Once whispered on wrists and hidden in scarves, fragrance is back to making noise — and not in a polite way. Think clouds of tuberose in the metro, cherry-vanilla fogs in coffee shops, amber-woods ambushing you in elevators. After years of “skin scents” and “sexy clean,” the pendulum has swung. Subtlety is out. Sillage is back.
If this feels familiar, it’s because it is. The 1980s were one long olfactory rock concert. Yves Saint Laurent Opium, Dior Poison, Giorgio Beverly Hills — perfumes that didn’t so much linger as colonize the air. They came with wide shoulders, red lipstick, and the unapologetic mission to announce: I was here and you will remember me.
Today’s power scents dress differently. They may be gender-neutral like Marc-Antoine Barrois Ganymede or artisanal like Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540. But the intent is the same: to make a statement.
Why the sudden return? A few theories. Minimalist musk had its moment, just as normcore, beige trenches, and “no-makeup makeup” had theirs. Now that maximalism is back with sequins, big hair, and bright colors, perfumes are simply keeping up.
History shows that in crisis or its aftermath, people want excess. The Roaring Twenties, the 1980s, and now…well, after a pandemic, recession, and ongoing wars, smelling like a candy factory or a flamboyant tuberose feels oddly therapeutic.
“Gen Z is tired of smelling like freshly laundered hoodies. Big fragrance has become vintage cosplay. Your grandmother’s Guerlain? Suddenly aspirational,” a marketing director told me. I laughed and suggested Dana Tabu might make a comeback. She didn’t think it was a joke. “TikTok has made ‘beast mode’ perfume a badge of honor,” she added. “Influencers spray once, then film how long it takes their neighbor to complain. Projection has become performance art.”
Mintel’s July 2025 report notes that nearly half of under-45s say fragrance is how they express identity and they like to play big. Parfums de Marly Delina, Paco Rabanne 1 Million, Lancôme La Vie Est Belle, BDK Rouge Smoking, Baccarat Rouge 540, Quentin Bisch’s gasoline-bright Aldebaran for Marc-Antoine Barrois. Even Mugler’s Angel, a 90s baby, is still stomping through clubs with all the subtlety of a glitter cannon.
Even in the wellness crowd, various hair mists, oils, and solid perfumes promise both projection and “grounding rituals.” But let’s be honest: the thrill of sillage is less about inner calm and more about glamour.
So here we are: in the age of loud perfume. A strong scent is once again lipstick-as-armor, shoulder pads-as-declaration. It’s about visibility, resilience, defiance.
And yet, a small note of caution: what feels like fabulous self-expression in the street can turn into olfactory warfare on an airplane or in a crowded train. We don’t always need to leave a trail; sometimes, a whisper really is enough.
Because when I catch a stranger’s perfume trailing in the air, one that makes me turn not in horror but in curiosity, I feel oddly glad. Someone dared to go big. But I’m just as grateful when, in the recycled air of an Airbus at 35,000 feet, no one does.
What are your favorite perfumes these days? Are you a fan of big-sillage scents?
81 Comments
Ming: Totally agree that one shouldn’t use very strong perfume in crammed and small spaces. Perhaps it’s just me, I find my sense of smell greatly diminished on planes. I think it might have to do with the lower temperature, very dry air, and might even have to do with the lower oxygen level. Does anyone else have the same experience? August 22, 2025 at 9:24am
Laurie Brown: It’s not just you. Sense of smell is diminished at high altitude. That was why, in the early days of airlines, they had a lot of trouble created food that passengers would actually eat and enjoy! Frankly, I take it as a blessing that I can’t smell all the bodies crammed into the metal tube with me. August 22, 2025 at 4:46pm
Mingzhe Wang: Haha totally agree! It’s. Blessing in disguise. August 22, 2025 at 6:18pm
Victoria: Agreed! August 26, 2025 at 3:16am
Victoria: Yes, exactly, the dry air and cabin pressure dull our senses, especially smell and taste. Of course, if someone with Baccarat Rouge is sitting next to you, you can still smell it.:) August 26, 2025 at 3:16am
Mingzhe Wang: 😅😅😅 August 26, 2025 at 7:37am
Hamamelis: It is lovely to see you posting regularly. Loud perfume is back, who would have thought? But ofcourse you are right, this is the pendulum that governs everything. I don’t live in a city so I haven’t smelled the loudness yet, and I find smelling people’s washing detergent when meeting them in nature loud enough!
I am wearing Neela Vermeire’s perfumes a lot, recently the moving and very beautiful Eshal but also the older favourites, Mohur, Ashoka, Pichola, Trayee…Besides that Sammarco Naias, Grossmith Hasu-no-Hana, Vero Profumo Mito in the warm weather we had, and Parfum D’Empire’s Mal-Aime and Immortelle Corse. What they have in common I think is depth, quality and showing different facets of their main accord keeping me surprised! August 22, 2025 at 9:34am
Karen A: Funny, I’ve been wearing Trayee a lot lately! I’ll mix a spritz or two with some unscented lotion and it mellows it out a bit (but not too much)! August 22, 2025 at 3:50pm
Victoria: I love that idea, softening Trayee in lotion. Almost like creating your own “body cream” version of it. August 26, 2025 at 3:17am
Kaisa: You have a great list of perfumes there! August 25, 2025 at 3:33pm
Colleen Geary: Would you consider Oud Immortel by Byredo a Loyd perfume? Thoughts on it, please. My husband loves it and I have a very faint sense of smell. Thank you! August 27, 2025 at 5:35pm
Victoria: What a beautiful rotation. Eshal is luminous, and Mohur and Trayee feel timeless. I agree with you about detergents, sometimes those bright-clean smells are more intrusive than perfume. August 26, 2025 at 3:16am
joan regen: I like the oldies but goodies in fragrance, especially the stronger notes. So does the heroine of my historical suspense upcoming novels. August 22, 2025 at 9:47am
Victoria: Your heroine has excellent taste, fragrance is such a perfect way to draw a character. A single accord can hint at secrets or signal intent more vividly than pages of description. August 26, 2025 at 3:17am
Emily: I work from home most of the time so can test big & weird fragrances with abandon, a true luxury.
If I’m traveling or working in close proximity with someone (portrait photographer so literally get in people’s faces) I tend to stick with Bruno Acomparo’s Musc oil.
But for a big night out or a social occasion, there’s no denying the seduction of a classic Ropion sillage. I want the room to know I was there! August 22, 2025 at 11:22am
Victoria: I love the way you divide perfumes by context, private experiments versus public persona. And yes, a Ropion classic does announce itself like no other. August 26, 2025 at 3:17am
Sandra: One of my friends wears Coco and I think it’s big and beautiful. I love the scent trail…
Back in the day I love the trail of Escape, Eternity, Gio by Armani… Boucheron.. EL Beautiful & Youth Dew.. I didn’t wear these but loved the trail. Shalimar is not a big – but I love the trail when I wear it even if it’s only to my nose…
What are you favorite big trail perfumes Victoria? August 22, 2025 at 11:23am
Victoria: So many beautiful trails you mention. For me, Mitsouko, Fracas, and Carnal Flower are unforgettable “big trails.” They carry their own weather system with them. August 26, 2025 at 3:17am
Victoria: As for the newer releases, I like Tilia and Kirke. August 26, 2025 at 3:18am
Hollis Sherman: How timely – wearing Coco today. We’ve had a respite from the summer heat here in Delaware, and the air is crisp…makes me want to fast forward to fall! I like strong fragrances (Coco, Fracas, l’Air de Desert Marocain, Jungle l’Elephant), but I wouldn’t dream of wearing any of them in a cramped space where there is no escape 😊 August 22, 2025 at 12:13pm
Victoria: Exactly, context matters. Coco in cool weather is a joy, but I wouldn’t unleash Fracas in a crowded bus either. August 26, 2025 at 3:18am
lucretias: Oooh another Delawarean and with smiliar tastes! I love Jungle l’elephant and Coco. I have been wanting a bottle of l’air de desert Morocain. It has indeed been a bit cooler lately a nice change due to hurricane season starting. August 26, 2025 at 11:03pm
Alityke: Vintage Opium, Poison, Coco & Tabu have never stopped being in my roster. Just a couple of judicious strays or dabs is enough. No need to over apply. They will sing anyway.
More modern siren call scents I love to wear? Lyric Woman, Anubis & Dryad from Papillon & current Aromatic Elixir all give huge sillage without using half a bottle per wear! August 22, 2025 at 2:51pm
Marianne: Oh your writing is superb, Victoria! I laughed and smiled while reading about what scents rocked, lipstick and shoulder pads in the eighties! I too think this trend revival is timely, certainly for me; 3 doses of Covid and the effects of growing older have changed my capacity to retain scents to a few moments only in some instances. I’ve been looking for something that gives me more pleasure than for a minute or two but even so can’t face the clouds of Shalimar that I used to wear back then, although I’m up for retrying Habit Rouge, once my go-to summer scent along with Rue Faubourg. And Shalimar, which intrigued me, unsettled me, but was so good and could cause strangers to ask me what I was wearing. One big, gorgeous perfume in days past was Diorissimo which instantly transported me to golden sunlight filtering around buzzing bees, which is now on me, huge but unrecognizable and harsh, and even virtually unable to be removed from a jacket or scarf. Is there anything to touch that unapologetic glorious perfume as it was? August 22, 2025 at 7:57pm
Victoria: Thank you. Your description of Diorissimo made me wistful, its original radiance was like bottled sunlight. Reformulations rarely capture that shimmering quality. August 26, 2025 at 3:19am
Cecilia: I don’t even wear fragrance when I fly. I don’t want to assault anyone with my perfume. Only wear soap, deodorant and lotion.
I came of age in the eighties. I remember the big, bold fragrances.
I was a young professional who inadvertently oversprayed! I was walking down the hall of the building where I worked. One of my coworkers came up to me and said “I knew you were here! I could smell your perfume down the hall!” She must have seen my face drop because she quickly said “It smells very pretty!”
We laughed, but I was mortified. I had no idea that I was choking people out with clouds of Amarige!
Needless to say, I learned NOT to overspray! September 1, 2025 at 11:31am
Victoria: That made me smile. Amarige is such a powerful perfume, a tiny amount is enough. But it is also unforgettable, so even your overspray must have left a gorgeous trail. September 2, 2025 at 4:40am
Cecilia: I think it did. 🥰 September 2, 2025 at 7:46am
Victoria: Yes, restraint makes all the difference. Vintage formulas had such presence that even one dab feels like a chorus. August 26, 2025 at 3:19am
Cecilia: Yes!! That’s why I love a perfume with depth. My mother, back in the sixties and seventies wore Germaine Monteil’s Royal Secret. It was such a beautiful fragrance. The reformulation by Five Stars, I believe, pales in comparison. I wore the 1993 version of Chanel Cristalle eau de parfum for decades. It was my signature fragrance. I have not tried the newer version. I don’t want to be disappointed. 🤷🏽♀️ September 1, 2025 at 11:44am
Victoria: Yes, reformulations can be disheartening. Royal Secret was indeed beautiful in its richness. I share your love of Cristalle in the 1990s version, it had a brightness and elegance that is rare today. September 2, 2025 at 4:40am
Cecilia: Yes. The memories of beautiful fragrances are very sweet. September 2, 2025 at 7:47am
Victoria: They are. Thank you for sharing yours. September 4, 2025 at 9:27am
Karen A: So interesting that big fragrances are back! Coco gets put away with sweaters and wool clothes, but it is so beautiful! Been loving Carnal Flower and Prayers lately. August 22, 2025 at 4:00pm
Victoria: Carnal Flower and Prayers, what a pairing. Both are statement perfumes, but with different moods, almost like changing the key in music. August 26, 2025 at 3:20am
Ruth: My 80s signature was Must de Cartier. I loved the EDP and EDC both, and to combine them for a third unique scent trail. I’m not sure I could carry them off these days – even if they still existed in those formulas I loved. My late lamented Bottega Veneta, and Aromatics Elixir have been my limit in recent years. Still, I have been ready to move to something with oomph for fall. Thank you for this permission slip of a post! 🙂 August 22, 2025 at 4:15pm
Victoria: Ah, Must de Cartier. It had such opulence, a sense of velvet darkness. I think you could still carry it off, you have the memory of it in your bones. August 26, 2025 at 3:20am
Laurie Brown: I love a lot of the fragrances of the 80s (as well as from decades much further back!) and never gave up my love affair with Giorgio, the original Coco, or Fendi. I also still wear Youth Dew, which was first given to me as a sample when I was in middle school. These days, though, I try and get the tiniest little spritz of juice when I wear Giorgio because I don’t want to offend people around me. I’ll be happy to have sillage back! August 22, 2025 at 4:56pm
Victoria: The tiniest spritz of Giorgio is already enough to conjure the 80s in full neon color. I love how scent collapses decades into a single breath. August 26, 2025 at 3:20am
Annemarie: I’m glad. I thought the ‘your-scent-but-better’ trend was getting tiresome. Perfumes for people who are not sure they like perfume. Why bother? I can’t rock the really big heavy-hitters like Opium and Poison but I keep a few 80s and 90s classics for when the occasion presents.
