Choosing a perfume is a deeply personal experience. It can also be an intimidating one. Fragrance wings in the most luxurious department stores are overwhelming, to say the least, flooded with vast and varied aromas battling for our nose’s attention, making it difficult to know where to start.
Shopping for unique fragrances can be distilled and made simpler by choosing scents based on, and which complement your Zodiac sign. Indeed, throughout history perfume has been used ritualistically to engage and elevate spiritual connections to higher powers.
Fashion and opulence aside, ancient Egyptians utilised scents such as frankincense and myrrh to honour the gods. In Vedic India and Buddhism, scent is described as helping one to connect with and feel the presence of the gods. In Judaism and ancient Hebrew mysticism, our sense of smell is deeply connected to the soul; Kabbalah teaches that smell represents the convergence of the physical and spiritual.
In exploring scents which are closely related to your astrological sign, you may just find yourself experiencing a stronger sense of spirituality than ever before. But what scents are associated with the different Zodiacs and why? To make things easier, we can categorise scents based on the four elemental zodiac divisions: earth, air, fire and water.
Earth signs: Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn
Embodying practicality, stability and emotional intuition, the earth signs value grounding scents which promote relaxation and tranquillity. Fragrances with woody and musky base notes which are complemented by sweet earthen florals like lavender, patchouli, eucalyptus and geranium will likely appeal to our wise and down-to-earth friends.
Air signs: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius
Inherently mutable and wildly unpredictable on the inside, strong-willed and level-headed on the outside – air signs would do well with a pure scent designed to ground and unite their dualistic personalities. Think rosewater, amber or musk. On the flip side, multi-faceted and energetic scents which encompass an air sign’s versatility and imaginative nature would also suit. We’re talking unexpected blends like tobacco and tuberose, or spiced ginger and sea breeze.
Fire signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Fortune favours the bold, and our fiery friends are likely to opt for dazzling, stand-out scents which are sure to garner attention. A fire sign fragrance should embody sensuality, adventure, mystery, intrigue and charm. Opulent aromas include oud, amber, gardenia, musk, vanilla and patchouli.
Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Aphrodite was born from sea foam, and thus water signs are associated with the divine feminine. Pure floral fragrances with soft, clean and powdery undertones tend to suit the aquatic signs due to their inherently romantic, emotional, intuitive and alluring natures.
Remember, fragrance reacts differently from skin to skin. Just because you’re choosing a fragrance based on the Zodiac you likely share with countless other individuals, doesn’t mean it won’t still smell entirely unique.
We’ve curated a selection of the best eaux de parfum based on your astrological sign below. Keep scrolling for olfactory delights which elevate your astrological aura.
Shop now
Celine Nightclubbing
Best for: Aries
Deep and heady, Celine’s Nightclubbing is reminiscent of Parisian nights of debauchery. Described as “somewhere between the scent of crimson velvet seats and the sensuality of the nape of a neck,” the intense fragrance has top notes of galbanum which disperse into white orris butter, patchouli and vanilla before deepening with an intense musk and tobacco base.
Buy now £230.00, Celine
Maison Margiela Replica From the Garden Eau de Toilette
Best for: Taurus
Reconnect with nature through the olfactory journey of Maison Margiela’s From the Garden. The lively notes capture the complexities of a sprouting outdoor oasis with fresh green mandarin to capture a sun-soaked afternoon picking ripe fruit, to the woody elements of patchouli and geranium to mimic that of the earth. It’s an uplifting, vibrant olfactory experience.
Buy now £120.00, Cult Beauty
Maison Margiela Replica Coffee Break Eau de Toilette
Best for: Cancer
We simply adore the magical way in which Maison Margiela’s Replica range is able to capture distinctly familiar scents which are said to represent certain moments and locations throughout time. Coffee Break boasts delicious aromas of creamy coffee, milk froth and sweet pastries and is reminiscent of that hug-in-a-mug feeling. Coffee and red apple top notes are complemented by lavender and orange flowers before releasing grounding notes of sandalwood and cedarwood.
Buy now £120.00, Sephora
Diptyque Philosykos Eau de Toilette
Best for: Gemini
With a scent that embodies the first morning of summer, Diptyque’s Philosykos is an instantly refreshing, transformative scent which embodies the enlightenment of Ancient Greek philosophers. More than a fig-infused scent, the Eau de Toilette embodies the woody intensity of the fig tree itself, and the earthy freshness of its unfurling leaves as the seasons change.
