This Floral-Citrus Note Evokes an Expensive Italian Villa, and It’s In All of My Favorite Perfumes

I’ve always been fascinated by fragrance—both conceptually (the way they can evoke memories, places, and people) and literally (the chic glass bottles are a sight to behold). I started collecting them when I was a teenager. Back then, I’d trade my hard-earned babysitting money for the odd body mist or semi-affordable department store scent.

Now that I’m a beauty editor, I test hundreds of fragrances each year, and my collection has grown to include no fewer than 50 perfumes (I counted). While they vary in size, shape, and scent profile, I noticed a theme. Some of my most beloved fragrances contain the same fragrance note—bergamot.

Bergamot is a citrus fruit found throughout the Mediterranean. Roughly the size of an orange, the sour fruit has a distinct scent that’s led it to become one of the most popular fragrance notes in perfumery. Often described as joyful and sparkling, it falls somewhere between traditional citrus, floral, and herbal scents. It’s elevated yet energizing. Approachable yet expensive-smelling. Personally, I equate it with summer. Not just any summer, though. To me, it evokes a summer spent lounging in an expensive Italian villa. Ahead, see 13 of the best bergamot perfumes to add to your collection.

The 10 Best Bergamot Perfumes:

• Best Overall: Le Labo Bergamote 22 Eau De Parfum
• Best Hair/Body Mist: Salt & Stone Bergamot & Hinoki Body and Hair Mist
• Best Fresh Scent: Henry Rose Windows Down Eau De Parfum
• Best Citrus: YSL Libre L’eau Nue Eau de Parfum
• Best Sweet Scent: Prada Infusion De Vanille Eau De Parfum
• Best Warm Scent: Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Bergamote Calabria Eau De Toilette
• Best Woody Scent: Parfums de Marly Perseus Eau de Parfum
• Best Floral Scent: Giorgio Armani My Way Eau de Parfum
• Best Green Scent: Malin + Goetz Bergamot Eau de Parfum
• Best Oud Scent: Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot Cologne Intense

Best Overall: Le Labo Bergamote 22 Eau De Parfum

Best Hair/Body Mist: Salt & Stone Bergamot & Hinoki Body and Hair Mist

Best Fresh Scent: Henry Rose Windows Down Eau De Parfum

Best Citrus: YSL Libre L’eau Nue Eau de Parfum

Best Sweet Scent: Prada Infusion De Vanille Eau De Parfum

Best Warm: Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Bergamote Calabria Eau De Toilette

Best Woody Scent: Parfums de Marly Perseus Eau De Parfum

Best Floral Scent: Armani Beauty My Way Eau De Parfum

Best Green Scent: Malin +Goetz Bergamot Eau De Parfum

Best Oud Scent: Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot Cologne Intense

3 More Editor-Approved Bergamot Perfumes