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The lilac (Syringa vulgaris) is a flowering plant that grows wildly. The hardy plant develops into a large shrub and is cultivated widely for its strong-scented flowers. It originally came from the Ottoman gardens and was introduced into European gardens late into the 16th century and to American colonies in the 18th century.
The lilac is a common plant in many parks and gardens. In early summer, the ornamental shrub sprouts attractive, sweet-smelling flowers in white, blue, purple, pink, yellow, and lilac clusters. Lilacs typically bloom long before other summer flowers like roses and come in dozens of varieties.
Apart from the smell of blooming lilacs heralding the arrival of spring, this beautiful flower has great significance. Lilacs symbolize first love, with various colors embodying different aspects; white for innocence and mauve for budding love.
What are the Best Lilac Perfumes?
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What Does Lilac Smell Like?
Lilacs have a delicate yet strong, powdery, deep, heady, and rich floral scent. The sweet, creamy aroma is soft, comforting, romantic, and nostalgic – it might awaken memories of your grandma.
Perfumes with lilac notes smell wonderful. They evoke the aroma and sophistication of an English country garden awash with fresh flowers.
That being said, the lilac note, though a classic, is not usually used singly (as an essence or absolute) in perfumery because the process of extracting it is challenging. Consequently, the lilac note is reconstituted synthetically and often paired with other floral notes.
This comprehensive guide has you covered when it comes to lilac-scented scents. We have the whole range, from spring-invoking fresh florals and complex lilac-centric compositions to sensual, intriguing, relaxing, or pretty and feminine gems. Let’s dive in!
If you like strong-scented perfumes, you will enjoy lilac-flavored scents. The flagrant flower is also commonly used in home fragrances, essential oils, shower gels, and candles.
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In-Depth Lilac Perfume Reviews
Luna Fortes
Best Overall
Amouage Lilac Love
Lilac Love EDP by Amouage is a powdery floral powerhouse featuring heliotrope, lilac, jasmine, and gardenia alongside cacao, Tonka, vanilla, and sandalwood.
- Scent
4.9
- Projection
4.7
- Longevity
4.8
- Versatility
4.6
- Value
4.6
Luna Fortes
Amouage Lilac Love Review
Amouage is an uber-luxurious brand whose perfumes befit royalty. The company dates back to the 1980s, and its products exemplify Omani’s century-old traditions and prowess in fragrance making. Nathalie Lorson and Elise Benat created this intriguing lilac fragrance perfume in 2016.
Amouage Lilac Love Eau de Parfum for women unfurls softly with sweet, powdery lilac notes, quickly transforming into a cocoa-laden heart before progressing into a dry powdered floral. It’s a slightly gourmand fragrance with hints of chocolatey cocoa, heliotrope, lilac, and vanilla.
The perfume kicks off with a bouquet of florals, among them heliotrope, lilac, gardenia, and jasmine. It then plunges into a heart featuring cacao, orris, and Tonka, their bitter, powdery aroma melding with the floral essences beautifully. Eventually, everything ends on a soft, creamy patchouli, vanilla, and sandalwood bed.
Lilac Love’s confident aura, longevity, top-notch quality, and gorgeous aroma make this a great all-purpose scent. It’s not overly sweet, and the projection and sillage are well-balanced. The only drawback is the price – it’s quite expensive.
Top Notes: Heliotrope, Jasmine, Lilac, Rose, Gardenia, Peony
Middle Notes: Cacao, Orris, Tonka bean
Base Notes: Vanilla, Patchouli, Sandalwood
What we liked
- Well-balanced floral scent
- Suits all purposes and occasions
- Comes in a magnificent bottle
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Luna Fortes
Best for Fall
Gucci Guilty Pour Femme
Guilty Gucci is a gorgeous amber floral, feminine fragrance with a clean, spicy, and powdery aroma.
- Scent
4.8
- Projection
4.6
- Longevity
4.7
- Versatility
4.7
- Value
4.6
Luna Fortes
Gucci Guilty Pour Femme Review
Gucci released this decadent oriental floral in 2010 for joyous, glamorous, daring, and sensual females who enjoy the clubbing scene. Gucci Guilty combines vitality, maturity, and a retro vibe beautifully, creating a scent that’s blissful, exciting, and indulgent – a guilty pleasure indeed!
This EDT features notes of mandarin, pink pepper, peach, lilac, geranium, amber, and patchouli and was composed by Aurelien Guichard. Soft, sweet, and subtle, the fragrance has a unique warm depth and balance that makes it feel cozy, almost familiar.
Gucci Guilty opens bright and peppery, then dries down to a powdery and musky floral scent. Upon spraying it, you’ll immediately catch alluring whiffs of lilac, jasmine, and zesty mandarin. Lilac is at the core and quite prominent initially, then turns green on combining with citrus and other florals, finally settling to a deep floral aroma.
