Don’t Get Her Flowers – Best Perfumes for Mom

Perfume is the kind of gift that either becomes her new signature or sits on the bathroom shelf for two years. The difference is almost always intention. Did you actually think about her, or did you pick something because the packaging looked nice?

These three are the best perfumes for mom right now. They cover quiet and skin-close, warm and a bit gourmand, and the kind that’s quietly become the signature scent of airports. One of them should fit.

The Quiet One – Phlur Missing Person Eau de Parfum

Everyone seems to have a mum or a friend’s mum who just started wearing this. And weirdly, the hype is justified. Clean white florals and pear on sandalwood and vetiver, stays close to the skin for around 4 to 5 hours at low projection, the kind of thing you notice when someone hugs you rather than when they walk in.

The Crowd Favourite – Lancôme La Vie Est Belle Eau de Parfum

La Vie Est Belle has been one of the top-selling women’s fragrances globally since 2012, which either tells you it’s a safe bet or that she already owns it. Worth checking first. If she doesn’t: blackcurrant and pear open it slightly sweet, iris and orange blossom sit in the middle, and praline, tonka bean and vanilla land the base warm and genuinely cosy, holding around 7 to 8 hours at moderate projection.

Everyday Wear – Giorgio Armani My Way Eau de Parfum

My Way is everywhere. You’ve seen it on that one colleague everyone agrees smells great, at airports, in any department store that stocks fragrance. Orange blossom and tuberose open it warm, jasmine and white musk carry the middle, cedar and vanilla land the base for around 7 to 8 hours at moderate projection, not the flashiest bottle she’ll own but probably the one she’d actually reach for most.