While niche perfumery is a booming industry, not every fragrance needs to be obscure or hard to find to be great. These iconic department store classics were everywhere for a reason, and they are still just as relevant today. With Mother’s Day and graduations on the horizon, I’ve curated a collection of scents that are highly-wearable, easy to find, and make great gifts–for someone else or for yourself!

Speaking of clean girl vibes, Narciso Rodriguez Pure Musc For Her (2019) is the office, gym, and hiking fragrance dreams are made of. It has the familiar Narciso Rodriguez musk DNA, without the aggressive florals or patchouli present in other flankers from the line. Pure Musc For Her is reminiscent of Body Shop White Musk oil from back in the day—but that’s not a bad thing. An easy, safe blind-buy for uncomplicated clean girlies.

Created in 2001, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue is a clean, white sundress in a bottle. Fresh and casual, it’s bright lemon and green apple opening doesn’t lean too masculine, and the light florals keep it from languishing in overly-woodsy territory during the dry down. An extremely wearable fragrance that feels crisp and youthful, Light Blue makes a perfect gift for anyone who loves summer.

Issey Miyake L’eau D’Issey was released back in 1992, and could easily be considered the OG ‘Clean Girl’ scent. This watery melon and freesia fragrance had me in a choke hold back in college, and is still relevant as ever. But, if you’re looking for something a little more recent, Coach Dreams (2020) is a highly underrated fragrance that has a similar 90s-era freshness. With notes of pear, white florals and ambroxan (a clean skin-scent molecule), Dreams manages to achieve that clean girl vibe without being soapy. 

Someone said, “bubblegum but make it bougie”, and Armani My Way was born. Released in 2020, this tuberose-forward white floral stops just shy of being too sweet with citrus notes giving a lift to the overall composition. The bubblegum opening dissipates after a while, leaving an uplifting and happy scent that makes me feel gorgeous. Somehow My Way feels both vintage and modern at the same time, making it a perfect scent for all the women in your life.

Many have tried, but no one at the department store does this category better than Chanel. Released back in 2010, Chance Eau Tendre is a fresh, fruity floral with notes of grapefruit, dewy pink rose and jasmine that feels joyful, timeless and extremely wearable. The Eau de Parfum, released in 2019, is a little more feminine and rose forward, but evokes the same freshness and ease as the EDT. Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet (2014) is a close runner-up though, with mandarin and stone fruits creating a fresh, sparkling floral that is both elegant and youthful.

I personally don’t love gourmands, but Burberry Her Elixir is too special to be denied. Released in 2022, Her Elixir is a milky, strawberry-forward fragrance that dries down to a cozy, warm vanilla-amber skin scent. I’ve heard this compared to a strawberry milkshake, but it is not childlike or cloying as that description suggests. It is playful, delicious, and perfect for anyone who likes gourmands that go beyond cupcake territory. 

Created in 2019, Yves Saint Laurent Libre Parfum is considered an Oriental Fougere because of the lavender note present at the fragrance’s opening. I did not like Libre at first for this very reason, but this perfume is all about the journey. What begins as a bergamot and lavender blast akin to potpourri and regret, slowly devolves into an addictive orange blossom, warm vanilla and tonka bean sweater you never want to take off. I consider this more of a fall and winter fragrance, but YSL has just released the summer-friendly Libre L’Eau Nue, which has a fresh, citrus opening while maintaining same stunning dry down as the original. Consider gifting both for year-round scent heaven.