15 best bergamot perfumes for some serious springtime sparkle
If you’ve been looking to add some fresh, citrusy oomph to your fragrance wardrobe this season, allow us to introduce you to bergamot perfumes.
Choosing a signature fragrance — or even a seasonal fragrance — can be such an undertaking. If you’ve been anywhere near #PerfumeTok, it seems like finding your favourite notes can be akin to knowing your “big 3” in astrology.
Thankfully, bergamot is one of the most versatile notes around, making it a safe choice for even the fussiest perfume lovers. Known for its sophisticated, sparkling and uplifting nature, it should come as no surprise that bergamot is considered one of the most popular notes in the fragrance world. So what exactly does it smell like? If you’ve gotten a whiff of a freshly-brewed Earl Grey, chances are, you’re already quite familiar with this note.
Best bergamot perfumes at a glance – our top picks:
- Best bergamot perfume overall: Le Labo Bergamote 22
- Best everyday bergamot perfume: Diptyque L'Eau De Neroli eau de toilette
- Best premium bergamot perfume: Parfums de Marly Perseus
- Best unisex bergamot perfume: Valentino Uomo Born in Roma Green Stravaganza
This sunny Mediterranean citrus is a top note in thousands of perfumes across all categories, from fresh and floral to deep and sultry, because it’s such an elegant, bright note that adds a bit of radiance and levity to any blend. Similar to other citrusy fragrances, bergamot is also known for its mood-boosting abilities, making it perfect to spritz on all year round. Think: lemon wearing haute couture.
And because it originates from Sicily and Calabria (southern Italy) it’s not uncommon to find bergamot as the star player in Italian-inspired perfumes. But you might be surprised by how well of a supporting role bergamot plays, too, alongside headier notes like patchouli and oud.
Its ebullient quality and versatility make for a gorgeous fragrance accord, whether it’s a top note (quite common, as citrus evaporates quite quickly) or blended well into the heart of an eau de parfum. Enter: our ultimate edit of the very best bergamot perfumes worth considering, including our tried-and-true favourites.
Looking for more fragrance-related content? Check out our guides on best sweet perfumes, best long-lasting perfumes and best perfumes for women of all time.
How we chose the best bergamot perfumes
Though bergamot is typically used as a top note (also called the head note) which dissipates the quickest, we wanted to find fragrances that celebrate this vibrant fruit for as much of the wear as possible. Through this curation process, we uncovered artful interpretations where bergamot was the centre of attention, or dancing alongside other notes from different olfactive families (woody, aromatic, gourmand, floral, etc). We considered the quality of the blend, durability (how long the fragrance lasts on skin and clothing), and things like projection and sillage.
Discover our edit of the best bergamot perfumes to add to your fragrance collection…
Why we love it: A gorgeous, well balanced, bergamot-centric fragrance from Le Labo makes an incredible everyday scent (you can honestly never go wrong with Le Labo!). It’s fresh but not too light — it has some body to it! — and is truly a sophisticated, aromatic blend. True to its name, you’ll get a fresh hit of bergamot from the opening, accompanied by green petitgrain (the leaves of the citrus tree) and a base of beautiful musks and woods that support the tangy citrus.
- Top notes: Bergamot, petitgrain, grapefruit
- Middle notes: Nutmeg, orange blossom, aspic
- Base notes: Cedar, amber, musk, and vetiver
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Why we love it: Though categorised as a men’s fragrance in the Parfums de Marly house, this is a fabulous unisex eau de parfum. Bright, juicy, and vibrant like the bergamot itself, its opening notes are a blast of happy energy — true to bergamot’s uplifting nature. It soon settles into a complex yet joyful blend of tonka and smooth woods. If you’re anything like us, you won’t be able to stop smelling your wrists when you wear Perseus.
- Top notes: Bergamot, grapefruit, blackcurrant bud
- Middle notes: Dry woods, cashmere wood, ambergris accord
- Base notes: Balsam fir, woody spices, tonka bean
Why we love it: With a prominent bergamot note, this fresh and zesty Diptyque masterpiece is blended beautifully with green neroli and a waxy, honey-like beeswax note. As an eau de toilette, this is best worn on a hot summer’s day; it’s the definition of a sparkling scent. Wait for the splash of citrus upon first spray to settle… the drydown is to die for.
- Top notes: Neroli, citruses, lemon verbena, petitgrain, tarragon
- Middle notes: Bergamot, orange blossom, Egyptian pelargonium
- Base notes: Beeswax, white musk, cedar
Valentino Uomo Born in Roma Green Stravaganza
Why we love it: With a roasty coffee accord and earthy vetiver supporting it, bergamot takes on a more masculine role in the iconic “Born in Roma” collection from Valentino. Green Stravaganza delivers a fougère and amber fragrance with this unique blend of notes, and is “easy to wear” despite its artful approach, according to fans of this eau de toilette.
- Top notes: Calabrian bergamot
- Middle notes: Coffee accord
- Base notes: Vetiver
Why we love it: Floral lovers rejoice; this blend of bergamot with white flowers is an olfactive delight. Tuberose, orange blossom, and jasmine are radiant alongside the juicy Italian citrus, and rounded out with not-too-warm vanilla, soft white musk, and woody cedar. A lovely daytime scent, this is office appropriate, classy, and decidedly feminine. There’s a reason this particular fragrance has been so popular for so long!
- Top notes: Bergamot, orange blossom
- Middle notes: Tuberose, Indian jasmine
- Base notes: Vanilla, white musk, Virginia cedar
Malin+Goetz Bergamot Eau de Parfum
Why we love it: Bergamot takes on a greener, more herbaceous tone with the addition of green pepper, peppermint, ginger, and spices like cardamom and black pepper. Fresh, zesty, light, and natural, the brand aimed to channel a Northern Italian energy versus a seaside escape to Amalfi (think: spring and summer in Tuscany). Despite these accents, bergamot still shines through and is the star of the show.
