The 5 Best Nette Fragrances NYC It Girls Are Wearing Right Now
Our take
The rise of Nette fragrances, as highlighted in "The 5 Best Nette Fragrances NYC It Girls Are Wearing Right Now," speaks to a fascinating shift in the fragrance landscape – a move away from bombastic marketing and overtly trend-driven scents toward quiet sophistication and personal resonance. It’s a space where elegance meets ease, and where the allure isn't about shouting the loudest, but rather, about whispering a story of understated luxury. This mirrors a broader cultural trend toward “quiet luxury,” a sensibility we’ve explored previously in our piece [This Storybook Swiss City Combines Luxurious Experiences With Extreme Comfort], where experiences and quality craftsmanship are prioritized over ostentatious displays of wealth. Nette’s appeal, and the enthusiastic embrace by the so-called “NYC It Girls,” isn’t a sudden phenomenon, but rather the culmination of a growing desire for authenticity and discernment in a world saturated with fleeting trends. It’s about cultivating a personal olfactory signature, rather than following the crowd.
The fragrance world has long been dominated by mega-brands with massive advertising budgets, churning out scents designed for mass appeal. Nette, however, operates differently. It’s a niche brand, based in NYC, cultivating a devoted following through word-of-mouth and a carefully curated aesthetic. Consider, too, the broader context of intentional style choices we've observed recently, such as Sofia Richie Grainge's sophisticated sweatpants look elevated by Chloé sneakers and a Balenciaga bag, as detailed in [Chloé Sneakers and Balenciaga's Le City Bag Give Sofia Richie Grainge's Sweatpants Look a Cool-Mom Makeover]. These choices – like Nette fragrances – reflect a desire to project effortless cool, a sense of being intentionally put-together without appearing to try too hard. The fact that Dua Lipa, a style icon in her own right, is also embracing this approach, as seen in [Dua Lipa Brightened Up Her NYC Street Style With A Pop Of Color], further underscores the growing influence of this understated aesthetic. Nette's success rests on appealing to this sensibility, offering scents that are complex, intriguing, and ultimately, deeply personal.
What’s truly significant about Nette’s trajectory is its potential to reshape how fragrance is marketed and perceived. The traditional approach often relies on celebrity endorsements and fleeting advertising campaigns. Nette, in contrast, seems to be building a community around its brand, fostering a sense of exclusivity and shared appreciation for quality and artistry. This approach aligns perfectly with the modern consumer's desire for brands that feel authentic and aligned with their values. The focus shifts from simply smelling “good” to embodying a certain lifestyle, a feeling of effortless confidence and quiet sophistication. The brand's success isn't just about the fragrances themselves, but about the entire experience – the carefully considered packaging, the evocative storytelling, and the sense of belonging it cultivates.
Ultimately, Nette's rise signals a potential turning point in the fragrance industry. Will other niche brands follow suit, prioritizing authenticity and personal connection over mass-market appeal? Or will the established giants adapt, incorporating elements of this quieter, more discerning approach into their own strategies? The answer likely lies in recognizing that the modern consumer is increasingly savvy and skeptical of traditional marketing tactics, yearning for brands that offer more than just a pleasant scent – they seek an emotional connection, a sense of identity, and a reflection of their own evolving values. The quiet confidence of Nette suggests that this is a fragrance future worth watching closely.
I was first introduced to Nette, a niche fragrance brand based in NYC, when I was in the midst of sniffing hundreds of perfumes for Marie Claire’s inaugural Fragrance Awards in 2024. Once you’ve smelled roughly 250 scents in a given day, everything starts to smell of sameness—the gourmands are all weirdly reminiscent of one another and the skin scents, which were blowing up at the time, were more or less all interchangeable. It wasn’t until I came across Pear Jam, Nette’s jammy and wildly joy-filled fruity floral blend with Japanese pear and raspberry pulp, that I felt like I had actually stumbled across something genuinely new in the market. It made me feel giddy—and that was the point.
The crux of Nette is emotional chemistry. Founder Carol Han, who is a second-generation candle maker and one of my favorite humans I’ve met in the beauty industry, approaches each scent like a piece of poetry. “I think of scent as a language. Every Nette fragrance begins as a poem I write that captures an emotion—joy, calm, nostalgia, desire. That poem becomes the blueprint for the scent: it defines the emotional intention,” she explains. “Then we bring science in. Each fragrance is scientifically proven to boost certain emotions.”
