5 Best Yves Saint Laurent Perfumes for Women in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

Yves Saint Laurent, commonly referred to as YSL, is a brand famous for its top-tier clothing line.

However, the YSL brand is also known for being one of the world’s producers of luxurious perfumes. 

Every woman could find her own personal perfume or signature scent from this brand, take a pick from its impressive pool of modern, fresh, sensual fragrances. 

Yves Saint Laurent perfumes for women are original both for their scent and packaging.

Since launching the very first fragrance in 1964, the brand has come a long way.

Their perfumes are now very famous and loved by women all across the world, often gracing the pages of magazines and finding spots in best fragrance reviews. 

In this article, we are going to give you the Best YSL perfumes for women.

At A Glance: Our Top Picks for Best YSL Perfumes for Women

If you’re in a hurry, you can jump straight into our top picks (these are the YSL perfumes for women that most people buy).

• Yves Saint Laurent Opium
• Yves Saint Laurent Paris
• Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

Top 5 Best YSL Perfumes For Women – Our Reviews:

1. Yves Saint Laurent Opium

In 1977, the YSL design house created a fragrance that has become a symbol of the entire epoch and has left an indelible mark on the perfume world, the YSL Opium Eau de Parfum. 

It was a dizzying and addictive narcotic aroma placed in a Japanese varnish-coated Inro box.

The aroma triggered tremendous emotions that the name fully justified the fresh nature of the fragrance—Opium. 

Carrying a distinctive and controversial name, the fragrance became the most desirable in the world.

The name was so controversial that it was actually banned in China for a time.

However, nothing can stop Opium from taking over the globe.

The most famous aroma of Yves Saint Laurent in 2009 is revived in a new package and with a brand new image, but the narcotic soul of the fragrance remains.

The fragrance opens with juicy top notes of bergamot and mandarin orange.

After a moment, the heart notes of jasmine and myrrh reveal themselves.

Then, the narcotic aroma suddenly darkens and causes even more euphoria in its vanilla, patchouli, and amber base notes.

It is a pure passion, imprisoned in a vial.

This is why YSL Opium Eau de Parfum is still the most popular YSL perfume for women. 

Top Notes: Lily-of-the-Valley, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Star Anise

Heart Notes: Myrrh, Jasmine

Base Notes: Amber, Opoponax, Patchouli, Vanille

2. Yves Saint Laurent Paris

This perfume is named after Yves Saint Laurent’s adored city, Paris, and was launched as a tribute to the Parisian women—always elegant, romantic, vibrant, ironic, simple, and charming.

Concocted by Sophia Grojsman, this woody fragrance perfectly conveys the atmosphere of the city and radiates a loving woman, making it one of the most loved perfumes for women.

Designed for an elegant and sophisticated, spontaneous and faithful woman, the fragrance of this best-selling perfume is a romantic symphony, perfectly crafted by the “orchestration” of 232 scents and notes.

You can first and foremost sense the delightful top notes of bergamot and orange blossom.

Afterward, the fragrance of roses spreads which are the most feminine flowers ever created by nature.

This charming bouquet of fragrances finally settles into lingering and lush base notes of sandalwood.

The Paris eau de toilette also has good sillage and longevity and is a scent that can be worn be it day or night.

If you like the scent of datura flower or passion flower though, Mon Paris would be a better choice.

Top Notes: Bergamot, Orange Blossom, Cassia, Hawthorne, Nasturtium, Red Berries Geranium, Mimosa

Heart Notes: Roses, Violet, Lily, Ylang-Ylang, Orris Root, Lime Blossom

Base Notes: Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Cedar, Amber, Iris, Heliotrope, Musk Accord

3. Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

A modern, new, and exciting interpretation of addiction, the best-selling Black Opium perfume for her is sumptuous energy for adrenaline and constantly accelerating life.

It is the wonderful creation of four master perfumers: Olivier Cresp, Honorine Blanc, Marie Salamagne, and Nathalie Lorson.

