If you’ve noticed an uptick in the number of fragrances that have been launched in the past few months citing celestial inspiration, you’ve just picked up on one of the top fragrance trends of 2026. How these scents came to be, however, are tied to an experience that an incredibly small number of individuals have experienced first-hand (i.e. space exploration). So, what goes into creating a celestial perfume, and which ones are worth the investment?
Below, I’m answering both questions with the guidance of two industry experts: a fragrance manager for Givaudan, a global industry leader in scent development, and the founder of a viral brand that has launched a successful cosmic fragrance that caught my attention. Keep reading to discover which ingredients perfumers are using to compose some of the most addictive space-inspired fragrances on the market, then shop the 16 that send me in to orbit.
What are celestial fragrances?
According to Kyle Ferguson, Creative Fragrance Manager at Givaudan, perfumers and brands utilize a variety of ingredients to evoke cosmic and celestial bodies. “We are all familiar with ‘solar’ notes that evoke the sun such as an orange flower, ylang-ylang, and bright citrus like lemon. Sparkling aldehydes can also be used perfumers as stellar, shiny, or metallic top notes,” Ferguson explains. He also shares other notes that frequently make appearances in these incredibly atmospheric perfumes are sparkly aldehydes (which can be used as stellar, shiny, or metallic top notes), and smokey notes such as frankincense and incense to convey, “a mysterious, ancient, spiritual nuance.”
He also highlights the use of musks, violets, or orris notes in perfumes to create a cloud-like, ethereal, and enveloping glow. “The amazing thing about perfumery is that you can approach any concept, however abstract, via many venues and utilize several ingredients to convey the story the client wants the consumer to hear,” he says. Lake & Skye recently released 11 11 Moon, a celestial perfume that that leaned into several of these notes. The founder of Lake & Skye—Courtney Somer—told us how the airy, moon effect was achieved.
According to Somer, 11 11 Moon Eau de Parfum ($105) was inspired by what she describes as, “the quiet, in-between moments—the stillness that brings clarity.” A celestial reimagining of the brand’s beloved 11 11 Eau de Parfum ($105) this new fragrance offers a softer and more luminous blend created to feel fresh, airy, and quietly radiant. “The development focused on preserving the emotional signature of 11 11 while exploring a more ethereal, reflective dimension—creating a scent that invites you to pause, reset, and reconnect,” Somer explains. Keep reading to discover 15 other fragrances that are undeniably celestial in everything from their olfactory compositions to their bottle design.
Lake & Skye 11 11 Moon Eau de Parfum
Lake & Skye
11 11 Moon Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Citrus woods | Notes: Italian bergamot orpur, cedrat orpur, lemon zest, coconut shavings, sparkling aldehydes, sheer jasmine, coumarin, cedarwood, upcycled Haitain vetiver orpur, cashmeran musk, warm amber
Somer tells us that in order to invoke the radiance of moonlight, the Lake & Skye team focused on notes that felt luminous rather than heavy. “Bright citrus opens the scent and a unique cocktail of aldehydes adds an effervescent sparkle—fresh and almost glowing,” Somer says. She tells us that the combination of coconut shavings and aldehydes is what sets the scent apart since it creates a softness that still projects. “Instead of melting into the skin like a traditional musk, it radiates outward—airy, intimate, and quietly magnetic,” she explains.
Customer Review: “It swaps the crisp, laundry-fresh vibes [of Lake & Skye 11 Eau de Parfum] for a warmer, more mysterious blend of white amber and earthy musk that sits close to the skin like a sophisticated second layer… If you want to smell like cool moonlight and calm energy while on the go, this is an absolute handbag essential.”
Fugazzi Angel Dust Eau de Parfum
Fugazzi
Angel Dust Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Woody musk | Notes: Transparent wood, cashmere, white amber
Angel Dust Eau de Parfum by Fugazzi is a fragrance that’s incredibly soft, sensual, and effortlessly ethereal. Its calming notes include transparent wood, cashmere, and white amber to create an ethereal blend that performs beautifully on the skin. There is also a creaminess present that adds a splash of sweetness to the blend. In other words, it’s the most angelic “your skin but better” scent.
Customer Review: “Smells like clouds warmed up by the sun and slowly moved by a soft breeze. In my opinion it’s completely unisex. It’s ethereal, I am not able to compare it to something that can be touched, but to something that can be felt instead, something that floats around you. It melts nicely with your own skin smell and it has a creaminess that can be a tiny bit bitter sometimes, but the combination is amazing.”
