Finding one of the best women's perfumes doesn’t have to mean browsing overly serious, sophisticated or eye-wateringly expensive aromas – and Ariana Grande’s 12-strong fragrance collection is proof.
The popstar’s first perfume, Ari by Ariana Grande, arrived in 2015, complete with the pink bottle and fluffy pom-pom that have since become something of a signature for the range. Since then, the collection has grown to encompass everything from airy, sweet crowd-pleasers to warmer, woodier scents, with cloud even taking home the US Fragrance Foundation’s 2019 ‘fragrance of the year – women’s popular’ award.
While the playful packaging and sugary profiles have obvious appeal for younger perfume fans, these aren’t fragrances made exclusively for teenagers. So, I put Grande’s full lineup to our IndyBest teen tester, Lyla Beevers, before drawing my own conclusions on the scents – from staying power to versatility of wear – as a seasoned beauty writer. Scroll on for our honest thoughts.
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The best Ariana Grande perfumes for 2026 are:
- Best overall – Lovenotes by Ariana Grande, pink woods eau de parfum, 30ml: £30.40, Lookfantastic.co.uk
- Best clean scent – Ariana Grande cloud eau de parfum, 30ml: £29, Thefragranceshop.co.uk
- Best floral scent – Ariana Grande mod blush eau de parfum, 100ml: £44, Lookfantastic.com
- Best staying power – Ari by Ariana Grande eau de parfum, 100ml: £53, Boots.com
- Best for all ages – Ariana Grande lovenotes, vanilla suede, 30ml: £38, Boots.com
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Lovenotes by Ariana Grande, pink woods eau de parfum
Rating: 5/5
Best: overall Ariana Grande perfume
Why we love it
- Chic and sleek bottle
- Clean, minimalist scent
Take note
- Not as much staying power as other Ariana Grande fragrances
Lyla’s verdict was that the bottle of Ariana Grande’s pink woods has a pared-back, grown-up feel that sets it apart from some of Grande’s more novelty-led designs, choosing it as the best Ariana Grande perfume overall. Inside, jasmine petals bring a soft floral note, while tonka and cashmere woods give it warmth without tipping into anything overly sweet.
I found it fresh, clean and surprisingly polished, with a soft woody dry-down that feels easy to wear beyond the teenage years. Meanwhile, Lyla likened it to “fresh, clean washing”, although she found it didn’t hang around quite as long as some of the other perfumes we tested.
Key specifications
Buy now £30.4, Lookfantastic.com
Ariana Grande cloud eau de parfum
Rating: 4.5/5
Best: clean-smelling Ariana Grande perfume
Why we love it
- Packaging is less fiddly than some of the other AG scents
- Balances freshness and sweetness well
Take note
- Can be a touch overpowering
Lyla described cloud as “like a luxurious bubble bath”, which sums up its clean, airy sweetness nicely. Lavender blossom, pear and bergamot give the opening a fresh lift, while the creamy base keeps it soft rather than soapy.
I can see why this has become one of Grande’s most recognisable scents – it feels youthful without being exclusively teen and the warmth beneath the freshness gives it year-round versatility. The cloud-shaped holder is equally fun and, unlike some of the fussier bottles, doesn’t get in the way. It can be quite strong, though, so I’d go easy on the sprays.
Key specifications
Buy now £29, Thefragranceshop.co.uk
Ariana Grande mod blush eau de parfum
Rating: 4.5/5
Best: floral Ariana Grande perfume
Why we love it
- Light, powdery and easy to wear
- Chic packaging
Take note
- Doesn’t last compared to other AG fragrances
Mod blush is one of the lighter scents in the Ariana Grande line-up, with a fruity opening that quickly settles into a softer floral and powdery musk train. On my skin, those notes translated as fresh and airy rather than heavily perfumed, making it a good choice for daytime wear, particularly in warmer weather.
Lyla loved its feminine character, comparing the overall scent to “a posh spa day,” and found it fresh enough to wear all day without becoming too much. The one drawback was longevity; as mentioned it lasted well enough, but not quite as long as some of the other fragrances we tested.
Key specifications
Buy now £44, Lookfantastic.com
Ari by Ariana Grande eau de parfum
Rating: 4.5/5
Best: long-wearing Ariana Grande perfume
Why we love it
- Excellent staying power
- Great for the warmer months
Take note
- Bulky bottle
Ari has a distinctly mid-2010s sweetness to it, opening fruity before settling into a snuggly mix of vanilla orchid, marshmallow and creamy musk. There’s something nostalgic about it if, like me, you remember when when celebrity fragrances were everywhere and beauty YouTubers were reviewing them left, right and centre.