The stubborn and exclusive woman embodies the new spirit of Black Opium Eau de Parfum.

She is free and self-confident.

She radiates feminine, but at the same time, impulsive femininity.

She is constantly looking for new experiences—and nothing will stop her.

Resist the Black Opium bottle harder than ever; its stone design is perfectly feminine.

Black glitter decorates an intense black lacquer color and reveals a burning ring of femininity.

Best for evening wear, the fragrance is inspired by the artistic movement of light and dark contrasts—the bitterness of coffee beans (black coffee has never been so abundantly used to create feminine perfumes) and the aroma of luminous white flowers gives a sense of frivolity, balancing on the boundary of ecstasy. 

First, the eau de parfum awakens with its top notes of orange blossom, pink pepper, and pear.

Then the fragrance becomes softer and feminine, with the help of its middle floral notes of white jasmine and licorice.

Ultimately, it captures the incredibly attractive scents of vanilla, cashmere wood, cedar, and patchouli as its base notes, giving this Saint Laurent fragrance a sense of completeness, opulence, and mysterious elegance.

Top Notes: Orange Blossom, Pink Pepper, Pear

Heart Notes: Black Coffee, Jasmine, Bitter Almond, Licorice

Base Notes: Vanilla, Cashmere Wood, Cedar, Patchouli

4. Yves Saint Laurent Cinema

The seductive Yves Saint Laurent Cinema Eau de Parfum will make you feel a charming star.

This fragrance is designed by Jacques Cavallier for the charming woman who is always in the center of attention—self-confident, elegant, and a woman who knows how to attract attention.

Cinema is a colorful bouquet of stunning female scents for a wonderful woman who flies through life as if she were always accompanied by the attention of others.

The moment you spray it, you can sense the joyful top notes of mandarin and almond blossoms commonly found in Corsica.

Then the magnificent heart of spicy Arabic notes and long-lasting scents of jasmine and peony spread.

After some time, the fragrance settles into intoxicating base notes of warm vanilla, white musk, and ambergris, filled with ageism.

Cinema’s unique floral notes blended with exotic scents are hard to find in other perfumes.

Users often liken it to Rive Gauche, which is probably due to its floral composition.

Top Notes: Mandarin, Almond Blossom, Cyclamen

Heart Notes: Arabic Notes, Jasmine, Amaryllis, Peony

Base Notes: Warm Vanilla, Ambergris, Benzoin, White Musk

5. Yves Saint Laurent Manifesto

Created by Anne Flipo and Doc Long, Yves Saint Laurent Manifesto Eau de Parfum is an exceptional scent for women.

Manifesto is a delightful symbol of creativity, mystery, and passion. 

The Manifesto Eau de Parfum introduces itself with green top notes colored by black currant and bergamot.

Next are the scorching heart notes of sambac jasmine and lily of the valley.

Finally, the fragrance culminates in its wood and vanilla base notes. 

It is a sensual, feminine, and exciting scent from the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house.

The sensual aroma is placed in a woman-shaped bottle that is sure to catch attention and make you consider getting it for someone special.  

Top Notes: Black Currant, Bergamot

Heart Notes: Sambac Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley

Base Notes: Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood, Cedar

Final Thoughts

When talking about YSL perfumes, the classic YSL Opium simply has to be hailed as the best YSL perfume for women.

However, now that you have gone through our list of top-selling YSL women’s perfumes (the crème de la crème as other people call it), you can easily choose the most suitable YSL perfume for yourself, family, or friend.

There are also other perfumes from YSL that are worth considering.

One example is Rive Gauche which is a top contender for the fifth spot in this list.

Launched in 2003, Rive Gauche is a floral aldehydic scent that is meant to embody the hippy, independent “Left Side” of the Seine River.

If Manifesto doesn’t capture your fancy, Rive Gauche will probably do the trick.