I read this post last night as I was getting ready to go out for dinner, and celebrated with a couple of spritzes of Givenchy Ysatis. Made me happy all night. August 22, 2025 at 5:04pm
Kathleen: I adore Ysatis! August 23, 2025 at 5:19pm
Kaisa: Haha I totally agree. Perfumes for people who don’t like perfume…
I want perfume that smells like perfume! Not a “photorealistic green apple” or whatever. August 25, 2025 at 3:35pm
Victoria: I laughed at “perfume that smells like perfume.” Sometimes we do need unapologetic perfume, not photorealistic fruit. August 26, 2025 at 3:21am
Victoria: Ysatis, what a fabulous choice to go out in. It has that indefinable sparkle that makes a dinner feel like an event. August 26, 2025 at 3:21am
Cecilia: Ysatis! I wore this when it first came out! What a beautiful fragrance! September 4, 2025 at 9:59am
Old Herbaceous: I’m not a big fan of loud, heavy sillage perfumes. I had Poison in the 80s and it didn’t suit me (it was a gift). But yes, we are in an era of crisis, including of course the ongoing war in your beloved Ukraine, Victoria. I’m so sorry for the distress this must cause you! I find the scent of roses very comforting, probably because I grow them in my garden, which is very peaceful. I’ve been enjoying Sarah McCartney’s Tempest Rose from 4160 Tuesdays. August 22, 2025 at 6:17pm
Victoria: Thank you. Roses as comfort resonate deeply with me, perhaps because they combine fragility with persistence. Tempest Rose is a lovely modern interpretation. August 26, 2025 at 3:21am
Gretchen: Oh how I love the big sillages! I wore Gucci Eau de Parfum (the original brown juice in the hefty square bottle) yesterday and caught myself wondering if anyone was offended….and then went on with my day. I’d never thought about the crises leading to big scents, but it sure resonates, just as lipstick sales in downturns makes sense. Those of us who express ourselves in sensory ways need to find solace in quietly shouting, as it were, perhaps? I’m going to root through my samples to see if I have any left of some of the great recommendations here I don’t already have bottles of to enjoy, so thanks to all of you for suggesting some of your favorites! August 22, 2025 at 8:01pm
Victoria: Yes, “quietly shouting” captures it perfectly. There’s solace in a perfume that insists on its presence, like lipstick in hard times. August 26, 2025 at 3:21am
Marianne: Just remembered two other faves of the day, Estée Lauder White Linen and Mugler’s Angel. White Linen sustained me during the 90s, and I was liberal with sprays. Very American in my view; strong and clear. Angel was a revelation. One dinner party I brought it out, became quite evangelical in my praise, and offered sorts to everyone there, although one of my sisters described it as the back of a pantry cupboard. August 22, 2025 at 8:08pm
Victoria: White Linen and Angel couldn’t be more different, yet both defined eras. I smiled at “back of a pantry cupboard,” Angel does have that cocoa-patchouli depth that can be overwhelming in close quarters. August 26, 2025 at 3:21am
Marianne: Sprays not sorts! August 22, 2025 at 8:09pm
Potimarron: Ordinarily, I like my scent to last all day (I can’t stop working at 10:30am so I don’t see why my perfume gets to). My signature for a long time was Vivienne Westwood’s Boudoir (now discontinued, sadly), and I’ve found that I like old-school floral room-rockers like Bal a Versailles and Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds. However, right now it all feels a bit much, partly due to recent bereavement and partly because it’s summer. I’ve rediscovered a fondness for the fresh fragrances of my teenage years, specifically Tommy Girl (people really compliment it as well, which is interesting).