Lyla picked up on exactly that, remarking that the bottle has “2015/16 vibes.” I found the scent more wearable than that might suggest, with the marshmallow giving it a cosy, soft finish rather than turning it into pure sugar. Lyla also loved the removable pom-pom, and it proved one of the longest-lasting scents in our test.
Key specifications
Buy now £53, Boots.com
Ariana Grande lovenotes, vanilla suede
Rating: 4.5/5
Best: fresh Ariana Grande perfume
Why we love it
- All-day wear
- Not an ‘in your face’ vanilla
Take note
- Can become sickly if over spritzed
Ariana Grande’s vanilla suede is an unexpected fragrance favourite of mine, given I’m not usually a vanilla perfume person. I first tested it when the lovenotes collection launched in 2024 and, despite normally opting for crisp, apple-y aromas, I kept finding myself reaching for it.
Notes of Italian bergamot give the opening a fresh lift, while creamy sandalwood, rice milk and vanilla beans make it soft, warm and almost powdery on skin. Lyla found it comforting but still fresh, and I agreed with her that the vanilla stays relatively understated – until you get too enthusiastic with the spritzing, when it can start to feel a little sickly.
Key specifications
Buy now £38, Boots.com
Ariana Grande mod vanilla eau de parfum
Rating: 4/5
Best: winter Ariana Grande perfume
Why we love it
- Vanilla strikes perfect balance of sweet but not sickly
- At once creamy and fresh
Take note
- Quite strong at times
Grande’s mod vanilla EDP has a soft, freshly showered feel Lyla described as “very clean girl aesthetic.” There’s enough creaminess to stop it from smelling too light or summery and, on me, the vanilla was perceptibly more grown-up than the sugary style you might expect from a celebrity fragrance.
It’s one I’d be happy wearing through autumn and winter, when I tend to want something warmer and more enveloping. Lyla also liked that it balances freshness with sweetness, although we both found it can become quite powerful after a number of hours on the skin.
Key specifications
Buy now £21, Amazon.co.uk
Ariana Grande sweet like candy eau de parfum
Rating: 4/5
Best: evening Ariana Grande perfume
Why we love it
- Long-lasting scent
- Balances fruity and sugary scents well
Take note
- Bottle is bulky for travelling
The sweet like candy scent is inherently fun. It’s fruity, sweet and pretty flashy without feeling heavy like some gourmand perfumes. In fact, Lyla dubbed it “very glamorous” – definitely the sort of fragrance you’d reach for to feel a little more dressed up.
The combination of juicy fruit, whipped cream and vanilla gives it plenty of sweetness, but there’s enough lightness to stop it becoming cloying straight away. It also had impressive staying power in our tests, making it a natural pick for party season when you want your perfume to last beyond the first round of drinks.
Key specifications
Buy now £25.08, Debenhams.com
Ariana Grande god is a woman eau de parfum
Rating: 3.5/5
Best: versatile Ariana Grande perfume
Why we love it
- Suits both day and night wear
- Bright, uplifting aroma
Take note
- Case makes it difficult to open
The god is a woman eau de parfum is fresher and more pared back than some of the other scents in Grande’s collection. The pear comes through clearly on my skin, giving it a juicy, dewy quality, while the florals and woods add enough depth to stop it feeling one-dimensional.
Lyla said it reminded her of a “sunny, spring morning” and I can see why – it has a clean, zingy quality that well in daytime but doesn’t feel out of place if you’re getting dressed up for dinner. The sleek bottle looks great on a dressing table, but both Lyla and myself found its chunky outer case frustratingly fiddly to remove, which took some of the shine away from an otherwise easy-to-wear scent.
Key specifications
Buy now £26.4, Lookfantastic.com
Ariana Grande r.e.m. eau de parfum
Rating: 3.5/5
Best: unisex Ariana Grande fragrance
Why we love it
- Unique crystal-style bottle
- Excellently suited to evening wear
Take note
- Very strong
R.e.m. stands apart from the sweeter, fruitier scents in the Ariana Grande perfume roster, with a warmer, more woody character that gives it a somewhat androgynous feel. Lyla thought it smelled “quite masculine” compared with the others, while also describing it as something she’d wear on a winter’s evening.