Penhaligon’s Luna Eau de Toilette
Penhaligon’s
Luna Eau de Toilette
Scent Type: Green florals | Notes: Bergamot, lemon, orange, rose, jasmine, juniper berry, fir balsam, misk, ambergris
This Penhaligon’s best-seller was designed to be an homage to the bright, dappled softness of moonlight using seductive florals that feel altogether fresh and timeless. The dreamlike, airy composition was created with orange, jasmine, soft rose, and fir balsam. If you love layering as much as I do, consider snagging this scent in their Body and Hand Wash ($78), and Body and Hand Lotion ($82).
Customer Review: “It’s far from a statement type of scent, but rather one ethereal as a mist at moonrise and moonset. There’s a soft blanket of refreshing citrus in the opening which I find as comforting as a breeze as one awakes at nightfall, and it dries down to a dreamlike Greek impressionistic, watercolor moonlit rose garden in shades of silver, blue and magenta.”
d’Annam Moonlight Samurai Eau de Parfum
d’Annam
Moonlight Samurai Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Aromatic woods | Notes: Sake, steel sword, leather armor, wild flowers, cedarwood
While many of my favorite celestial fragrances have a tendency to be more fresh and floral with a gourmand base, I’ve recently found myself drawn to rich, aromatic woody blends with distinctly metallic facets. Moonlight Serenade Eau de Parfum is incredibly versatile. Its boozy opening note, sake, is accented with the coolness of a steel sword. While the rest of the notes are warm and floral, the metallic touch cuts through everything.
Customer Review: “An extremely boozy and leathery forward scent with hints of a metallic undertone thanks to the metal sword accord. Opens with a strong sake note, like you’re smelling it straight out of the bottle, accompanied with that sharp metallic undertone, and a subtly floral touch. The leather comes loud and proud as the scent develops and never leaves, only becoming stronger in the dry down with a prominent dry woodiness from some cedar. This is like a samurai drinking sake in a wooden bar with his swords nearby.”
Maison Margiela Replica Under the Stars Eau de Toilette
Maison Margiela
Replica Under the Stars Eau de Toilette
Scent Type: Warm spices | Notes: Black pepper essence, cinnamon leaves essence, cypriol essence, Virginian cedarwood essence, oud infusion, leather accord, labdanum resinoid
This Maison Margiela Replica scent was designed to evoke the memory of a starry night in the great outdoors with an otherwordly mix of oud essence and labdanum resinoid. Precious wood is set ablaze with black pepper and cinnamon, while the addition of warm and ambery labdanum evokes a warm of summer wind as it touches the skin. The leather accord in this one is detectable, instead making way for all the smoky incense facets lingering beneath the surface. Wearing this one feels like a memorable night spent under the stars.
Customer Review: “The leather and oud combination is very simple but great and extremely well blended together. The smokiness can definitely be felt as the leather smells almost burnt. It really does smell like the night sky and desert of Namibia.”
Liis Celestial Object Eau de Parfum
Liis
Celestial Object Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Aromatic woods | Notes: Quince, pink pepper, incense, almond, rice paper, labdanum, tonka bean
Inspired by the idea that we are made of stars, and the connection between body and sky, Liis’ Celestial Object Eau de Parfum reflects our place in the universe with glowing notes of quince, pink pepper, and incense set against an indulgent, creamy mix of almond and rice pepper. At this one’s base is an addictive blend of labdanum and tonka bean, that gives the perfume an almost startlingly sweet finish to this star-inspired scent.
Customer Review: “I was not expecting to like this as much I do! To me, it feels like sitting in front a steaming bowl of buttery white rice with a pinch of sugar and reading a well loved paperback novel. There is also something sort of bread like here that I really enjoy. I thought the pink pepper would put me off because it’s a note I often struggle with, but this pulls it off beautifully.”
Aesop Above Us, Steorra Eau de Parfum
Aesop
Above Us, Steorra Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Aromatic woods | Notes: Cardamom, bergamot, elemi, frankincense, labdanum, cypriol heart, vanilla bean, cinnamon, cypriol heart
A magnetic composition of frankincense, labdanum, and vanilla illuminates the presence of resinous amber in this perfume. Amber, a is resin that’s otherwise undetectable in nature, adds a luminous quality to this perfume that’s beautifully accented by creamy vanilla bean and mouthwatering cinnamon blended with warm florals.
