One of my favorite things to do in Paris is to shop for perfumes. In fact, when I booked my current trip to Paris and a friend asked me what I planned to do, I said, “Mostly walk around, eat pastries and shop for perfumes!” However, I don’t come to Paris to shop for the same designer brand perfumes that I can buy back home. For me, it’s all about shopping for niche perfumes in Paris.
Niche perfumes are scents created by independent houses that put fragrance development first – before clothing, handbags, home decor or other products. Often these niche perfume houses don’t advertise their scents at all, relying of word of mouth in the fragrance community to generate interest in their scents. Finally, niche perfumes are often produced in smaller batches and sold in fewer locations, which can often make them more expensive than what you’d find at Sephora or Ulta.
If there is one particular brand that you already know you want to shop from, just type their brand name into Google to see if they have a boutique in Paris. That’s not what this guide is for…
… because all of the shops on my list sell many different brands of niche perfumes. These aren’t shops run by the perfume houses themselves; they are shops where you can experience a wide range of different scents from different perfumers. If you don’t know exactly what scent you want to buy, the staff at these perfume shops can guide you towards several options that should pique your interest.
In my opinion, a beautiful niche perfume is the perfect souvenir of your Paris trip, and these are six of the best places to shop for them during your visit.
Dover Street Parfums Market
Comme des Garcons is a Japanese fashion brand based in Paris, and Dover Street Parfums Market (DSPM) is part of the brand’s expansion into perfumes. I wouldn’t include them on this list if they only sold their own perfumes, though. Rather, at DSPM you’ll find a collection of perfume, beauty and skincare brands from around the world, with a particular focus on diversity and inclusion.
Of all the perfume shops on this list, DSPM had the best collection of what I would consider to be affordable scents, meaning that you had options under €100, albeit typically for smaller bottles. This is also the shop where I found the most beautiful perfume of my entire trip to Paris: Fleur Eclair by Regime des Fleurs. In fact, I had this scent at the front of my mind when, the next day, I took a custom perfume-making workshop.
The online shopping experience at DSPM is… odd… to say the least, so if you see a product you like don’t wait until you get home.
Liquids Perfume Bar
Liquids was just two blocks away from the Airbnb I rented on the edge of Le Marais, so I often popped in and out as I was coming and going. This is where the niche brand Liquids Imaginaires was born, and it is now sold alongside niche brands including Carine Roitfeld (created by the former editor-in-chief of Paris Vogue), Arquiste and BYREDO.
I was the only customer in the shop when I visited, and although I wasn’t greeted immediately (yes, I did say “Bonjour!” as I entered), when I asked a question about perfumes with a specific note the sales associate seemed happy to help me.
Nose
It is said that Nose is the largest multi-brand beauty shop in Paris, with more than 800 products from 80 luxury brands. As a preferred vendor for many of these brands they are able to offer VAT-free shopping, gifts with purchase and other bonuses that you might not find at smaller boutiques. And, unlike some other perfume stores in this guide, they sell a curated range of cosmetics, skincare products and home accessories as well.
This summer was my first visit to Nose, which is not far from Palais Royal and some of Paris’ beautiful covered arcades. What I would say about my experience here is that you should either go in knowing what you’d like to buy, or be prepared to lead yourself through the testers, as there weren’t many staff and the store was packed shoulder-to-shoulder. As you can see from the photo, they sometimes get so busy that you have to queue outside the store to get inside!
Sens Unique
The name of this store is a play on words (at least in English!), with the obvious correlation to unique scents, but also being the French expression for “one way” (like the traffic). The brands carried at this Marais perfume shop are particularly unique and included many that I’d never heard of before – and for a perfume brand to not be on my radar at all is quite unusual!
One of the great things you can do at Sens Unique is to build a “box perso”, a personalized box featuring six samples selected just for you. You can choose an accord (like “fresh” or “sweet”) and indicate if you’d prefer masculine, feminine or unisex scents, and they will select six scents for you. They can also base their selections on your favorite perfumes and notes; just let them know!
During my visit the staff were a bit flustered as a group of boisterous American tourists had dropped one of the glass bell jars, causing it to shatter all over the floor inside the doorway. They were too busy cleaning up all the glass to assist me, but on the plus side that meant I got to sniff all the scents from Jules et Mad, a brand I’d been wanting to try.
