Since Ariana Grande shot to fame in 2013, she has yet to leave the spotlight. Besides her chart-topping hits, Ariana has a well known and developing sense of style -from the cat ears in her early days to her staple high pony - and along with dropping new music, she also consistently drops new fragrances to add to her line of perfumes. These are not throw-away money grabs, either, but rather a set of well-developed scents that rival some designer brands. Their bottles are beautifully designed, the scent profiles are well thought out, and some notes carry through the fragrances to create a brand that has a signature style and cohesive collection. I have compiled a list of some of Ariana’s most popular fragrances, which reflect just how good celebrity fragrances can be.
Ari is Ariana’s original fragrance, released to an excited audience in 2015. It is in a textured spherical bottle, a shape repeated in some of her subsequent perfumes to further tie them together and create a collection. It is a gourmand fragrance, as are all the fragrances on this list, which is a fragrance category defined by its food and desert scented notes, usually synthetically formulated. Ari’s gourmand scent starts with the prominent base note of marshmallow, which is complemented by musk and woods for balance, as well as floral mid notes of vanilla orchid, lily of the valley and rose, and fruity top notes of raspberry, grapefruit, and pear. This creates a fragrance that is sweet and slightly fruity without being overpowering, a subtle feminine perfume for any everyday use.
Similar in bottle and scent profile, Moonlight is the perfect nighttime continuation of Ari’s midday glow. Fruity top notes of plum and black currant with middle notes of peony and prominent marshmallow, tying it to the original Ari to create a cohesive pair for day and night. This is on a base of vanilla, sandalwood and amber, furthering the fragrance’s sweetness while keeping it from becoming cloying. Compared to the Ari, Moonlight is fruitier and a touch amber deep to my nose, but still gourmand sweet and very wearable.
For something a little bit more stand-out and sugary, there is the Sweet Like Candy. Presented in an opaque pink version of Ari’s textured bottle, Sweet Like Candy has top notes of blackberry, bergamot and pear, with middle notes of sweet whipped cream and marshmallow with black currant, frangipani, honeysuckle and jasmine on base notes of vanilla and cashmere wood. Vanilla, sugar sweet and fruity, with a touch of milkiness from the whipped cream, is the most noticeable scents, making this fragrance truly as sweet as candy. The darker notes of black currant and cashmere wood help to balance this perfume, but make no mistake, this is a perfume for a girl who wants sweetness.
Away from the textured spherical bottles of the original Ari range, her newer fragrances tend to come as bottles with shaped bases, which act as a stand and can be removed. These fragrances don’t have the same notes connections that the perfume above, but still compliment them beautifully with sweet and layered notes. One of the first standalone fragrances from Ariana was Cloud, released in 2018. Cloud has base notes of musk and woods, with middle notes of whipped cream, praline, coconut and vanilla orchid and top notes of lavender, pear, and bergamot. Like
Sweet Like Candy, Cloud has a distinct lactic scent from the cream, however, it is more prominent here, heightened by the coconut and sugary praline. This is a personal favourite Ariana perfume for me, as there is something about how the dessert notes and lavender, musk and bergamot blend to make a fragrance this is at once sweet and calming. My love for it may also be in part to the cute blue bottle in a white-cloud base, which makes this fragrance stand out in a room, not only on your skin.
After Cloud’s release, there was Thank U, Next, based on Grande’s award-winning single. One of Ariana’s stronger fragrances, Thank U, Next is an emotive perfume, reminiscent of romance and standing in a broken heart-shaped base. Thank U, Next is bursting with fruitiness and sweetness, with top notes of raspberry and pear, middle notes of coconut and blush rose, and base notes of musk and macaroons. To me, the best description of this fragrance is pink. It is raspberry and pink-iced desserts, sprinkled with coconut shreds and rose petals. Again, the dessert note pulls through- the sugary macaron comes through for a slight powdery touch to the strongly raspberry fragrance.
One of Grande’s more recent fragrances, R.E.M has a bit of a different twist than the others I have included on this list. R.E.M has base notes of tonka bean, musk, and sandalwood, middle notes of lavender and pear blossom, and top notes of quince, fig, salt, caramel and zefir, a ‘Russian marshmallow’ dessert that is usually berry flavoured and coated in sugar. Despite the notes laden with sweetness, R.E.M is the most subtle of Ari’s fragrances to my nose. The dessert notes gently complement each other and the deeper base and fruit notes, while the salt and lavender pull to the forefront on my skin as it settles, adding a calmness and a tang. This is still a sweet perfume, but much more subtle than the rest, and incredibly wearable.
If you are after a new fragrance for yourself or a loved one, I would highly suggest giving Ariana Grande’s perfumes a try. None of Ariana’s fragrances are careless or space holders; each perfume is carefully thought out and constructed to create a new gourmand fragrance that is head-turning and delightful. Whether you want something that sticks out, or something more subtle and private for self-enjoyment, Grande’s range of fragrances probably has what you’re after.
Written by Miranda