I’m sure I’ll go back to the hefty fragrances as I heal and the weather turns, but it’s important to be considerate. Since my autism diagnosis (it’s been quite the couple of years) I’m much more aware that some people are more sensitive to smells than others (thankfully for me, scent is mostly just a fairground ride for me (with a couple of exceptions), and there are situations where big sillage is not OK (public transport and working in food service or jobs that bring you into close contact with others spring to mind). August 23, 2025 at 3:30am
Victoria: Boudoir, such a daring signature. And I admire your sensitivity in balancing your love for fragrance with awareness of others, it shows that perfume is also about generosity. August 26, 2025 at 3:22am
Aurora: Another stellar post Victoria. I definitely welcome the change but I like both big perfumes and discreet ones, I want the best of both worlds. Giorgio, Poison and Samsara were too much for me and I got tired of smelling them in NYC. Two days ago I was wearing vintage Loulou and it was glorious but quite a commitment. August 23, 2025 at 6:11am
Victoria: Vintage Loulou is such a commitment, but when it works, it’s unforgettable. That candied darkness feels like velvet curtains at the opera. August 26, 2025 at 3:22am
Carolyn Middleton: I may have commented on this before, but a dear friend of mine when we were in our late teens, Diane, sadly no longer with us, used to wear Tabu – she nicknamed it ‘instant brothel’ – which is no doubt highly inappropriate these days (!) but whenever I see Tabu mentioned I always think of her & have a little chuckle. August 23, 2025 at 6:23am
Victoria: “Instant brothel,” what a line. Tabu was meant to shock, after all. I love how one perfume can hold a whole friendship in memory. August 26, 2025 at 3:22am
Carolyn Middleton: That was a cracking line she came out with, wasn’t it?! Glad you enjoyed it & I appreciate what you said about a friendship memory. August 26, 2025 at 8:51am
Donna: Takes me right back to the Coco and Mystère that were among my favorites back in the loud perfume days! August 23, 2025 at 8:08am
Victoria: Coco and Mystère together conjure the whole atmosphere of their time. Glamour with just enough mystery. August 26, 2025 at 3:22am
Kathy: I am more than ready for a comeback of bold fragrances. I love big sillage and all the 1980’s showboats! As a young adult, struggling to get started in life, I did not have the money to buy perfume, though I also did not realize how much perfume could and would contribute to my happiness. When I smelled Charlie, Poison or Giorgio, I associated it with being older and “established.” The only perfume I remember being overwhelmed by *and* disliking was RL Polo. I’ve happily worn Carnal Flower and Insolence in this Summer’s heat. Synthetic Jungle works well, as it is lush but has cooling herbal notes. I have learned to appreciate delicate scents with a special favorite being Iris Torrefie, but a wave of Ciara delights me always. Hmm, just had a thought, I wonder if the end of widespread public smoking (in the USA, at least) had something to do with the turn away from big perfumes? People associated the two and tossed out their Margaretha Ley with their ashtrays after noticing how nice a smoke-free office was. August 23, 2025 at 8:42am
Victoria: That’s such an interesting thought about smoking bans. You may be right, once smoke disappeared from public life, we craved more airiness in scent. And now perhaps the pendulum swings back. August 26, 2025 at 3:23am
Klaas: Hahaha, I am ambushed by amber woods on an almost daily basis! On the train, in the tram, at school………. and by the nauseating trail of Santal Le Labo which I call Lavabo. No offense, but I find it particularly off puting…….
