The 15 Most Iconic Latinx-Owned Fragrances of All Time
March 21 is National Fragrance Day
Photo: Unsplash/@laurachouette
March 21 is National Fragrance Day. What better way to celebrate than to look at some of the best fragrances created by fellow Latinos. But unfortunately, there isn’t enough shine given to Latino-owned fragrances. It’s a bit ironic considering Brazil is the largest market in the entire world for perfume. As a result, we decided to highlight a few scents created by Latinos.
The following 15 scents are from Latinx fashion designers, singers/actors, beauty creators, hair moguls, along with those old school brands our abuelitas, mamis, and tias swore by for decades. We made sure to provide you with a little background on each fragrance’s creator along with a breakdown of its notes. Don’t blame us if this motivates you to run out and buy a few of these. Just thank us instead!
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Carolina Herrera by Carolina Herrera
https://www.instagram.com/p/Brf-4KyBULe/
Carolina Herrera is known for her timeless and fashionable clothing. The Venezuelan fashion designer launched her very first fragrance in 1988, named Carolina Herrera by Carolina Herrera, and it’s so chic. The legendary perfume comes packed in the cutest white box, with gold polka dots. According to fragrance site Fragantica, Carolina Herrera by Carolina Herrera’s base notes are warm wood and amber. Its top notes are “elegant jasmine,” and “refined tuberose.” Very floral indeed! Carolina Herrera herself is said to consistently wear this fragrance. This is definitely one of the fragrances we at least want to try out.
Carolina Herrera by Carolina Herrera, $109, Macys.com
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Selena Gomez by Selena Gomez
https://www.instagram.com/p/1PhaX4llll/
The celebrity formula goes a little something like this. First, you become famous in one arena, like music, acting, or reality TV. You then use that fame to branch out and attach your name to products that will generate more money for you down the line. Some celebs keep going and create their own lifestyle brands. A celeb perfume is usually the first place to start. Selena Gomez by Selena Gomez proved to be a good move for the actress and singer. The fragrance, which launched in 2011, contains raspberry, peach, and pineapple top notes, heart notes of purple freesia, musk, and dewberry, and chocolate, vanilla, and amber base notes.
Selena Gomez by Selena Gomez, $39, Perfume.com
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Narciso for Her by Narciso Rodriguez
If you’re a successful fashion designer, why not have a successful fragrance? Narciso Rodriguez knew what he was doing when he released Narciso by Narciso Rodriguez. Sephora describes the eau de toilette as “warm, sensual,” and “feminine,” with a “blend of floral, amber, and woody notes.” These notes include “honey flower, solar musk, orange blossom, osmanthus, vanilla, tactile musk, tactile woods,” and “vetiver.” Tactile woods are definitely giving us moody vibes. Some of the best fragrances come from mixing different inspirations and “moods,” to create something totally new.
Narciso for Her by Narciso Rodriguez, $98, Sephora.com
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Royal Violets by Agustin Reyes
It would not be a proper Latinx beauty roundup without the old school, random-yet-totally recognizable, indispensable, and culture-identifying products many of us grew up with and still love. Royal Violets by Agustin Reyes is such a product. It’s the Cuban throwback agua de colonia that made so many babies’ heads smell like violets. Can you believe it has been around since 1927? If you grew up in a Latino family, chances are you, your mom, tias, and cousins all used Royal Violets as babies — or beyond! There is both an Eau de Parum perfume and an Eau de Toilette. In general, with fragrances, the parfum (or perfume) is more concentrated and therefore stronger than the Eau de Toilette.
Royal Violets by Agustin Reyes, $10, Walmart.com
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Oscar by Oscar de la Renta
Another iconic fashion designer who came out with his own elegant and timeless fragrance for women is the late Oscar de la Renta. This classic scent was launched in 1977, with a stunning bottle designed by Serge Manseau. The scent is described as “floral-spicy.” It contains the following notes: top notes consist of basil, cascarilla, coriander, and orange blossom. The heart notes feature broom, jasmine, rose, tuberose, and ylang-ylang. Finally, the base notes are made of castoreum, myrrh, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, and vetiver. A good tip is to revisit perfumes that may have seemed too strong or undesirable at some point during your life. Sometimes, scents will wear on us differently, at different points in life. And our taste changes too!
Oscar by Oscar de la Renta, $67, Oscardelarenta.com
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Maja by Myrurgia
Another old-school scent that will probably have you traveling down memory lane is Maja by Myrurgia. If your abuelita didn’t own the fragrance, chances are she at least had the ever-so-popular dusting power that smelled just like it. The Spanish fragrance was launched in 1921 and is currently made in Mexico. In addition to the perfume, you can also get the eau de toilette, bar of soap, liquid soap, and other incarnations of the classic scent. Described as an “oriental spicy fragrance,” Maja features nutmeg, lavender, carnation, patchouli, vetiver, cloves, rose, geranium, and citruses. With all these scents that smell great on their own, imagine how delicious they must smell blended together.
