Unpacking the olfactory allure of the trending stone fruit.
One bite into the perfect cherry, and you ascend into a sensorial dreamland. Firm, juicy, and sweet without veering too saccharine, cherries transport us to those sultry summer days when bliss becomes our baseline. While the season for cherries may be fleeting, cherry perfumes allow us to embody the fruit's flirtatious allure year-round. In a refreshing contrast to the sugary gourmands that reigned in the noughties, the latest crop of cherry fragrances flaunts the complex nature of the beloved stone fruit.
"Cherry is such a dynamic ingredient and we will continue to see it get elevated and pushed in new directions," says Jérôme Epinette, a renowned perfumer with the fragrance house Robertet. "I expect to see more sophisticated and sensual takes on cherry that tie into the resurgence of trends around femininity, romance, and luxury."
Meet the expert
- Jérôme Epinette is a renowned perfumer with the fragrance house Robertet. Gil Clavien is a principal perfumer at DSM-Firmenich. Jessica Murphy is a fragrance historian. David Benedek is the founder and creative director at BDK Perfumes.
While cherries are by no means new to the fragrance world, the last few months have seen a resurgence of the playful note, with launches like BDK’s Rouge Smoking Extrait, a smoky and mysterious fragrance, and Clean Reserve’s Whipped Cherry, a musky gourmand. These new iterations further demonstrate the complexity and malleability of cherries; because as soft and sweet as they are, if you bite too hard and fast, you’ll hit the pit.
"We’re moving past its nostalgic vibe and into something more experimental," says Epinette, "Now, cherries are being paired with smoky woods, warm ambers, and bold spices to create unique, modern fragrances."
Origins of Cherry Perfumes
Society’s love of cherry fragrances stems back centuries—but its form has evolved with time, explains fragrance historian Jessica Murphy. “Cherry blossom perfumes have been available since the 1880s, but a cherry fruit note in perfume is really a twenty-first-century taste,” says Murphy.
According to Murphy, we’re drawn to the note’s ability to evoke a wide array of memories and sensations. “Cherry flavors and aromas can remind us of childhood treats like popsicles and Italian ices or flavored lip glosses we owned when we were younger,” says Murphy. “At the same time, cherries can have erotic associations."
Think of the 1976 song Cherry Bomb by The Runaways. It captures young women stepping into their power, confronting societal expectations by pairing the innocence of a cherry with the explosiveness of a bomb. This juxtaposition of sweetness and danger mirrors the duality of the cherry in pop culture.
Take, for example, Sherilyn Fenn’s portrayal of Audrey Horne in David Lynch’s '90s mystery drama Twin Peaks. In one unforgettable scene, Audrey ties a cherry stem with her tongue, a moment that blends innocence with desire. It's playful yet charged, offering a glimpse into Audrey’s complex character while twisting our perceptions of youthful allure and burgeoning passion.
The cherry has long been embedded in pop culture as a symbol of sensuality—forever tied to the nostalgic imagery of fresh-baked pies and ice-cold popsicles. Yet, it also carries a multidimensional, undeniably sexy edge, lending itself to a more complex narrative.
This duality extends into fragrance, too. "In a fragrance composition, cherry pairs well with traditional floral notes like rose and violet, with woody or incense-y notes, or with other fruits," says Murphy. "So it’s more versatile than we might expect.”
When cherry notes first came on the scene, the fragrances leaned into the fruit’s sweetness, with bright, exuberant gourmands. “Back in the early 2000s, fragrance message boards were obsessed with several cult perfumes that had cherry notes.” Think: Serge Lutens Rahät Loukhoum (cherry and almond) and People of the Labyrinths Luctor et Emergo (cherry and hay), Délices de Cartier (cherry and bergamot), and Etat Libre d’Orange Bendelirious (cherry lollipop acord and grapefruit).
In the 2010s, the cheery cherry got a roguish makeover with the 2016 launch of Clinique’s limited-edition Aromatics Elixir Black Cherry, a warm blend of amber, woods, and cherry. “Black Cherry felt a little edgy for Clinique, but it helped pave the way for Tom Ford’s 2018 scent Lost Cherry,” (a spicy-sweet mix of black cherry, tonka bean, and almond) says Murphy. “Clinique and Tom Ford are both brands in the Estée Lauder portfolio, so I don’t think that’s a total coincidence. But Tom Ford really capitalized on the naughty connotations of cherries and appealed to a different demographic with that marketing and a much higher price point. Lost Cherry’s success inspired a whole crop of imitators.”
