful that I don't even care that it's not particularly under the radar. I want to wear it constantly so that I can smell my wrist every time I need a pick-me-up.
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Best for: Everyday wear
Key notes: Bergamot, juniper berries, lemon, pepper, incense, orris, pine needle, amber, sandalwood, vanilla
3. Rose of No Man's Land
I'm always on the hunt for a cool rose fragrance, and I really struck gold with this popular Byredo scent. It's subtle and fresh but with a hint of richness (thanks to the white amber base note). This is one of those rare scents that I'd be happy to wear every day, year-round. I'm probably going to have to add it to my collection.
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Best for: All year round
Key notes: Pink pepper, Turkish rose petals, raspberry blossom, Turkish rose absolute, amber, papyrus
4. Bal d'Afrique
"Bal d'Afrique is another one of the brand's cult favourites that I think is impossible not to fall in love with," says freelance beauty editor, Grace Day. It's warm, bright, sunny, and so vibrant and uplifting. I love wearing this in the summer months, it's like a holiday in a bottle."
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Best for: Summer
key notes: African marigold, bergamot, buchu, cyclamen, violet, cedarwood, vetiver
5. Desert Dawn
"This scent literally radiates warmth—it truly will transport you to sunrise in a desert. I prefer it for evening, as it's a bit musky, but the warm, woody notes mean it's also a great anytime scent during summer and autumn," says Day. "My husband and I practically fight over the bottle—we both love anything that features notes of cardamom, sandalwood, and papyrus. Highly recommend."
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Best for: Sharing with your partner
Key notes: Cardamom, rose petals, carrot, cedarwood, sandalwood, papyrus, vetiver, silk musk
6. Rose Noir
The first of the two rose fragrances (more to come on the other soon), Rose Noir is the earthier of the two. Byredo describes it as "dirty," and I'd have to agree. It has some depth to it but is undeniably a rose lover's dream.
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Best for: Winter
Key notes: Cardamom, freesia, grapefruit, red berries, lily of the valley, raspberry, rose damascena, violet, jasmine, moss, musks, patchouli, cistus labdanum
7. Slow Dance
"This one is also a bit tricky to describe. It feels like a rich, statement-making fragrance to me—patchouli and vanilla are the base notes, but they're the most sophisticated versions of patchouli and vanilla you can imagine," says Day. "If you like your scent to be warm, slightly sweet, and last all day (and night) long, this one's for you."
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Best for: Special occasions
Key notes: Opopanax, geranium, labdanum, violet, patchouli, vanilla
8. Inflorescence
Inflorescence is definitely the most floral perfume in the bunch and would make the perfect daytime scent in spring and summer. As is the norm for Byredo, it's a very complex floral that feels exotic and fresh. It certainly has signature-scent potential but not really year-round.
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Best for: Spring
Key notes: Pink Freesia, rose petals, lily of the valley, magnolia, fresh jasmine
9. Bibliothèque
Byredo's Bibliothèque candles have an intense cult following (I'm a member of that cult), so it was wise of the brand to create a perfume. I honestly couldn't describe this scent to you if I tried; it's just unique. There is a rich patchouli note that is overarching, though, so if you like expensive-smelling patchouli, you'll love this. Again, this one was a wee bit too masculine for me (but my love for the candle lives on), and I'd 100% buy it for my husband and require that he wear it every day.
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Best for: Autumn
Notes: Plum, cinnamon, leather accord, violet, birch woods, patchouli, vanilla
10. Mojave Ghost
Mojave Ghost is one of Byredo's buzziest scents, so I was eager to try it. I do see why this one is so popular—it's a lovely option for evening but isn't sweet or overly floral in the least. The floral aspect is soft and woodsier with a hint of sandalwood and amber. The only reason I don't think I'd adopt it as my signature scent is that it develops a bit of a powdery note on me as the day wears on, but some people may embrace that.
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Best for: Daytime
Key notes: Ambrette, nesberry, magnolia, sandalwood, violet, cedarwood, musks, vetiver
11. Antique Vanille
"Part of Byredo's Night Veils collection, these Extrait de Parfums are potent and perfect for evening wear—they last for hours on end," says Who What Wear UK beauty editor, Eleanor Vousden. "My favourite pick has to be Vanilla Antique, a seductive vanilla that's smooth, golden and pulses off the skin—it's a real compliment generator."
Best for: Lovers of gourmand perfumes
Key notes: Freesia, plum, amber, cashmere woods, vanilla, cistus oil, musk
12. Oud Immortel
Oud Immortel is a beautiful scent, and I was excited to get to try it, but for me, it was just a bit too masculine. It was created around a certain type of dark wood that's used in traditional incense, so it's as smoky and complex as you'd imagine. While it may not be right for me, I'd buy a bottle for my husband in a second.
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Best for: Evening
Key notes: Incense, cardamom, Brazilian rosewood, papyrus, patchouli, moss, tobacco leaves, oud
Shop More Team Who What Wear Byredo Favourites:
This musk-based perfume is punctuated with sage, amber and iris root. It's a warm, woody fragrance that is going to be our go-to all season. Read our review of Byredo De Los Santos here.
One of the newer additions to the Byredo perfume family, Mumbai Noise is a strong and deep scent that will have you sniffing your wrists all day long. It's a rich, warm blend of woods, amber, leather and coffee that will transport you to Indian food markets on a blistering hot day. Essentially, it's nomadic escapism in a bottle.
If you ask team Who What Wear, we'd say Blanche is perhaps Byredo's most underrated perfume. It's like fresh sheets, showered skin and tumble-dried fluffy towels all in one. This stuff is the definition of a your-skin-but-better scent.
It stays true to its name, with most people feeling deeply confused on first spritz. First of all, it's nose-tinglingly sweet, then comes the deep woody base that settles into an actually very wearable scent. Spraying Mixed Emotions takes you on an olfactory journey that leaves you feeling quite content.
If there's one thing to take away from this roundup, it's that Byredo knows a thing or two about rose perfumes. The latest rose addition, Young Rose, is deep, spicy and ticklish on the nose in all of the right ways.
"Eyes Closed buys into the current trend for soft, skin-inspired scents. It's delicate and papery, but also warm and comforting, thanks to notes of ginger, patchouli, and papyrus," says Day. "I wore this on my wedding day so it's such a nostalgic scent for me."
A Byredo scent created exclusively for Liberty, Heliotropia blends fleshy white flowers (think wild gardenia and jasmine sambac) with sweet sugar-like notes and spiced incense. If it sounds like a lot, it is. But in a good way. In a way that makes you want more and more and more.
Inspired by a photograph of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin (also known as the stupendously famous photographic duo Inez & Vinoodh), Byredo created a perfume that is somehow spiced, smooth, crisp, smoky and warm. One to smell before you buy, disciples rave about this Byredo perfume even now, eleven years after it first launched.
This story was published at an earlier time and has since been updated.
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