Maja by Myrurgia, $20, Fragrance.net
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212 by Carolina Herrera
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuZsgAfHwSr/
It’s not surprising that Carolina Herrera makes more than one appearance on this list. Not only are her fashion designs iconic and loved, but so are her equally-iconic fragrances. The one featured here is her 212 scent. Named after and dedicated to New York City, this fragrance comes in different versions, including VIP, NYC, and SEXY.
212 by Carolina Herrera, $50, Walmart.com
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Saint by Kat Von D
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuPI4EFHvoJ/
Kat Von D is known for her tattoo skills and her popular beauty brand. She also makes a mean fragrance. Saint is one half of Von D’s Saints + Sinners fragrances. The brand calls the perfumes their “most requested product of all time,” so you know it has to be good. Saint is a “candied floral fragrance,” with notes that include vanilla, Tiaré flower, caramel, sandalwood, and Mirabelle plum.
Saint by Kat Von D, $85, Sephora.com
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Bella Blanca by Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta also has another entry on this list of iconic, classic, and much-loved Latinx fragrances. Bella Blanca is the designer’s scent said to be “inspired by nature’s beauty.”It’s encased in another gorgeous bottle, enveloped in white flowers, that you’ll want front and center on your vanity table. Notes include wet freesia, violet leaves, and creamy sandalwood.
Bella Blanca by Oscar de la Renta, $98, Oscardelarenta.com
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Glow by Jennifer Lopez
https://www.instagram.com/p/BugQSwyhoQ8/
Jennifer Lopez does it all. She’s a singer, an actress, and a dancer with a mega empire. She’s had a number of clothing lines throughout the years and has launched several great fragrances. Do you remember when she first released her perfume, Glow by JLo, in 2002? Seriously, how can anyone forget? The product, which became “America’s top-selling fragrance,” is said to be made from a combination of scents Jennifer Lopez liked herself including, orange, jasmine, and musk.
Glow by Jennifer Lopez, $18, Walmart.com
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Côte d’Azur by Oribe
https://www.instagram.com/p/tn09Jop0EA/
The late Cubano Oribe was a master of hair. He branched out to create his fragrance, Côte d’Azur, which is actually built off the signature scent of the Oribe hair care line. The notes in this perfume are Calabrian bergamot, white butterfly jasmine, and sandalwood, and the idea is to embody the “glamour and heat of the legendary destination.”
Côte d’Azur by Oribe, $105, Bloomingdales.com
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Good Girl by Carolina Herrera
This is the last Carolina Herrera perfume in this roundup — we swear! But it’s not our fault she makes so many classic, good-smelling fragrances. Good Girl is her latest addition to the fragrance market. In 2017, it broke records, forecasted to sell over $200 million in its first year alone. Inside the badass high heel bottle, you’ll find notes made of roasted tonka beans, tuberose, cocoa, and sambac jasmine.
Good Girl by Carolina Herrera, $117, Ultabeauty.com
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Pink Putti by Isabel and Ruben Toledo
Isabel and Ruben Toledo are the power couple that enjoys to collaborating on practically everything together. Isabel is a successful fashion designer and Ruben is a successful artist. One of their collabs is the fragrance Pink Putti. The scent is a fruity, floral oriental, with notes of pink dragonfruit, white mariposa (Cuba’s national flower), mango, vetiver Haiti orpur, French lavender, white amber, oakmoss, and more. It used to sell in Lane Bryant stores but it’s no longer available. If you’re lucky, you can snatch one on ebay.
Pink Putti by Isabel and Ruben Toledo, $50, ebay.com
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Still by Jennifer Lopez
Another Jennifer Lopez fragrance that proved to be successful was Still. It was released in 2013 and marketed to a slightly older clientele than Glow by JLo. Fragrance notes include white pepper, mandarin orange, sweet honeysuckle, fresh orange blossom, and sandalwood. If you haven’t tried Still, you’re going to want to get a whiff!
Still by Jennifer Lopez, $23, Perfume.com
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Sofia by Sofia Vergara
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsVt8kvHVIX/
Jennifer Lopez really helped open the door for other celebs to have successful fragrances. The final perfume we will be looking at on our list is Sofia by Sofia Vergara. Notes in this fragrance include Colombian orchid, Colombian rose, blackberry, sparkling cassis buds, vanilla, earthy woods, and purple violet. As you can see from this list, you shouldn’t shy away from celebrity fragrances, as they have proven to be just as popular and great-smelling as the designer perfumes!
Sofia by Sofia Vergara, $25, Kmart.com
