Fragrances to try? Preference for fruity/flora, nothing sweet or 'tropical'.
Alright, y'all, I'm not usually a Reddit person or use it for much, but here's hoping this helps! Please note that if any sentences sound harsh, I mean it specifically from my perspective. Everyone enjoys what they enjoy and has different body chemistry, but I'm picky when it comes to something I want to invest in and appreciate. Help me find my unicorn?
I'm a very 'scent sensitive' person, I've been told. Most scents, even in smaller/light doses, give me headaches. Anything too sweet or vanilla, any 'berry', any coconut or tropical. After more than 15 minutes, my head starts to hurt and I just feel terrible. (iykyk) On the flip side, I do not enjoy musky or 'herbal' scents. Something that is a careful balance of fruity and floral without being overly sweet, powdery, or 'old lady chic'.
My luck is that I will find a scent randomly/unexpectedly and fall in love with it and it will be discontinued or just...cease to exist like it was a fever dream. The two scents that come to mind are the old school 'Sheer Love' from VS, the ones in the oval-shaped bottles. Light pink fluid, smelled soft and light, a floral but not 'old lady' floral. It was great and I could drown in it, but it's been out of use for so long that even older bottles I can find for purchase are chemically devolving or something. And even the 'newer' one that came in the round bottle wasn't the same. The scent was described as 'the fragrance features Cotton Flower, Aloe Vera, Chamomile and Pink Lily'.
And the second was 'Head in the Clouds' which was a roll-on scent from Hot Topic/ Blackheart Beauty that came in the cutest damn little skull. The scent profile was described as 'Head In The Clouds is an exclusive fragrance from Blackheart Beauty with top notes of pear, lotus and freesia melding into mid notes of peony, jasmine and rose and finishing with base notes of sandalwood, cedar and vanilla'. This did have a more musky finishing scent but not to the point of being overbearing.
Another Blackheart win was 'Interstellar', which was broken down as:
Notes:
Top: Apple, freesia
Middle: Jasmine, freesia, muguet, rose
Base: Musk, sandalwood
Also, the bottle and little charm were just cute and a convenient size for carrying around when I needed to.
And a final one that I'm still buying secondhand when the body spray runs out is 'Diamond of the Season' from Bath and Body Works. This is more a daily wear as it's relatively inexpensive (for now) and I get complimented on it almost every time. Fragrance Notes: Sparkling Peach, Spring Daffodil, and Radiant Jasmine.
To me, it seems like every new scent has to smell like it's out of a bakery or someone dumped candy on themselves and it's just not for me. My current go-to is Burberry London and I do enjoy it quite a bit, but want something a bit less floral and more wallet-friendly for daily wear. I have the original Burberry, as well, but that's still bordering on almost too sweet for me. I would just like more options. I have tried a great many testers, as well, and cannot find one that works. I also don't personally care about the difference in time of day or season that can be applied to scents. Thanks for reading my rant/request!
Posted Apr 9, 2026, 7:54 PM UTC