Customer Review: “The smell is initially a hit of that incense vanilla blend but settles into a nice spicy skin scent. The vanilla is true vanilla bean and not sugared vanilla which I very much like. Adult but playful and enjoyable to smell when you get close. I would recommend a test spray before ever blind buying because Aesop scents tend to transform after sitting which can go both ways!”
Maison Margiela Replica Dancing on the Moon Eau de Parfum
Maison Margiela
Replica Dancing on the Moon Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Amber floral | Notes: Aldehyde notes, Moon Flower, iris accord, sambac jasmine, frangipani tree, cashmeran, ambergris accord, musk
Otherwordly fragrances like these are rare, and I can’t get enough of the floral, mineral, and powdery floral notes included in Maison Margiela’s Replica Dancing on the Moon Eau de Parfum. The unique combination of notes are combined to create one surreal ingredient, Moon Dust, to paint a fantastic image of the powder soil and metallic opalescence on the moons surface (no spacesuit required).
Customer Review: “This is one of those that smells exactly as the label indicates. ‘Floral minerality’ is precisely how I would describe this were I left to my own devices. I definitely get jasmine and subtle violet, and I get a lot of that dusty, soft cashmeran in the drydown. I’d say it leans slightly feminine, but not too much. I’m glad I picked this up, it’s really nice.”
Byredo Alto Astral Eau de Parfum
Byredo
Alto Astral Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Aquatic floral | Notes: Aldehydes, coconut water, incense, jasmine petals, milky musks, sandalwood, cashmere wood, salted amber
Milky and delicately creamy coconut aren’t the first notes that comes to mind when I envision fragrances that feel like exploring the milky way, but Byredo’s Alto Atsral Eau de Parfum has proven the tropical mix can feel enchanting. Coconut water is front and center, but the scent also boasts a tasteful blend of aldehydes, glowing incense, and soft jasmine petals against a base of milky musks, woods, and salted amber.
Customer Review: “The aldehydes with the coconut and ambroxan and amber woods, is something I’ve never smelled before. The way they slice through the top of this perfume is giggle-inducing: what a startling and brilliant juxtaposition! We’re used to smelling them with musk, so pairing them with the warmer, sultrier, angrier notes of amber woods is a surprise.”
Penhaligon’s Solaris Eau de Parfum
Penhaligon’s
Solaris Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Solar floral | Notes: Blackcurrant, neroli, lemon oil, ylang-ylang, jasmine, tiare flower, cedarwood, sandalwood, vanilla
Penhaligon’s Solaris is an ode to the sun. Warm and inviting, this eau de parfum is a floral citrus that delivers an addictive combination of lively citrus, dry cedar, creamy sandalwood, and sweet vanilla. As far as solar florals go, this sunny perfume can we worn year-round thanks to its powdery florals and dry woods that help round it out.
Customer Review: “A gentle embrace. Solaris, partner to the moon-inspired Luna, evokes images of summer sunlight and gilded glass. As with many fragrances by Penhaligon’s, the fragrance really shifts in performance and perception day by day, but also from person to person. The vanilla shines through on my skin a lot more than expected, though the citrus and fruity notes add a lot of refreshing juiciness that distances it from warmer vanilla fragrances.”
Penhaligon’s Endymion Concentré
Penhaligon’s
Endymion Concentré
Scent Type: Amber woods | Notes: Bergamot, lavender, sage, suede accord, geranium, leather, incense, nutmeg
Perhaps one of the boldest options of this olfactory roundup, Endymion Concentré takes its inspiration from Zeus’s most handsome son. It offers a classical elegance made possible by sparkling bergamot combined with suede, coffee, and geranium. Its heart, featuring lavender and sage, gives the fragrance a grounding, herbal and floral flair that makes this one stand out in my perfume collection.
Customer Review: “A fragrance in the true sense of the word, airy, fresh, [and] barbershop style thanks to lavender, sage and geranium but much more complex. It blends into a unique accord that manages to stay fresh for many hours, it does not have much evolution but the mix is very multifaceted and compact thanks to the well blended leathery and incensed notes.”
Maison Crivelli
Tubéreuse Astrale Extrait
Scent Type: Fruity floral | Notes: Cinnamon bark, tuberose, osmanthus, musk, vanilla
This extrait de parfum takes notes from the milky way with it chic name (“astrale” translates to “stars” from French), and provides powdery tuberose wrapped in a blanket of suede. Cinnamon bark, osmanthus, and musk take this fragrance from your everyday floral to a sparkling composition that captures the magic of shooting stars in a bottle.
