The 11 Best Hair Perfumes, According To Fragrance Experts

Crown Affair’s The Signature Scent is like a caffeine shot to the senses thanks to a blend of sparkling citrus top notes plus calming middle notes of green tea and calla lilies. There’s also an undercurrent of nostalgia running through it, which inspired the sexy sandalwood and amber base notes. “When I started working with my fragrance house, I told them I wanted a scent that smelled like Kate Moss was hanging out in Japan in the 1970s,” says founder Dianna Cohen. Besides its sophisticated scent, this hair perfume is our top pick for its hydrating formula and lightweight feel that layers well with other fragrances.

Linda Levy, president of the Fragrance Foundation, loves Sol de Janeiro’s TikTok-famous hair and body mists “for their beachy, transportive power.” The five summery scents in the collection are designed to be used from head to toe. Cheirosa ’62, the original scent in the range, is a warm gourmand with delicious notes of pistachio, salted caramel and vanilla. Rich jasmine and sultry sandalwood balance out the sugary scent. And at $24 each, you can go wild and collect them all.

This hair mist is a lighter version of Frédéric Malle’s cult classic (created by master perfumer Dominique Ropion) that carries over the same complexity as the original. Elegant Turkish rose combines with earthy patchouli and sandalwood amid a blend of sweet blackcurrant, raspberry and clove for a fragrance that’s fruit-forward but not too cloying. Aesthetician Kelly Dunning likes spritzing the hair perfume, which contains strengthening castor seed oil, in between wash days. “Someone will always stop and ask what scent I’m wearing,” she says.

Moroccanoil’s Brumes du Maroc hair and body mist, one of Levy’s top picks, channels the smell of summering on the Italian coasts with its spicy amber, woody and sweet magnolia notes. Because Moroccanoil is a haircare brand, the formula also features ingredients like antioxidant-rich argan oil and vitamin E that hydrate and repair strands.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Aqua Univeralis is one of Levy’s favorite hair mists. It’s a fresh fragrance with a zesty citrus opener (thanks to the bergamot and citron) mixed with airy white flowers and musky wood. Yet another reason to spritz on repeat is that the mist includes a medley of hydrating and hair-fortifying ingredients such as castor oil, glycerin and panthenol.

Sable Yong, beauty writer and cohost of the fragrance podcast Smell Ya Later, likes Sachajuan’s Protective Hair Perfume in Bois Noir for its rich, unisex scent that blends honey, cardamom, vanilla and tonka beans. “A lot of hair perfumes smell very floral and sweet, and that isn’t how I like to smell generally,” she says. Additionally, the formula contains sunflower oil to moisturize, add shine and help protect against UVB rays (thanks to the vitamin E in it). According to Colin Ford, Sachajuan’s education director, the mist also includes citrus oil extracts, which are said to break down odor molecules to refresh dirty hair.

Trichologist Mandy B. Beauty is a fan of Diptyque’s Eau Rose hair mist for how long it lasts throughout the day, but if you prefer a summery scent, the brand also sells a limited-edition mist called Ilio (the Greek word for sun). Containing sparkling notes of prickly pear, bergamot, jasmine and iris, the fragrance is light and sweet. It’s also enriched with moisturizing camellia oil for a boost of hydration.

Parfums de Marly’s newly released Valaya fragrance contrasts fruity notes of orange blossom, bergamot and white peach with musk, wood and vanilla in this blend that smells fresh and elegant. The innovative formula—enriched with hydrating panthenol—features scents like Akigalawood (a mix of patchouli, pepper and wood) and Ambrofix (a warm amber) to create a perfect balance between musky and floral notes that lingers throughout the day.

This lightweight and restorative hair mist features juicy pear and sweet freesia anchored by woody patchouli—one of Jo Malone’s iconic scents—along with nourishing argan kernel oil and pro-vitamin B5. The bouquet-like concoction leans into florals without smelling too overpowering, all while enhancing the shine and softness of hair.

This unisex hair perfume (part of a trio to celebrate Balmain Hair’s 50th anniversary) blends a variety of woodsy notes including balsam, cashmere and oakmoss, resulting in a fragrance that smells uniquely earthy and warm. As a bonus, it contains silk protein and argan oil that moisturize and strengthen hair without leaving a greasy film on roots.

In this hair perfume, Phlur takes the sweet and comforting cake batter scent of our youth and gives it a darker, more intriguing makeover. Notes of spicy pink pepper, woody cashmere, musky sandalwood and creamy vanilla swirl together to create a richer take on the sweet ingredient that’s cooler, more self-assured, and decidedly grown-up.