Buy now £153.00, Diptyque
Le Labo Thé Matcha 26 Eau de Parfum
Best for: Virgo
Intricate, earthy and grounded, Le Labo’s Thé Matcha 26 Eau de Parfum offers meditative notes of Japanese matcha and creamy fig which are grounded by vetiver before being uplifted once again by bitter orange aromas. It’s a skin scent which has been crafted to be worn close to the wearer, rather than spritzed onto clothes.
Buy now £153.00, Liberty
Santa Maria Novella Tabacco Toscano
Best for: Leo
Santa Maria Novella is the world’s oldest perfumery, with roots tracing back to 13th century Florence – when Dominican friars began cultivating herbs and plants just outside the city.
Intoxicating and rich, Tabaco Toscano combines warm, heady notes of Tuscan tobacco leaves with bergamot, musk and smoky vanilla. Crafted as a tribute to the fierce Tuscan character, it was inspired by Queen Caterina de’Medici’s remedy for migraines known as ‘Herba Catharinaria.’
Buy now £125.00, Harrods
Vyrao Witchy Woo
Best for: Scorpio
We don’t think it gets more mystical than a fragrance containing a supercharged Herkimer diamond crystal inside. Notes of fresh, powdery orris intertwine with rose, nutmeg cinnamon and black pepper before bursting into grounding patchouli, frankincense and sweet myrrh. Crafted to amplify your energy and reveal your higher self, it’s a cleansing, courageous and creative fragrance which ignites the senses.
Buy now £132.00, Vyrao
Byredo Rose of No Man's Land
Best for: Libra
This Byredo perfume was created as a tribute to nurses in WWI who were nicknamed the Roses of No Man’s Land. The fragrance offers a darker, headier scent that is slightly peppery upon first spray. It combines Turkish rose petals, and elements of raspberry and pink peppercorn with an earthier white amber, and papyrus.
Buy now £150.00, Liberty
Gabar No.II Ground Eau de Parfum
Best for: Capricorn
Sometimes we could all do with a lesson in grounding. Luxuriate in the swirling, arboraceous scents of Gabar’s No.II Ground Eau de Parfum. Housed in 98 per cent recyclable packaging, inside this sophisticated A-line bottle lies notes of coriander, saffron, pink pepper, ginger, orris, fig, bedroom, cedarwood, oud, sandalwood, vetiver and musk. That’s a whole lot of aromatic goodness packed into just 50ml.
Buy now £108.00, Liberty
Malin + Goetz Dark Rum Eau De Parfum
Best for: Sagittarius
There’s a reason why New York-born skincare and fragrance label Malin + Goetz’s Dark Rum fragrance is a best-seller. The addictive aroma has universal appeal with genderless and alluring top notes of bergamot and plum combined with a heart of warm leather, rum and vanilla and a base of amber and patchouli.
Buy now £82.00, Cult Beauty
Scope Time Loop Eau de Toilette
Best for: Pisces
Described as taking us on a ‘journey through time’, this warming scent is perfectly sweet without being overwhelming, making it the perfect transitional fragrance.
It comprises joyful top notes of smooth vanilla, a salty sea breeze with pear and mandarin, a heart of jasmine, lavender and violet leaves, and is tempered by a base of musk, evernyl and more vanilla to complete the loop.
We adore the wholesome blend of saccharine, herbaceous and natural aromas mixed with balancing oaky, woody and mossy undertones. It certainly feels like taking an early morning dip in the ocean before meandering through the forest back home.
Buy now £32.00, Oriflame
Byredo Bibliothèque Eau de Parfum
Best for: Aquarius
For us, the BYREDO Bibliothèque scent has almost become synonymous with the end of the summer and the changing weather. When we catch a whiff of its transportive aroma, we are ready to embrace the season.
The aroma takes inspiration from a library (something French speakers may have been able to guess) and thus replicates the calm studious feeling complete with mahogany shelves and classic literature. Without even having to light it, touches of leather, patchouli and vanilla fill the space, replacing the sweetness of peach and plum and the floralness of peony and violet in its opening.
Buy now £150.00, Liberty