Customer Review: “Tubéreuse Astrale feels like stepping into a dreamscape where twilight meets a serene garden. The creamy tuberose brings a sense of warmth and comfort, enveloping you like a soft, cashmere blanket on a cool evening. As the fragrance unfolds, it evokes memories of moonlit strolls through lush floral paths, where the air is filled with the gentle scent of night-blooming flowers.”
Diptyque Lunamaris Eau de Parfum
Diptyque
Lunamaris Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Warm spices | Notes: Pink peppercorn, incense, rockrose
Inspired by the delicate, iridescent beauty of the mother of pearl (which is beloved for its ability to the moon reflected on the waters of the sea) this scent uses a stunning blend of pink peppercorn that mingles with subtle incense and ambery rockrose. In the end, the fragrance reinterprets Diptyque defines as, “the treasures of natural.” Its eye-catching bottle is even decorated with black brushstrokes inspired by mother of pearl reliefs found inside some mollusk shells.
Customer Review: “If you have ever looked into a lover’s eyes to be greeted by an infinite cosmos, if you have ever dunked a sunbleached seashell back into shallow ocean water to unveil it’s true prism… then you have already begun to read the text of Lunamaris. A scent that shimmers metaphysically, phantasmal aquatic songs ringing out from the spiraled belly of a conch shell. Pink pepper sharp and aromatic.”
Kindred Black
Metamorphoses Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Aquatic floral | Notes: Pink lotus, apricot, pear, citrus, Indian sandalwood
According to Kindred Black, this scent is, “an alluring combination of powerful aromatherapeutic stimulators known to bestow inner peace, this rich, fragrant perfume has the sensual sweetness of velvety pink lotus mingled with notes of ripe apricot and pear from the captivating osmanthus.” The perfume is created with French Narcissus des Plaines, a bloom named for the beautiful hunter of Greek mythology.
Customer Review: N/A
Chanel Les Exclusifs de Chanel Comète Eau de Parfum
Chanel
Les Exclusifs de Chanel Comète Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Floral musk | Notes: Cherry blossom, heliotrope, iris
Formulated in 2024 by Olivier Page this fragrance took its inspiration from Chanel’s “Bijoux de Diamants” collection was created by Gabrielle Chanel in 1932, which included the legendary, shooting start-toting Comète necklace. Its luminous and sensual with a romantic cherry blossom accord entwined with a whisper heliotrope and powdery iris notes.
Customer Review: “If moonlight had a signature scent, it’d wear Comète while sipping something French and judging quietly. It’s stardust in a bottle—soft, luminous, and a little bit flirty. Think pearlescent petals, champagne bubbles, and silk blouses that never wrinkle. It’s effortless elegance with a twinkle of playfulness.”
Creed Delphinus Eau de Parfum
Creed
Delphinus Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Amber woods | Notes: Black pepper, incense, almond, pink pepper, heliotrope, orchid, orris butter, patchouli, tonka bean, amberwood, leather accord, bourbon vanilla
If you’ve been on the hunt for a luminous amber perfume to add to your growing celestial fragrance lineup, your search ends with Creed’s Delphinus Eau de Parfum. It captures the magnificence of a starry night sky with a universal woody amber perfume with smoky incense and luminous pepper combined with opulent orris and honeyed tonka bean.
Customer Review: “The blending here is exceptional. It’s hard to break down because nothing feels sharp or isolated. What stands out most is the smoothest almond that is totally free of bitterness, paired with a silky, buttery orris that feels refined and luxurious rather than just powdery. They compliment each other so well. As it dries down, vanilla and tonka gently emerge, adding warmth and softness, while a subtle amber glow supports the whole composition.”
Why Trust Who What Wear
At Who What Wear, we know that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. Over the years, our editors have tested thousands of products—including skincare, makeup, haircare, and nails—while also working closely with trusted experts, like renowned dermatologists, celebrity makeup artists, and other leading industry insiders. Together, this ensures every guide is well-researched, inclusive, and relevant to you.
We focus on formulas that deliver, whether they’re affordable favorites or luxury investments. Our product selection is based on tangible results, ingredient know-how, and what we’d truly recommend to our closest friends and family members.