The Current Cherry Wave
The 2025 Pinterest Predicts report identified “cherry-coded” beauty to dominate the year, while Google searches for “cherry perfumes” saw a steady increase over the past few months. “The generational trend cycle and Y2K throwbacks are making cherry perfumes ripe for a revival,” says Murphy. Over the past few months, a new wave of cherry perfumes has launched, signaling a return to the sexy-sweet vibes of the early 2000s. However, this time, the fragrances tap into the fruit’s multifaceted nature, embracing its sensual allure while balancing between smoky depth and decadent effervescence.”
There's no greater example of this shift than the meteoric rise of Sabrina Carpenter. The Grammy-winning songstress has a flirtatious, pin-up energy à la Christina Aguilera but pairs it with playful, comedic storytelling through her lyrics and performances. She effuses a restrained sweetness—and the same can be said for her latest perfume, Cherry Baby.
Gil Clavien, the perfumer behind Cherry Baby, says the scent's decadence was achieved through careful juxtaposition. "It has this enchanting contrast from the mouthwatering fruity top notes to the sensual, seductive woods and amber in the back," says Clavien, the principal perfumer at DSM-Firmenich. "Cherry Baby is effervescent, colorful, and utterly enticing—the life of the party."
Scent Beauty Cherry Baby by Sabrina Carpenter, $55.00 Shop Now
Similarly, Clean Reserve's Whipped Cherry is a sugary scent balanced by musk and wood. Epinette is the perfumer behind Whipped Cherry and says he was inspired by the sheer indulgence of Parisian patisseries. "Creating the rich, decadent aromas that draw you into the café, embarking on its addictive quality that is sensual and provocatively delicious," he says. "Facets of creamy vanilla layered with a touch of praline, ambroxan, and upcycled cedarwood beautifully balance a refined composition that is enticingly sophisticated."
Clean Reserve Whipped Cherry, $130.00 Shop Now
BDK's Rouge Smoking Extrait, which has notes of cherry, tonka bean, and amber, taps into the dark side of cherry. It's a reimagined version of a previous BDK eau de parfum of the same name.
"When we first created this fragrance in 2018, cherry was a rare and daring ingredient in niche perfumery," says David Benedek, founder and creative director at BDK Perfumes. "We had to strike a delicate balance between intensity and subtlety to achieve a result that is both powerful and harmonious. It took us two years to perfect this balance, weaving key notes from the original fragrance, like cherry and vanilla, with new additions such as oud wood, amber woods, and creamy lactonic nuances. The result is a bold yet refined interpretation."
BDK Rouge Smoking Extrait, $305.00 Shop Now
What's to Come
If the meandering evolution of cherry perfumes has shown us anything, it’s that its capacity for adaptation is neverending. “For now, it’s the fruity, juicy cherry that’s in the spotlight,” says Benedek. “But in the future, we might see a shift toward other aspects of the cherry, like its skin, its pit (which we worked with in the Eau de Parfum version of Rouge Smoking), or even its stem. Cherry could become riper or greener; more natural or intentionally artificial. It’s really exciting to imagine how this trend will evolve based on what people desire and the new ideas that will emerge.”
The current cherry boom extends beyond the fruit itself, too. Epinette notes that its resurgence points to "an overall revival of stone fruits as the hero ingredient, leading to a more mature and bolder take on traditional fruity interpretations. Beyond cherry, we’ll start seeing more refined and creative uses of plum, apricot, and peach—giving these notes a fresh and modern twist."
Once you bite into a stone fruit, you hit the rigid pit—a balance of hard and soft that reflects what these fruits bring to fragrance: sweetness with an edge. The latest cherry perfumes tap into this complexity, mirroring the fun, flirtatious, yet bold energy shaping the current moment. As cherry and its pitted cousins rise in the fragrance world, we'll see more scents that capture the multifaceted nature of our time.