Jovoy
I decided to list Jovoy last, since it’s the niche perfume shop that already has the most global recognition. Jovoy does have their own line of niche perfumes (I personally own Remember Me, which people often compare to a creamy, spicy, sweet chai latte) but they also carry a wide selection of other niche brands.
I do need to flag that when I was in Paris in 2022 I visited Jovoy and was ignored by the staff and then treated rudely when I asked for their recommendations. I decided to give them a second try in 2025, and this time my experience was better. It took a while to be acknowledged by a sales associate (notably, a few customers were being helped by two or three associates each) and the sales associate was unfamiliar with the perfume I used as a reference point, but she pulled every possible scent you could imagine to try to find me one I would like.
UNI/VERE Parfumerie
This was a late addition to my list but one I had to include after I discovered it when I was walking to the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection contemporary art gallery. With a name inspired by its two founders’ nicknames, UNI/VERE stocked a number of unique brands that I didn’t notice in other shops… but I didn’t have a chance to smell anything as both times I walked past during their posted opening hours they were closed. Please let me know if you’re able to get inside!
BHV Marais
At the flagship location of this iconic Paris department store you’ll find the perfume department on the ground floor. Like most Parisian department stores, BHV has a good selection of both designer perfumes and niche scents from brands like Maison Crivelli, L’Artisan Parfumeur and Matiere Premier.
Other Paris Department Stores
BHV isn’t the only Paris department store with a great perfume collection, but I chose to highlight it on the list because of its proximity to the other shops and the ease of accessing the ground-floor beauty department. Nearly every department store in Paris will have some niche perfumes, so you might also be interested in shopping at:
- Galeries Lafayette – Since I’m often here anyways (either snapping photos on the free rooftop terrace or admiring the view from new, free Glasswalk) I can’t resist the perfumes at this Parisian department store, which are spread over several levels in and around the glass atrium.
- Le Bon Marché – Uniquely located on the Left Bank, Le Bon Marché’s name alludes to good deals but actually this is another upscale department store with a luxurious perfume department. They exclusively carry the Violette_Fr fragrance, plus other niche brands like Officine Universelle Buly (in case you don’t want to queue at their shop).
- La Samaritaine – This department store is owned by LMVH (of Louis Vuitton fame) including the largest beauty department in Europe (by square footage). There are more than 50 perfume brands on sale here, including both designer and niche scents. They are the last remaining store in Europe (!) that carries Atelier Cologne.
Bonus Paris Perfume Shopping Tips
As someone who has bought a lot of perfumes in Paris, these are some helpful tips I wish I’d known sooner!
- France doesn’t have the same consumer culture as the USA (or, to a lesser extent, Canada and the UK). French women buy fewer perfumes of higher quality, which is reflected in the price of niche scents. If you want Bath and Body Works prices, wait until you’re home and shop there.
- Don’t expect to get free samples at French perfume shops. In fact, in some stores you won’t even be allowed to handle the bottles yourself – a sales associate will spray it onto a paper strip for you.
- It’s important to know how a perfume wears on your skin. I try not to buy on the same day I smell a perfume for the first time – instead, if there’s a scent I’m seriously considering I ask the sales associate to spray it on my wrist so I can experience the top, middle and base notes, and get a better sense of the longevity and projection. This has saved me from wasting money on scents that disappear after an hour, or that smell lovely at first but transform into a stinky mess.
- If you spend more than €100 at the same shop on the same day, you may be eligible for a value-added tax (VAT) refund. Most shop assistants know the procedure, so ask them for details when you make your purchase.
- In order to claim a VAT refund, the bottle has to be sealed and unused at the time you exit France. If I want to start wearing the scent right away, I’ve found many stores will include at least one free 2-ml vial (often decanted from the tester) if asked.
- Airport duty free shops already have the VAT excluded from the price. If you’re wanting to buy a popular designer scent, grabbing it at the airport when you depart saves you a bit of time and paperwork.
A highlight of this trip to Paris was taking a custom perfume-making workshop at a historic perfume house!
Spent all your money on perfume? Don’t skip my guide to 15 free (indoor!) things to do in Paris.
Planning a trip to Paris? Pin this post for later!
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