Young men especially have embraced big and bold is my experience. I love it! I felt like such a loner when I grew up, I wore a plethora of fragrances for both men and women (including Anthaeus, Opium, Poison and Montana in that stunning twisted sculpture bottle!) but nowadays??? Anything goes. About time……
So yes to statement fragrances, but I do agree that there’s a time for everything. On public transport, at the theatre or other public places? Consommez avec modération……
Your writing is so inspired Victoria, such a joy. Thank you! August 23, 2025 at 11:39am
Alessandra: Did young men ever smell non-loud, mainstream-wise (exceptions always existed and exist)? I dont’ think so. I see no change, sorry…. Except in the fragrances trending and in the age of buyers (as a result of social media). August 24, 2025 at 4:45am
Victoria: Young men do like their big perfumes, that’s for sure. At least in my experience. August 26, 2025 at 3:25am
Victoria: Lavabo, you made me laugh. Yes, some of these woody ambers do linger like an uninvited guest. But you’re right, anything goes today and it’s liberating. August 26, 2025 at 3:23am
Tatiana Owen: My favorite big fragrance during the 80s was Germaine Monteil’s Champagne. Second and third were Opium and Poison. August 23, 2025 at 7:58pm
Victoria: Germaine Monteil’s Champagne, that brought back memories. A jewel of its time, fizzing with glamour. August 26, 2025 at 3:24am
Hana: My favourite strong scent was Knowing. So elegant. I don’t mind loud but I like texture, nuances, and complexity. Most recently launched perfumes that I tried didn’t have any of that. Just loud synthetic noise. Never mind, where I live nobody wears anything, so I’m happy to meet any fragrance in the streets. August 25, 2025 at 10:22am
Victoria: I know what you mean. Loudness alone isn’t enough, it needs texture and shadow. Without that, it’s just volume, not music. August 26, 2025 at 3:25am
Kaisa: Great post. I love big perfumes but I like to think I apply moderately. The notion that one’s perfume must “fill the room” is obnoxious, self-centred and inelegant. There, I said it.
My summer perfumes are completely different from the rest of the year. I spent practically all summer wearing Eau de Gloire (Parfum d’Empire, such a beautiful scent) and Eau du Sud by Goutal, but now I’m looking forward to the change a bit like getting out my winter clothes again, they feel like new.
I just wore Francesca Bianchi Lost in Heaven and Angel’s Dust this weekend as the weather was cool enough. Can’t wait to take out Mitsouko and Shalimar, Chypre-Siam, Jolie Madame and the vintage No.5. August 25, 2025 at 3:48pm
Victoria: I agree, sillage should feel like an aura, not an invasion. Your seasonal wardrobe sounds wonderful, Mitsouko and Shalimar are always worth revisiting when the air cools. August 26, 2025 at 3:25am
lucretias: No one has mentioned this and maybe it’s not really defined as an 80’s or 90’s perfume, but my favorite “big” perfume of the 90’s was Tea Rose by perfumer’s workshop as they say “a little dab will do ya.” August 26, 2025 at 11:44pm
Victoria: A classic! I can just imagine its scent. August 27, 2025 at 2:55am
Cecilia: In the early 90s, I was an oversprayer. I lit up the post office once, wearing clouds of Tea Rose! People around me started saying ” I smell roses!” They were looking around for the flowers! I kept quiet and left as quickly as I could. I’m sure I left quite the trail of roses!
In the late eighties, I was in my Samsara era. Oh my goodness! This was the original formulation. I wore the eau de parfum. It was a beautiful powerhouse! I dated a young man then who gifted me a quarter ounce of the pure parfum! That was quite the extravagance for a poor college student. I was in heaven. He and I did not last, but those Samsara days live on in my memories. September 1, 2025 at 11:55am
Victoria: What a wonderful memory. I can imagine how Tea Rose must have lit up the room. And Samsara in parfum is such a treasure, especially in its original form. September 2, 2025 at 4:40am
Tom: I wonder if some of this has to do with application- every time I see someone on TubeYou or TicTik put on perfume they’re spraying a cloud on after they dress. Which drives me buggy. I think you need to spray it on skin so you get what it smells like on you and for the fragrance to bloom. And I don’t want to dedicate sweater A to Fragrance B intil I dryclean it.
But anything that gets people wearing and enjoying is a good thing I guess. August 27, 2025 at 1:44pm
Cecilia: Yes. Fragrance definitely can leave an impression. I’ve learned to not overspray, but at least I left a lovely trail in those days (Amarige, Tea Rose, Samsara). I think I choked out a few people when Paloma Picasso came out, too. That was another heavy hitter! September 4, 2025 at 10:06am
Victoria: Such a beautiful perfume! September 8, 2025 at 7:19am
mithun gowda: Love this perspective! It’s so true—after years of soft, quiet scents, it feels exciting to see bold, expressive perfumes making a comeback. There’s something joyful about fragrance with real presence. November 19, 2025 at 11:34pm