Identifying your ‘perfume aesthetic’ could be key to finding your signature scent

Signature scents are hard to come by and trad fragrance families (woody, floral, amber, fresh) can feel a little vague and ambiguous. Instead, identifying your perfume aesthetic could be the easiest route to discovering a scent you seriously can't get enough of.

Instead of zoning in on individual notes, seeking out your perfume aesthetic zooms out and centres on how you want to feel and who you want to be. Of course, just like your mood, that can change day to day, but there will likely be a handful of themes you'll gravitate towards on a regular basis. For instance, you'll know if you tend to head in a light and airy direction, versus something deep and heavy.

But TikTok's aesthetics can help to drill down further. If you're on team balletcore, your perfume aesthetic would probably fall under a soft, delicate, pretty-pink remit, while a grunge girl may lean toward something earthy and grittier. If you love a mob wife moment, you'll appreciate a little loud luxury with a scent that's bold, sumptuous and sexy (skin scents could simply never), meanwhile clean girls or minimalists will favour fragrances that are fresh, light and uncomplicated.

So, check out out favourite perfumes for some of TikTok's most popular aesthetics below…

Mob wife

TikTok's trending mob wife aesthetic is not about being understated. Instead, it's an unashamed enjoyment of maximalism: animal prints, big blow dries, designer bags, gold jewellery, long nails. It's OTT, but it's self aware and playful with it, which we loveeee. Therefore, a mob wife scent has to bring it. It needs to have the glamour, the confidence and the sexiness. Kilian's Angels Share is perfect for this. It's a show-stopping and seductive glug of boozy vanilla that smells sweet, sultry and just plain rich. It has addictive rum and raisin vibes, warmed up with tonka and a dash of cinnamon spice for a scent that demands compliments.

Kilian Angels' Share

£185 at Selfridges

Grunge girl

If pink florals are not your bag, we see you. The grunge aesthetic may be more your speed. The non-neat approach means messiness is welcome and smudgy eyes and ripped tights are actively encouraged. Instead of vanilla puffs and petal confetti, something sexy with an edge is best. Le Labo's Thé Noir has a rawness to it that just works. Majoring on a black tea note, it has an earthy freshness that's lifted with a squeeze of citrus up top, but grounded with smokiness in the base. It's herbaceous, it's aromatic and it manages to feel smooth and gritty at the same time. It has the feel of a worn-in leather jacket: soft but strong.

Le Labo Thé Noir 29 Eau de Parfum

£168 at Cult Beauty

Light academia

The lighter, summer-ready rendition of dark academia, light academia centres around intellectual curiosity in an upbeat way. If your ideal day would include afternoons in the library, wandering around a gallery, or exploring the history of an old city before settling down to a good book, light academia could be your vibe. Here to bring an idealised interpretation of soft parchment, is Diptyque's L'Eau Papier. It's a bibliophile spin on a skin scent with soft, nuzzly musks bringing the base and the pulpy scent of pages on top. It manages to blend just the right amount of lightweight musty nostalgia with the fresh possibility of a blank sheet of paper.

Diptyque L'Eau Papier Eau de Toilette

£129 at Diptyque Paris

£129 at John Lewis

Old Money

The old money aesthetic has been dominating on TikTok with preppy nostalgia inspiring fashion trends (think legacy designer brands like Hermes and Ralph Lauren, vintage jewellery and classic pieces like blazers, loafers and sweaters slung over shoulders). It conjures yachting in Monaco, sipping champagne at the polo and trust fund babies living their best life. But failing a family dynasty, we can tap in with well-curated pieces and scents. Maison Francis Kurkdjian are masters at creating expensive smelling perfumes and the latest launch, Reflets d'ambre, has the old money aesthetic bottled. It smells like something your mum would wear in the ‘80s and channels vintage perfumes, like Guerlain Shalimar and YSL Opium, in a way that we can appreciate now. It’s a bold power-perfume that opens with warm amber before mellowing into a spicy creamy casmere blanket on skin.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Reflets d'ambre Eau de Parfum

£230 at Harrods

Balletcore

Balletcore pays homage to the pretty signature look ballerinas have cultivated around their rehearsals. Think: wrap tops, bodysuits, chiffon skirts and dainty ballet flats. It's a natural, sophisticated evolution for athleisure, especially if you're looking to embrace a style that's hyper-feminine. As for scents, the aesthetic calls for soft pink petals like rose and peony. Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle is a perfect match. It's elegant, delicate and romantic but still feels fresh and youthful. The rose, ylang ylang and orange blossom give a dewiness but the patchouli in the base leaves an alluring trail.

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum

£99 £84 at Boots

Strawberry girl

One of our favourite spring-summer trends is the strawberry girl movement. It's cute, wholesome and pays tribute to a juicy strawberry colour palette. There's an organic romance to the trend, which conjures up picnics al fresco, walking barefoot through the garden with a punnet of strawbs and reading a book in the sunshine. As for scents, our pick is Burberry Her Elixir which smells like a strawberry milkshake. It's sweet, it's fun, it's cute, it's fruity and it doesn't take itself too seriously – but it's delicious anyways.

Burberry Her Elixir de Parfum

£69 £55.20 at Look Fantastic

Clean girl

Heavy on minimalism, the clean girl aesthetic is about as far from fussy as you can get. In terms of beauty, the trend takes a more natural approach with glowy skin and no-makeup makeup as a signature look. It tracks that the clean girl's scent of choice would also subtly enhance what you've already got. Glossier You is all about celebrating individuality in a low-key way with an understated skin musk that reads differently on each wearer. It's a just-showered spritz that's hard to pin down (baby powder, rain, soap, musk). It melds with skin but still has an enticing projection that will make strangers ask after you.

Glossier You Eau de Parfum

£62 at Sephora

For more from GLAMOUR's Senior Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk