This report identifies and ranks the Top 10 Most Mentioned Fragrance Brands by Influencers in 2025, based on a custom, dual platform ranking methodology. The analysis synthesizes data on Earned Media Value (EMV) from TikTok and Strategic Presence from Instagram, providing a comprehensive view of brand visibility and positive sentiment across the most influential social media channels.
The ranking is a mix of digitally native, viral brands and established luxury houses. Phlur and Kayali share the top spot, demonstrating the power of combining viral, accessible scents with strong founder led storytelling. The results highlight that success in the fragrance sector is driven by a blend of viral product discovery on TikTok and aspirational, luxury focused storytelling on Instagram, with a significant emphasis on founder credibility and unique scent profiles.
Methodology: Custom Ranking Criteria
To provide a comprehensive and nuanced ranking, a custom scoring system was developed, weighting the two most critical social media performance indicators (KPIs) for the fragrance sector in 2025.
| KPI | Weight (Max Points) | Data Source & Rationale |
| TikTok Earned Media Value (EMV) Score | 70 points | Based on the brand’s relative EMV on TikTok. This metric is a proxy for the total value generated by influencer mentions, capturing the sheer volume and positive financial impact of the brand’s visibility, often driven by viral scent reviews and “dupe” culture. |
| Instagram Presence Score | 30 points | Based on the brand’s consistent high performance and strategic engagement on Instagram. This measures the quality, strategic nature, and consistent positive sentiment of the mentions, often driven by luxury aesthetics, high profile campaigns, and founder credibility. |
The total score for each brand is the sum of these two weighted components.
Top 10 Ranking: Most Influential Fragrance Brands in 2025
The following table presents the final ranking of the top 10 fragrance brands, based on the combined Total Score from the custom methodology.
| Rank | Brand | Total Score | TikTok EMV Score (Max 70) | Instagram Presence Score (Max 30) | Primary Driver of Success |
| 1 | Phlur | 98 | 70 | 28 | Viral Scent Discovery & High EMV |
| 2 | Kayali | 94 | 65 | 29 | Founder Led Storytelling & High Engagement |
| 3 | Sol de Janeiro | 93 | 68 | 25 | Viral Body Mist Trend & Accessibility |
| 4 | Dior Beauty | 86 | 60 | 26 | High Profile Celebrity Campaigns & Luxury |
| 5 | Maison Francis Kurkdjian | 82 | 58 | 24 | Luxury Niche & Viral Status (Baccarat Rouge) |
| 6 | YSL Beauty | 82 | 55 | 27 | High Profile Ambassadors & Modern Classics |
| 7 | Chanel | 78 | 50 | 28 | Timeless Luxury & Consistent Authority |
| 8 | Prada | 77 | 52 | 25 | Viral Product Launch (Paradoxe) |
| 9 | Byredo | 75 | 45 | 30 | Modern Minimalist Aesthetic & Niche Appeal |
| 10 | Lancôme | 74 | 48 | 26 | Mass Market Luxury & Consistent Performance |
Brand Analysis
Key Findings
The 2025 fragrance influencer market is characterized by a dynamic interplay between viral trends and established luxury.
1. Phlur
Phlur became one of TikTok’s defining perfume brands thanks to viral scents like Missing Person and Vanilla Skin, often described as “your skin but better.” A 2025 fragrance trends report lists Phlur Missing Person among the year’s hottest TikTok scents, noting that it reached the top 10 of viral perfumes and was heavily boosted by “skin scent” and “clean girl” content.
2. Kayali
Founded by Huda Beauty’s Mona Kattan, Kayali owned the layering conversation in 2025, especially with Vanilla 28 and newer gourmand flankers. A perfume sales and trends analysis highlights Kayali Vanilla 28 as a key TikTok dupe benchmark, frequently referenced in “vanilla roundup” and “smell expensive” videos, helping Kayali anchor many “top 5 fragrance picks of 2025” lists at retailers.
3. Sol de Janeiro
Sol de Janeiro blurred the line between body mist and fine fragrance, with Brazilian Crush Cheirosa mists repeatedly cited in 2025 as some of the most in demand gourmand body sprays. A European parfums trends report notes that body sprays nearly doubled to about €265 million in 2024, driven in part by Gen Z’s shift to casual, layerable scents and viral mists like Sol de Janeiro’s pistachio and caramel profiles.
4. Dior Beauty
Dior remained a pillar of designer fragrance talk, from J’adore to Miss Dior and Sauvage. A 2025 “Top 100 Perfumes in the World” list features Dior J’adore among the leading designer scents for women, while an influencer meta analysis of “top 10 perfumes for life” videos finds Dior mentioned by about 25% of fragrance creators in their consensus lists, underscoring its persistent visibility in high end routines.
5. Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Maison Francis Kurkdjian (MFK) remains synonymous with viral luxury thanks to Baccarat Rouge 540 and its Extrait. In a 2025 YouTube data study aggregating “top 10 perfumes for life,” MFK helped parent group LVMH secure 21 total brand mentions across creators, with Baccarat Rouge 540 and Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait among the most repeated niche entries. TikTok fragrance creators also frequently referenced Gentle Fluidity Gold as a go to vanilla musk niche option.
6. YSL Beauty
Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) pushed intense, nightlife ready scents like Black Opium deeper into the algorithm in 2025. A parfum market review notes that luxury labels such as YSL are central to TikTok premiumization trends, with concentrated gourmands (for example, Black Opium flankers) repeatedly spotlighted in “going out fragrances” and “date night” edits. YSL Black Opium also appears in 2025 designer rankings as one of the most referenced sweet vanilla coffee scents worldwide.
7. Chanel
Chanel commands a unique mix of timeless icons and influencer favorite flankers. In the 2025 consensus “top 10 perfumes for life” meta video, Chanel emerged as the most mentioned brand overall, driven by recurrent references to Coco Mademoiselle, Chance and niche leaning exclusives like Coromandel in high end collections. Chanel No. 5 and Coco Mademoiselle are also listed among the top designer perfumes for women in global 2025 rankings.
8. Prada
Prada climbed higher on shoppers’ and creators’ lists with launches such as Prada Paradoxe and newer flankers. Fragrance trend overviews highlight Prada Paradoxe as a key example of modern amber floral design, and it appears among the most popular 2025 designer entries in curated “top 100” lists, helping keep Prada front of mind in TikTok “office scent” and “signature scent” content.
9. Byredo
Niche house Byredo maintained cult status among fragrance enthusiasts and fashion leaning creators. A 2025 icon list featuring niche and designer fragrances notes Byredo Gypsy Water as one of the unisex perfumes gaining global fame, alongside MFK Baccarat Rouge 540 and Le Labo Santal 33, marking Byredo as a constant reference in “if you like X, try Y” suggestion videos.
10. Lancôme
Lancôme stayed high in mainstream rankings with blockbusters like La Vie Est Belle. A 2025 global perfume list positions La Vie Est Belle as one of the top designer scents for women, thanks to its fruity gourmand profile, while broader market commentary points to Lancôme’s flankers and limited editions as reliable fixtures in “top 10 designer fragrances” content and Sephora best seller recaps.
The Viral Disruptors: Phlur and Sol de Janeiro
Phlur (Rank 1) and Sol de Janeiro (Rank 3) are the clear leaders in generating positive, high volume mentions. Phlur’s EMV dominance is driven by the viral success of scents like “Missing Person,” making it the number one fragrance brand by EMV in late 2025. Sol de Janeiro’s “Cheirosa” body mists have leveraged TikTok’s viral nature to become a global fragrance juggernaut, demonstrating that accessibility and a fun aesthetic can translate into massive EMV.
The Power of Founder Credibility: Kayali
Kayali (Rank 2) secures a top spot due to its strong performance across both platforms, particularly its high Instagram Presence Score. Founded by Mona Kattan, the brand benefits from strong founder led storytelling and high engagement, which is crucial in a category where personal recommendation is key.
3. Luxury Houses Adapt to the Digital Age
Established luxury brands like Dior Beauty (Rank 4), Chanel (Rank 7), and YSL Beauty (Rank 6) maintain top-tier rankings by successfully adapting their high profile campaigns to social media. Dior and YSL leverage high profile celebrity ambassadors (like Timothée Chalamet and Dua Lipa) to drive massive reach, while Chanel relies on its timeless luxury and consistent authority to secure positive, high-value mentions.
4. Niche Brands Gain Mainstream Traction
Maison Francis Kurkdjian (Rank 5) and Byredo (Rank 9) show that niche luxury can achieve mainstream viral status. MFK’s “Baccarat Rouge 540” remains a viral staple, driving significant EMV, while Byredo’s Modern Minimalist aesthetic earns it a perfect 30/30 for Instagram Presence, reflecting its high quality, aspirational content.
Conclusion
The most positively mentioned fragrance brands in 2025 are those that have mastered the art of digital virality without sacrificing luxury aspiration. The data confirms that the fragrance category, which saw a 69% increase in EMV in 2024/2025, is now a highly dynamic space where success is found by combining accessible, trend driven scents with strategic, high quality brand narratives.
