The 15 Best Petrichor Scents of 2025, According to an Editor

Let’s set the scene: You’ve walked outside minutes after a rainstorm and are greeted by leaves speckled with sparkling water droplets that are set alight as the sun reappears from behind gray clouds. Underfoot, there are puddles (some of mud and others of rainwater) nestled in wet grass. Then a scent hits you. It smells faintly of damp earth, rain, and something slightly metallic to create petrichor. First coined by mineralogist Isabel Joy Bear and biochemist Richard Grenfell Thomas, it comes from from the ancient Greek words for “rock” and “stone” as well as ichor, the ethereal fluid that is the blood of the gods in Greek mythology.

I have known the scent for as long as I’ve lived (I was born and raised in one of the wettest corners of the world), but I haven’t always been able to put a name to the smell. In fact, it was only after beginning my career in beauty that I began wearing the fragrance note. Since then, I’ve noticed a gradual rise in perfumes proudly using it. To celebrate its recent popularity, I’m taking a closer look at the note with the help of a perfumer and sharing my favorite fragrances that give all the petrichor vibes.