The proof is in the perfume. Lemon Puff consistently provides a wave of calm. Mochi Banane gives me that touch-grass grounding. Rose Parade is a manifestation of feelings of comfort. But don’t just take it from me—discover the five best Nette fragrances in the brand's portfolio and enjoy tapping into some of that NYC It-girl energy.
The Best Nette Fragrances
- The Best Citrus Nette Perfume: Lemon Puff
- The Best Fruity Nette Perfume: Pear Jam
- The Best Banana Nette Perfume: Mochi Banane
- The Best Floral Nette Perfume: Rose Parade
- The Best Vanilla Nette Perfume: The Vanille
The Best Citrus Nette Perfume
I actually find it really hard to place this fragrance within the walls of any singular fragrance family—and that’s precisely why I love it. The tangy brightness of the lemon takes charge, but the addition of gourmand notes like torched meringue, toasted almond, and vanilla bean prevents it from being too airy or zesty. It tingles my nose with just a spray and is one of the only perfumes that manages to bottle innocence with such complexity. The brand describes it as a simultaneous mix of “lemon groves at sunrise, toasted meringue, crisp white sheets in an old-world 5-star hotel, and a Parisian patisserie.”
Review: “This has such a lovely and sophisticated fragrance. I thought it would be overwhelmingly lemony, but it's not. Blended well and sprays like a dream.”
The Best Fruity Nette Perfume
I’m definitely biased, but I firmly believe that Pear Jam is the best scent from the brand’s entire offering. As a floral hater, I was shocked by how much I love this, but one spray has me convinced that it’s joy personified. Think: eating a juicy peach on a white sand beach or having a PB & J at a picnic in a floral field. Now, my life is not that picturesque, but I’ll certainly spray on the sentiment. And a little fun fact for fragrance nerds: Demi Moore in Ghost inspired this fragrance.
Review: “I love the pear jam perfume because the top notes of pear are perfectly blended with the deeper base notes. It smells perfect for fall or summer and never gets old.”
The Best Banana Nette Perfume
I’ll be totally honest: this was not a love at first scent situation for me—more like a slow burn. I was expecting something reminiscent of a tart, loaded frozen yogurt dessert and instead was met with a very powdery perfume that gave more tropical rainforest than gourmand. My mistake was thinking this was a traditional yellow banana fragrance; the blue banana almost smells like the peel. Once I was able to check my expectations, it started to grow on me. The scent bounces between powdery and milky depending on the duration it's been sitting on the skin, eventually settling into a cashmere-like blanket of creamy comfort. You need to trust the process with this one, but it’s well worth the wait.
Review: “This is such a pretty scent! It’s definitely not a stereotypical banana scent, more of a powdery, floral vanilla. I’m usually not a fan of vanilla scents, but between the nuttiness of the sesame notes and the powdery, starchy rice, I really can’t get enough of this fragrance.”
The Best Floral Nette Perfume
If Mochi Banane is a chic Upper East Sider, then Rose Parade is a trendy Tribeca girl. It’s probably the most youthful, playful scent from the brand, drawing inspiration from rose bushes blooming on a spring day. I like to think the girl in low-rise jeans with a cherry bag charm on her Fendi baguette is wearing this scent. As for the note breakdown: it's heavy on the rose at first, settles into a white floral, and dries down with an amber-and-vanilla finish.
Review: "I won't lie–I normally despise rose perfumes; I find them to smell a little stale and dusty. But this might just be the exception. It's more of a sweeter, airy take on the classic note. Just give it time to mesh with your skin—it took around two hours for it to really grow on me."
The Best Vanilla Nette Perfume
I stand by the fact that vanilla ice cream is better with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, and Nette agrees. This doesn’t fit the typical archetype of a vanilla perfume—it’s less gourmand and more mineral. With the addition of matcha, a note that’s notoriously marine and powdery, and turmeric root, which is spicy and bright, it feels like an unexpected take on the gourmand trend. I actually find it the ideal scent for summer nights.
Review: “I got the Nette Discovery Set and ended up buying this in a full size. It was my favorite Nette scent of them all—but you definitely have to smell it before you buy because it’s not what you expect! I pick up a lot of the matcha notes, which are balanced nicely by the creamy base notes—but this is not your typical vanilla scent at all. I could wear this for any occasion, and I just really enjoy it every time I wear it. A great addition to my fragrance collection!”
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