If you’re in search of a signature scent, this classic fragrance fits the bill. It’s inoffensive and easy to wear. The sillage is decent, too, lasting an average of 3 hours. This bottled bliss is perfect for nights out, the office, dates, and special occasions, plus it’s ideal as a fall staple.
Top Notes: Pink pepper, Bergamot, Mandarin orange
Middle Notes: Lilac, Jasmine, Peach, Black currant, Geranium
Base Notes: Patchouli, Vanilla, Amber, White musk
What we liked
- An all-time favorite
- Classy, elegant, sexy, and ultra-feminine
- Compliment getter
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Luna Fortes
Best Vintage Scent
White Linen By Estee Lauder
White Linen is a floral-aldehyde fragrance for women. The sophisticated and potent perfume is a harmonious blend comprising aldehydes, woods, florals, amber, and musk.
- Scent
4.8
- Projection
4.7
- Longevity
4.8
- Versatility
4.6
- Value
4.8
Luna Fortes
White Linen By Estee Lauder Review
Crafted by Sophia Grojsman in the late 1970s, this fresh and delicate fragrance captures the purity of white linen or the cool elegance of beautiful white florals and green accents. It’s super clean, soft, and remarkably powerful.
White Linen is a classic perfume featuring a heady combination of aldehydes, florals, earthy tones, and green notes. Lovely oakmoss sits at the base giving the perfume its earthiness and endurance. While it smells wonderful, the perfume has a touch of soapiness and might come off as somewhat overwhelming to some.
White Linen’s performance is impressive (newer formulations might not wear so well). It’s perfect for the office due to its extreme freshness and clean scent that smells even better after it warms up on your skin. While it opens rather sharply, thanks to the massive dose of aldehydes, the EDP settles into a comfy, warm, soft fragrance.
Top Notes: Aldehydes, Lemon, Peach
Middle Notes: Hyacinth, Jasmine, Iris, Carnation, Rose, Lily, Lilac, Orchid, Orris, Violet
Base Notes: Tonka, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Cedar, Sandalwood, Benzoin, Honey, Amber
What we liked
- An adorable, intoxicating scent
- Great for lovers of vintage fragrances
- Unique, uplifting aroma
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Luna Fortes
Best Spring Floral
Aerin Lilac Path EDP
Aerin Lilac Path is an uncomplicated yet refined lilac-forward floral fragrance with honeysuckle, jasmine, and touches of green.
- Scent
4.8
- Projection
4.7
- Longevity
4.8
- Versatility
4.6
- Value
4.6
Luna Fortes
Aerin Lilac Path EDP Review
Lilac Path (2013) is not merely a perfume with a lilac scent; rather, lilac is the key note. This aptly-named soliflore captures the experience of strolling past a lilac bush. In fact, the perfume’s inspiration was a lilac shrub. The brand Aerin belongs to Estee Lauder’s granddaughter, Aerin Lauder.
When you sniff Lilac Path, you get the lovely lilac aroma accompanied by green tones from angelica seed oil, galbanum, and honeysuckle. It also blooms with orange flower and creamy jasmine. Overall, it’s fresh, light, airy, and artfully layered – a stunner!
Lilac Path is perfect for spring. Romantic, pure, soft, and delicate, it offers medium projection and decent longevity. The fragrant perfume comes at a steep price, but if you are in the market for an authentic lilac fragrance, your search ends here.
Top Notes: Lilac, , Angelica seed oil, Honeysuckle
Middle Notes: Jasmine, Orange flower
Base Notes: Galbanum
What we liked
- Gorgeous, refined, and utterly feminine
- A quintessential lilac scent
- Neither too heavy nor too light
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Luna Fortes
Most Elegant
Guerlain Idylle EDP
Guerlain Idylle (2009) is a fresh, creamy floral fragrance with a powdery lilac.
- Scent
4.8
- Projection
4.7
- Longevity
4.8
- Versatility
4.7
- Value
4.6
Luna Fortes
Guerlain Idylle EDP Review
Idylle is introduced as a “shower of flowers” and an “ode to life and love.” These evocative descriptions paint a vivid picture of the tender, sensual, and enduring composition that is Idylle Eau de Parfum.
Idylle by Guerlain features lilac but centers on rose. Guerlain credits perfumer Thierry Wasser with formulating this perfume. Here, gorgeous fresh lilacs mingle with Bulgarian rose, sweet jasmine, juicy raspberry, litchi overtones, peonies, and lilies, all anchored by woods and musk. The result is a delightful, refined, nectary, warm, musky floral accord fit for spring.
This is a beautiful, well-balanced concoction. It opens cheerfully and ends in a rich, warm, musky rose. And while the majestic lilac note is not that prominent, it gives this perfume the feel of spring, plus its powdery essence is hard to miss. Additionally, the fragrance never loses its freshness throughout its transition. It remains clean and polished up to the drydown.
When it comes to performance, this beautifully-packaged, all-season scent is great on longevity though the projection is not loud. It’s perfect for casual settings, day and night.