- Top notes: Bergamot, lime, lemon, grapefruit, green pepper, mandarin orange
- Middle notes: Ginger, black pepper, Lily-of-the-Valley, peppermint, cardamom
- Base notes: Musk, cedar, woody notes, amber
Why we love it: Dior’s iconic J’Adore collection has been a beloved part of many a fragrance fan’s wardrobe since the ‘90s. This sunny floral eau de parfum is no exception — and though it’s not necessarily a bergamot-dominant blend, bergamot still plays a dazzling role in the opening through to the middle-note dry down. It’s an elegant, citrus-tinged bouquet that dances between the white florals of lily of the valley and tuberose, with warm-and-sweet ylang-ylang, and a sophisticated rose note.
- Top notes: Bergamot, blood orange, pink pepper
- Middle notes: Tuberose, jasmine sambac, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley, rose
- Base notes: Sandalwood
Why we love it: This Jo Malone fragrance is truly unique and unexpected. Alongside hefty, heady oud bergamot dons an evening dress and takes on an elevated flare. A subtle sweetness — almost that of patchouli, despite not being listed in the notes — adds some mystery and complexity to the mix. This comes in a cologne and rich extrait, depending on the intensity you desire.
- Top notes: Bergamot, orange, Amalfi lemon
- Middle notes: Bergamot, oud
- Base notes: Oud, Virginia cedar
Guerlain Bergamote Fantastico Extrait 11
Why we love it: This is hands down the best, most luxurious, most elegant and chic bergamot fragrance we’ve come across. If you want to experience the full spectrum of bergamot's beauty, in all its intensity, look no further — it’s the Birkin of bergamot perfumes, with a 30% bergamot essential oil concentration and a touch of amber. To boot, one spray will last almost 24 hours on your skin.
- Top notes: Calabrian bergamot
- Middle notes: Bergamot leaf
- Base notes: Guaiac wood, amber
Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneao Bergamotto di Calabria
Why we love it: If you’re ready to be transported to an Italian beach with one spritz (pun intended — where’s the Aperol?!), this is for you. We were immediately reminded of the Amalfi lemon candies in Positano upon first sniff. This is a photorealistic bergamot—not an impression or interpretation of the fruit, but as if you squeezed a fresh bergamot onto your wrist.
- Top notes: Bergamot, citron
- Middle notes: Flowers, cedar, ginger
- Base notes: Vetiver, musk, benzoin
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis
Why we love it: This beautiful perfume from master perfumer and legend Francis Kurkdjian (creator of cult-favourite Baccarat Rouge 540) is fresh and light, sort of like a spray of liquid sunlight. It’s incredibly fresh and clean, without smelling like a cleaning product (thanks to bergamot’s complexity, no doubt). The light musk and blond wood give some balance without taking away from the overall levity of this angelic concoction.
- Top notes: Bergamot, Sicilian lemon, sweet orange
- Middle notes: Lily of the valley, orange blossom
- Base notes: Musk, woody notes
Why we love it: This flanker to the cult-favourite Alien by Mugler brings a touch of amber gourmand: Subtly sweet, creamy vanilla rounds out the bright bergamot in this feminine summertime elixir. With white floral jasmine tea, a coconut topnote (almost reminiscent of coconut water on a beach), and ambery benzoin, this is an intoxicating perfume to channel some summertime energy year round, day or night.
- Top notes: Coconut, bergamot
- Middle notes: Jasmine, jasmine tea
- Base notes: Vanilla, benzoin and cashmere wood
Molton Brown Orange & Bergamot
Why we love it: A fragrant waft through a citrus grove on an early morning in early spring… the green leaves, the sweet white floral blooms, and of course, the citrus itself. If this is the vibe you want to channel with your fragrance, you’ve arrived: every aspect of the trees, the garden, and the experience are present in this blend. Molton Brown’s lovely ode to citrus and springtime feels like travel in a bottle.
- Top notes: Petitgrain, orange, bergamot, bitter orange, galbanum
- Middle notes: Neroli, ylang-ylang, rose, clove
- Base notes: Musk, vetiver, sandalwood, Peru balsam
Why we love it: From the first spray, this gorgeous blend from Chanel brings you not to Italy, but to the south of France. The top is down, you’re driving along the coastline, drenched in summer sunlight, not a care in the world. This fragrance is light, it’s daytime, it’s breezy and fresh — citrus dense with green notes (including a spectacularly green-tinged neroli note). With a bit of musk and the slightest touch of Chanel’s signature patchouli, it’s effortlessly chic. This might be the perfect white linen summer pant of perfumes.
- Top notes: Tangerine, bergamot, lemon, orange, grapefruit
- Middle notes: Neroli, green notes, lily-of-the-valley
- Base notes: White musk, patchouli
Why we love it: Tom Ford’s Italian Riviera-inspired fragrance will transport you to a Mediterranean coastline. This eau de parfum is clean, herbaceous, smooth, and would smell fantastic on anyone. Effervescent citrus radiates from the opening spray, with a touch of greener accents like rosemary, neroli, and lavender. It settles beautifully into white florals and ambers, and has impressive staying power for being a bergamot-dominant blend.
- Top notes: Bergamot, mandarin orange, lemon, bitter orange, lavender, rosemary, myrtle
- Middle notes: African orange flower, neroli, jasmine, pittosporum
- Base notes: Amber, angelica flower, ambrette (musk mallow)
