Welcome to Fragrance Friday, where each week we’ll be keeping you abreast of the newest and most iconic releases in the dynamic world of men’s fragrances. Born out of the desire to showcase one of the most overlooked, yet versatile, elements of any discerning man’s style this weekly column will help you finesse your own signature scent. This week, we’re looking at the most expensive fragrances in the world.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve gone a bit brand-specific with this weekly Fragrance Friday column, looking at the best fragrances from the likes of Tom Ford, Creed and Jo Malone London. I’ll continue that next week with a different brand, but I felt like taking a break this week and just simply looking at the most expensive fragrances in the world.
Why? Well, all of these eye-popping price tags reiterate just how expensive perfumery can be when it’s focused on using hyper-specific, quality ingredients and standing out in a very overcrowded market. Note that I’ve never even seen a single bottle of any of these perfumes, I’ve simply done a bit of digging on expensive perfumes because, well, I was curious.
And I’m sure you are too. So here goes. I’m going to highlight just a few and then give you the full list of the top 10 most expensive perfumes in the world.
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The Most Expensive Perfumes In The World Right Now
Jean Patou Joy
The most expensive perfume I personally own is Amouage Saffron Hamra, which is part of the Omani brand’s super-strong Attar collection. You can pick that one up in Australia for a cool $759 per 12 ml, so compared to everything else on this list Jean Patou Joy seems fairly reasonable as far as lavishly expensive perfumes go.
You could pick up a bottle for AU$1,247, or US$850 per ounce. That’s about as affordable as you can get when climbing into this niche market, validating the work of famous French fashion designer and perfumer Jean Patou. Apparently, the scent was built with many different varieties of roses and at least 10,000 jasmine flowers, which I guess makes this a relentlessly floral perfume best suited for women.
Paco Rabanne 1 Million LUXE Edition
With a price tag around the AU$83,500 mark, Paco Rabanne 1 Million LUXE Edition is easily one of the most expensive perfumes in the world. Out of this list, it’s the only one that comes from such a recognisable series of perfumes. And you thought the recently released Elixir version was intense. I’m guessing that this is even stronger, dialling in those really rich, opulent notes of blood orange, grapefruit, cinnamon, mint, rose, light leather, white wood, patchouli and amber.
Obviously the bottle has also been treated with a sense of occasion, celebrating the whole regalness of it all by presenting the perfume in a luxurious golden bottle that has a diamond crown and the case it comes in was designed by Noe Duchaufour-Lawrence with its own golden lever.
Clive Christian No. 1 Majeste Imperiale
I had little doubt in my mind that Clive Christian would make an appearance on this list when I started my research. The only Clive Christian perfume I own, Jump Up & Kiss Me Hedonistic, is available in Australia for $875 (50 ml). So it’s a fairly expensive brand. In fact, if you did happen to come across a bottle of No. 1 Majeste Imperiale from the classically British perfume house, then you can expect to pay around AU$315,000. Or US$12,772 per ounce.
And there’s also little doubt that the perfume would be superlative. Clive Christian is one of the best brands out there as far as prestige perfumery goes, and legendary British perfumer Roja Dove made this one when he was still with the brand.
There are so many green flags about this fragrance that if I had the disposable income, I’d absolutely want to get my hands all across a perfume like this, that blends rose, jasmine and Tahitian vanilla. And I have no doubt that very minimal blend is as potent and statement-making as the bottle it comes in, which has a neck made from 18-karat cold and 5-carat diamond.
Most Expensive Perfumes – The Top 10
And here you have it. The full list of the most expensive perfumes in the world right now. All figures are in USD and I have not converted them because, well, you aren’t going to find these ones in Australia anyway.
- Shumukh by Nabeel – $1.5 million
- Golden Delicious by DKNY – $1 million
- Opera Prima by Bulgari – $235,000
- No. 1 Majesté impériale by Clive Christian – $215,000
- Parfum VI by Gianni Vive Sulman – $89,000
- 1 million, LUXE edition by Paco Rabanne – $57,000
- Les Larmes Sacrées de Thebes by Baccarat – $6,800
- Le N°5 Parfum Grand Extrait by Chanel – $3,500
- Poivre by Caron – $1,000
- Joy by Jean Patou – $850