Top Notes: Tincture of Rose, Litchi, Freesia, Raspberry
Middle Notes: Lily-of-the-Valley, Lily, Peony, Jasmine
Base Notes: Musk, Cashmere Wood, Sandalwood
What we liked
- Fresh and creamy
- Luxurious aroma
- Its demure, alluring, classy, and undeniably feminine
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Luna Fortes
Best Mild Scent
Dolce Gabanna Floral Drops
Dolce Floral Drops (2015) is a fresh floral fragrance featuring white blooms, creamy sandalwood, and warm, clean musk.
- Scent
4.8
- Projection
4.5
- Longevity
4.6
- Versatility
4.6
- Value
4.6
Luna Fortes
Dolce Gabanna Floral Drops Review
Now, Floral Drops EDT doesn’t contain lilac notes. However, noses Laurent Le Guernec and Jean-Marc Chaillan did a fantastic job recreating the sweet lilac aroma in this composition that captures the aroma of dewy-fresh flowers.
Floral Drops is utterly charming. The perfume unfurls with neroli, citrus, and papaya flower head notes. The heart comprises the artsy blend of white blooms that results in the lilac scent – amaryllis, water lilies, and daffodils; all resting above a musky and woodsy base.
This perfume is light, refreshing, and mildly sweet, with a slight trace of soapiness. It projects rather softly, making it excellent for an office environment and ideal for people who gravitate toward fresh fragrances.
Top Notes: Apple, Peach, Neroli, Papaya flower
Middle Notes: Water Lily, Narcissus, Amaryllis
Base Notes: Musk, Cashmere, Sandalwood
What we liked
- Great for users sensitive to lilacs
- Decent staying power
- Attractive perfume bottle
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Luna Fortes
Best in Creativity
Issey Miyake A Drop d'Issey
A Drop d'Issey is a floral female composition with solar notes, musk, gourmand accents, and a beguiling lilac signature.
- Scent
4.8
- Projection
4.7
- Longevity
4.8
- Versatility
4.7
- Value
4.7
Luna Fortes
Issey Miyake A Drop d'Issey Review
This perfume is described as “a drop magnifying the unsuspected beauty of nature.” It embraces you with a bouquet of lilac accentuated with solar notes, musk, and creamy nuances from almond milk.
Nose Ane Ayo crafted this fragrance to evoke the inviting aroma of dew-laden leaves and petals. She created the lilac accord using green technology for minimal ecological impact.
A Drop d’Issey welcomes you with a rain accord, sheer rose at the top, lilac and solar notes at the core, and vanilla, amber, and cedar at the base. The solar, enveloping, and alluring lilac is the note that defines this beautiful fragrance.
The enduring EDP comes in a striking flacon reminiscent of springtime rain. Shaped like a raindrop, the transparent orb holds blue-hued contents.
Top Notes: Almond milk, , Damask rose
Middle Notes: Lilac, Jasmine, Solar notes, Orange blosson, Star anise
Base Notes: Vanilla, Ambroxan, Atlas cedar, Musk
What we liked
- Radiant, joyful, and enticing
- Long-lasting trail
- Ethically sourced and sustainably created
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Luna Fortes
Best for Romantic Encounters
Tocca Giulietta
Tocca Giulietta (2009) is a fruity-floral comprising green apples, pink tulips, lilacs, orchids, and vanilla.
- Scent
4.9
- Projection
4.6
- Longevity
4.7
- Versatility
4.6
- Value
4.6
Luna Fortes
Tocca Giulietta Review
If you love perfumes with a story, this is one. A love story was the inspiration behind Tocca Giulietta. Actress Giulietta Masina was the love of Federico Fellini, and the fragrance captures the lovebirds’ passage to Corsica.
A clean, powdery, lilac aroma characterizes the naturally sweet fragrance. The opening is a juicy burst of green Granny Smith apples, which evolves into a gentle floral and a fantastic drydown.
Giulietta’s warm and clean floral notes are a compliment magnet, while its classic English country garden vibe marks it as the perfect spring/summer scent. The EDP lends itself to daytime use and is ideal for special occasions like date nights.
This is a gorgeous lilac perfume with an outstanding balance between sweet and floral. It’s not overly strong and leans more toward an intimate skin scent. Simply put, Tocca Giulietta’s subtle aroma will take you through the evening without upsetting your date.
Top Notes: Granny Smith apple, Pink tulip, Ylang-ylang
Middle Notes: Lilac, Bulgarian rose, Lily-of-the-valley, Iris, , Orchid
Base Notes: Virginia cedar, Amber, Musk, Heliotrope, Sandalwood
What we liked
- Unique, chic, and decidedly feminine
- A classic, mature scent
- Universally appealing
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Wrapping Up
Lilacs are gorgeous flowers with a fragrant aroma. Shrouded in mythology, they present the perfect backdrop for intriguing, feminine fragrances. They also symbolize renewal or rebirth, making them the perfect ingredient in a spring fragrance.
Have you tried a perfume with lilac scent? Now’s your chance.
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