I found the same darker quality made it particularly suited to nights out and colder weather, when its richer character feels more at home. The crystal-style case is a fun addition, but the fragrance is noticeably stronger than most of the others we tested, so it isn’t one I’d reach for every day. That said, I know plenty of scent obsessives who welcome a strong, pungent scent. Each to their own.
Key specifications
Buy now £34.4, Thefragranceshop.co.uk
Ariana Grande thank u next eau de parfum
Rating: 3.5/5
Best: gourmand Ariana Grande perfume
Why we love it
- Sweet yet airy
- Eye-drawing packaging
Take note
- Too sickly for those not keen on gourmand and sugary scents
Thank u, next is the most dessert-like of the Ariana Grande fragrances we tested, with its raspberry notes providing a juicy opening before the creamy macaron accord comes through. It has the exact edible quality that gourmand lovers look for, though this is the component that will leave fans of more fresh, clean and floral aromas feeling overwhelmed.
Lyla was drawn to the pink broken-heart bottle, complete with its little “XOXO” cap detail, which gives it plenty of personality. I enjoyed the novelty, but on my skin the sweetness became quite cloying after a while, keeping this at 3.5/5 rating versus anything higher.
Key specifications
Buy now £29, Thefragranceshop.co.uk
Ariana Grande cloud pink eau de parfum
Rating: 3.5/5
Best: fruity Ariana Grande perfume
Why we love it
- Uplifting tropical scent that’s apt for spring and summer
- Much like cloud original, packaging is aesthetic and easy to use
Take note
- Overpowering at times
Compared to the original cloud scent, this one is definitely fruitier with its aroma of pineapple, dragon fruit and berries. I felt its tropical sweetness was made for warmer weather and Lyla agreed, describing it as “super summery and tropical.”
If you’re toying between the two cloud fragrances, I’d recommend opting for pink if you want something bright and fruity, with the coconut water and vanilla giving it more nuance than well…fresh fruit. The familiar cloud-shaped holder is still easy to use and looks good on display, although the fragrance itself can be quite potent after a few sprays.
Key specifications
Buy now £35, Theperfumeshop.com
Ariana Grande r.e.m. cherry eclipse eau de parfum
Rating: 3/5
Best: strong Ariana Grande perfume
Why we love it
- Great staying power
- High-sillage
Take note
- Bottle is easily scuffed
- Very sickly if you don’t like strong or sweet scents
The inclusion of black cherry gives Ariana Grande’s r.e.m. cherry eclipse a much fruitier, sweeter character than the original iteration. While honeysuckle, marshmallow and amber add to its distinctly moreish feel, Lyla found it “really sickly” at times – though she caveated that she also thought it was cosy and retained some freshness.
Personally, I found this one has a much bigger presence on skin than some of the lighter scents in the collection (such as mod blush) so it’s better suited to anyone who enjoys being able to smell their perfume consistently throughout the day. The sculptural bottle is lovely, although Lyla noted that it marks quite easily.
Key specifications
Buy now £45, Boots.com
What is the best Ariana Grande perfume?
Ariana Grande’s lovenotes pink woods perfume ultimately came out on top, with a clean and fresh character that Lyla loved as a younger tester, alongside a warmth and depth from its jasmine, tonka and cashmere woods notes that I felt was more grown-up.
It wasn’t the only one we liked, though and the original cloud scent is certainly one to consider if you prefer a cleaner, airier scent, while mod blush impressed us with its light, powdery floral projection.
Ari proved one of the most reliable for longevity, and I have a personal soft spot for lovenotes vanilla suede after it ticked the box as a ‘vanilla scent for people who don’t like vanilla.’
How we tested Ariana Grande perfumes
I split the testing between myself and – more prominently – our teen tester, Lyla Beevers. While Lyla wore and assessed the fragrances over an extended period, I tried them more briefly to feed in as a beauty expert and adult wearer. Together, we were able to compile reviews that considered both first impressions and beyond, assessing how each perfume performed on skin and how practical they felt to wear. Specifically, we paid attention to the following criteria:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
As the daughter of long-standing IndyBest reviewer Helen Wilson-Beevers, Lyla Beevers is no stranger to all things beauty and fragrance. Here, she leant us her teenage insight to perfumes and what young fragrance fans are looking for, including everything from aesthetic packaging to scents that stand out from the crowd.
Lucy Smith is IndyBest’s senior shopping writer and has written numerous fragrance reviews, such as her guides to the best women’s perfumes and new releases from popular brands like Chanel. She’s even worn some of the Ariana Grande fragrances featured above for a period of more than two years.
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