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Two things make up my entire personality: I’m a beauty writer at Cosmo, and I love to read. And when I (like so many other book lovers) am completely engulfed in a story, I find myself imagining every descriptive detail: what the characters wear, their physical mannerisms, and what the world around them looks like as I turn each page. And because, as we know, perfume has the power to transport us back to a specific moment, memory, or feeling, I started wondering: What would our favorite stories and characters actually smell like?
So, I polled Cosmo staffers on their all-time favorite reads, added in some of my own five-star favorites, and tapped into my fragrance expertise to match each book with its signature scent. Whether you want to return to the North Carolina marshes of Where the Crawdads Sing with a single spritz or step into the dragon-filled battlegrounds of Basgiath War College in Fourth Wing, these are the perfumes to wear based on your favorite books.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
With its intoxicating blend of tobacco leaf, creamy vanilla, cacao, and warm spices, Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille feels like the olfactory equivalent of Fourth Wing. The rich vanilla brings out the fragrance’s sensual side, while smoky tobacco adds a layer of depth reminiscent of dragon smoke—perfect for a world where desire, power, and survival are constantly intertwined.
Strangers by Belle Burden
Belle Burden’s NYC and Martha’s Vineyard life is rooted in old money, so I envision her wearing a department-store luxury fragrance. But, Belle’s taste feels more modern, so instead of something classic and powdery like Chanel No. 5, I’d pair her with Coco Mademoiselle. It smells rich yet fresh, thanks to notes of orange, jasmine, and patchouli.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
The Summer I Turned Pretty is the ultimate ode to beach days and the summers that stay with you forever, making Phlur Beach Skin a go-to perfume pairing. The body spray brand is a Gen Z favorite (much like the hit series) and the scent captures the feeling of afternoons at Cousins Beach, sandy skin after a swim, and intimate summer memories (with Conrad, of course).
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Evelyn Hugo, Hollywood royalty who captivated everyone she met, would most definitely have a bottle of Baccarat Rouge 540 sitting atop her vanity. With its intoxicating blend of saffron, jasmine, amberwood, and cedar, the allure of the sillage is just as magnetic and mysterious as she is.
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
In The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion delves into her grief after losing both her husband and daughter in the same year. Writing becomes a ritual of reflection and a way to navigate loss, making this literary masterpiece deserving of a scent that embodies both the physicality of putting pen to paper and the intimacy of memory. With its light notes of rice, mimosa, and musk, L’Eau Papier is soft and skin-like—simple and memory-evoking—capturing the same sense of introspection that defines Didion’s memoir.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
I can’t remember the last time a book made me cry harder than the final page of The Song of Achilles did, and we’re going to honor the eternal love story of Patroclus and Achilles with this fragrance from Korres. Named after the literal Aegean Sea, the location where much of their relationship flourished, this aquatic scent captures the essence of their time together. With notes of bergamot, sea salt, jasmine, and cedarwood, it feels like a memory of sun-soaked shores, ocean air, and mountainous Greek greenery.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Marianne, niche and effortless, would be living in the peak era of the 2010s Le Labo Santal 33 craze, but I see her leaning more towards something like Violette 30. It’s not overly feminine but subdued, with a blend of violet, iris, and smoky woods. The soft floral fragrance naturally draws you in—much like Marianne herself.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
The protagonist of My Year of Rest and Relaxation falls into an endless void of emptiness as she allows herself to disappear inside her late parents’ Upper East Side apartment. This luxe bottle feels like it belongs inside of her expensive place of rotting: elegant, but houses a deep, musky skin-like juice inside.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
If you want to be transported back to the Carolina marshes where Kya explored, studied, and found refuge in Where the Crawdads Sing, Jo Malone’s Wood Sage & Sea Salt embodies the nature of her world. With notes of sea salt, sage, and ambrette seed, this fresh and earthy scent captures the feeling of windy shores, marsh grass, and a life lived in tandem with nature.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Crying in H Mart, a story of complex family relationships and grief, follows author Michelle Zauner as she finds solace in the Korean foods that connect her to her late mother. Family recipes become vessels for memories, and this comforting gourmand fragrance evokes that same intimacy through soft, milky notes. Like the meals that brought her back to her childhood, this skin-like scent wraps around you with warmth, familiarity, and nostalgia.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Of course, we had to select a science-inspired scent for our beloved chemist Elizabeth Zott, and this isn’t any ordinary pheromone perfume. Escentric Molecules boasts a skin-like Iso E Super molecule that adapts uniquely to each wearer. That minimalist approach feels aligned with Elizabeth, who values logic and precision, and this is the kind of fragrance we imagine Elizabeth would choose: simple, unconventional, and having a chemical element, of course.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Angel Dust is powdery, alluring, and mysterious. Its blend of vanilla, heliotrope, musk, and incense creates a soft sweetness with a darker edge as it settles onto the skin, capturing the duality of Verity’s character: beautiful and captivating on the surface, but far more complex underneath.
Female Fantasy by Iman Hariri-Kia
Glossier Soie feels like the perfect signature scent for Female Fantasy. With notes of bergamot, rice milk, tiare water, jasmine, and a warm ambrox base, this aquatic bottle captures the novel’s dreamy underwater world of mermen and sirens. One spritz feels like oceanic freshness meets the warmth of closeness and romance.
