Professional Perfumes You Can Wear to the Office

Fragrance is all about personal expression, and these days our fragrance wardrobes are getting seriously custom, with everything from trendy key notes to signature standards for everyday wear. But what about in the office? If you don’t want to overpower your coworkers or put off your clients, we have the tips you need to choose the best professional perfumes that are office-approved.

Crowd-Pleasing Notes for the Office

Whether we’re talking cubicle life or a more open office environment, professional perfumes are all about providing a gentle brightness without creating a heavy cloud of scent. That means we’re looking for notes that wear closer to the skin, instead of strong scents that project outward. Notes leaning light, clean and fresh provide the invigorating boost you want from a fragrance, without annoying coworkers or clients.

• Fresh Notes: Herbal, green notes provide a crisp and uplifting scent that feels invigorating but not cloying or too powerful.
• Light Florals: Opting for sheer floral scents like magnolia, jasmine or freesia allows you to retain a sweet, fresh scent that doesn’t overpower.
• Clean Notes: Scents like fresh linen, cotton and soap are comforting and wear close to the body, so they don’t tend to project or leave a cloud of scent behind you.
• Vanilla: Not only a super trendy scent getting a whole new life in fragrance these days, vanilla is also a generally crowd-pleasing scent. Just be warned about what you combine it with, as stronger projections may cause coworkers to complain.

Notes to Avoid in a Professional Setting

If we’re talking office environments, there are a few scent notes you may want to cross off your daily wear list.

• Alcoholic Notes: While we love a good cocktail fragrance, a prominent note of alcohol (be it white rum or fresh gin) may give the wrong message at work.
• Smokey Notes: There’s an argument to be made for fire-side fragrances that provide a comfy, cozy feel, but scents like tobacco (especially combined with other sultry notes like vanilla and patchouli) tend to lean towards the “sexier” side of perfumes, which doesn’t feel office appropriate.

Additionally, it might be a good idea to ask fellow officemates if they have any fragrance triggers for things like asthma or migraines. Along the same lines, you’ll want to think about concentration. Intense formulas and extraits will provide more longevity, but have a much higher projection that could irritate your office. Eau de toilette and eau de parfum, on the other hand, may need re-applications but generally won’t project past an arm’s length away from you.

Our Favorite Professional Perfumes

1 / 10

Eau Parfumée thé Vert Eau de Toilette ($164)

Fresh and green, this scent captures the herbal quality of young green tea, expertly combining it with light neroli and citrusy bergamot for a compelling and clean-smelling experience.

• BUY NOW – $164

KEY NOTES

Young Green Tea Leaves, Neroli, Bergamot

2 / 10

Glossier You Fleur ($78)

The entire Glossier You line is a close-to-skin wear that’s ideal for the office environment. Fleur adds a gentle and sheer ylang-ylang and a creamy apricot to accent this delicate skin scent.

• BUY ON GLOSSIER – $78
• BUY ON SEPHORA – $78

KEY NOTES

Ylang-Ylang, Apricot Skin, Ambrox

3 / 10

Maison Margiela ‘REPLICA’ Lazy Sunday Morning Eau de Toilette ($165)

Scents of fresh linen and light florals create a clean-smelling scent that’s perfect for any office environment. Soft, mature and not overpowering, this scent provides a fresh laundry vibe without sacrificing the delicate iris and lily of the valley.

• BUY ON SEPHORA – $165
• BUY ON BLOOMINGDALE'S – $165

KEY NOTES

Lily of the Valley, Iris, White Musk

4 / 10

Diptyque L’Eau Papier ($185)

A second-skin perfume that’s ideal for close-quarter offices, this scent is the epitome of fresh. Replicating the notes of paper with gentle white musks and steamed rice, L’Eau Papier is wearable and subtle, while staying interesting.

• BUY ON DIPTYQUE – $185
• BUY ON NORDSTROM – $185

KEY NOTES

White Musk, Steamed Rice, Blonde Woods

5 / 10

Jo Malone London Peony & Blush Suede ($168)

Playful without being unprofessional, this fragrance marries the plush warmth of suede with the delicate floral of peony for a charming freshness that deepens with drops of honey.

• BUY ON NORDSTROM – $168
• BUY ON SEPHORA – $168

KEY NOTES

Red Apple, Peony, Suede

6 / 10

Philosophy Fresh Cream Eau de Toilette ($54)

This office-appropriate gourmand remains fresh and light with the inclusion of heliotrope and fluffy whipped cream, providing a sweet warmth that doesn’t overpower.

• BUY NOW – $54

KEY NOTES

Heliotrope, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Sugar

7 / 10

Prada Paradoxe Virtual Flower Eau de Parfum ($170)

Fresh bergamot introduces this airy scent, brightened with delicate jasmine and neroli accords for a luminous wear that isn’t cloying or heavy.

• BUY ON SEPHORA – $170
• BUY ON ULTA – $170
• BUY ON NORDSTROM – $170

KEY NOTES

Bergamot, Jasmine AI Accord, White Musk

8 / 10

Chanel Chance Eau Vive ($150)

Zesty blood orange and grapefruit give this delicate floral a fruity twist that brightens a heart of sheer jasmine and delicate iris. Perfect for a professional, this scent provides the ideal balance between fresh and delicate.

• BUY ON CHANEL – $150
• BUY ON ULTA – $150

KEY NOTES

Grapefruit, Jasmine, Iris, Cedar

9 / 10

Clean Reserve Warm Cotton ($110)

Sheer but still warm, this linen-forward scent is all about the fresh comfort of clean sheets. Opening with a crisp bergamot and settling down into a warm cotton, this scent is perfect for close office environments.

• BUY NOW – $110

KEY NOTES

Bergamot, Benzoin, Musk

10 / 10

L’Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons Extrême ($250)

Capturing the essence of a sunny day, this scent blends the subtle brightness of orange blossom and vetiver with the delicate sheer florals of jasmine and ylang-ylang for a captivating, light fragrance that deepens ever so slightly with the addition of vanilla in the base notes.

• BUY ON NEIMAN MARCUS – $250
• BUY ON L'ARTISAN PARFUMEUR – $250

KEY NOTES

Orange Blossom, Jasmin, Ylang-Ylang, Vanilla, Vetiver