Persephone is the Greek goddess of spring and renewal. She is also the reason for the changing seasons. Taken to the Underworld by Hades, and after eating pomegranate seeds, she was bound to return each year. While Persephone is in the Underworld, she brings autumn and winter. When she returns, it brings Spring and summer. That got me thinking about fragrances with a pomegranate note. Pomegranates smell ripe and juicy, bright, and slightly tart. Depending on the perfume, it can lean sweet and playful or dark and sensual, especially when paired with notes like musk, vanilla, amber, or rose.
Working with my favorite online fragrance retailer, FragranceNet.com, I went down a pomegranate perfume rabbit hole and found a few standouts that each capture a different side of the fruit. Some are playful and sparkling. Others feel darker, softer, or more sensual. Honestly, I didn’t expect one little fragrance note to have so much range!
Table of Contents
Gianni Versace Versace Eros Pour Femme Eau De Parfum:
First Impressions: The gold outer box embossed with the Versace logo is, and the bottle is such a stunner, I could just want it for display. But it is the fragrance that counts. My initial scent reaction was that this was bright, fruity, and you can smell the pomegranate, but it’s well blended with florals and woody notes.
Eros Pour Versace is a floral woody musk fragrance launched in 2014. It was created by perfumers Alberto Morillas, Olivier Cresp, and Nathalie Lorson.
The Notes: Top notes are Sicilian Lemon, Pomegranate, and Calabrian bergamot; middle notes are Lemon Blossom, Jasmine Sambac, Jasmine, and Peony; base notes are Musk, Ambroxan, Woodsy Notes, and Sandalwood.
The Bottom Line: If you’re looking for a fragrance that smells as good as it looks in the bottle, this is for you. There’s something glamorous about this scent without it feeling overly formal. Once the fruity notes dried down, the soft woody notes blended nicely with the florals. It lasted for a couple of hours. The price is so reasonable for such a unique fragrance. Persephone would covet this one! 3.4 oz. is $115, but there are smaller sizes, including a nice .27 oz. travel spray for just $20. You can also get this in an Eau de toilette 3.4 oz (and other sizes) for less. It’s intense and sophisticated.
Burberry My Burberry Blush:
First Impressions: The pink and gold carton made me think that this fragrance will be super feminine and floral. But my first spray gave me a quick floral and then a fragrance that was tart and uplifting. As it dries down, it’s less tart and more balanced. The big chunk of glass was topped with a large, round marbelized topper festooned with a pink bow. It’s pretty and very “luxury dressing table.”
My Burberry Blush was launched in 2017. The nose behind this fragrance is Francis Kurkdjian.
The Notes: Top notes are Pomegranate and Lemon; middle notes are Green Apple, Rose Petals, and Geranium; base notes are Wisteria and Jasmine.
The Bottom Line: This fragrance completely fooled me in the best way. The packaging says floral and feminine, but the scent itself is fresh, crisp, and slightly spicy. It feels especially perfect for warm weather or those brutally hot summer afternoons when heavier perfumes become overwhelming.
My only complaint is longevity. On my skin, it faded fairly quickly. Still, the scent itself is beautiful enough that I kept reaching for it anyway.
The 3oz. eau de parfum is $130 byt there’s an open box tester for less.
Shiseido Ginza:
I’ve always had a soft spot for Shiseido because when I was a teenager, the lady at the A&S Shiseido counter in Brooklyn would give me samples. Back then, the fragrance everyone seemed obsessed with was Shiseido Zen. At the time, it felt way too intense for me, but I still remember how glamorous it seemed. Today we’re talking about Shiseido Ginza.
First Impressions: The outer carton is a soft pink with black lettering, but the bottle is not so sweet! It’s clear glass with what looks like a black shield (or dagger) inside and a big matte black topper. Ginza surprised me because instead of an immediately tart fruit fragrance, it opens soft, sweet, and almost gourmand-like. The pomegranate takes its time appearing. But during the drydown, that bright, juicy note suddenly lifts everything.
Ginza was launched in 2021. Ginza was created by Karine Dubreuil-Sereni and Maïa Lernout.
The Notes: Top notes are Pomegranate and Pink Pepper; middle notes are Orchid, Freesia, Magnolia, and Jasmine; base notes are Patchouli, Hinoki, and Sandalwood.
The Bottom Line: This is a floral and somewhat sweet fragrance, but it’s not cloyingly so. I would have liked this as a teenager, but I like it as an adult as well. It celebrates pomegranate without going overboard. Even better, this fragrance lasted for quite some time without having to refresh it. 1.6 oz. Eau de Parfum is $81, but there is also a smaller version if you’re budget-conscious.
Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir:
First Impressions: Jo Malone has tons of different fragrances and is a fan favorite. For this article, I received one of FragranceNet.com‘s travel sprays. I love these because they’re enough for a few weeks abroad, but the least expensive way to try one of FragranceNet’s fragrances. The photo above is the actual full-sized bottle in Jo Malone’s iconic packaging. This fragrance is called Pomegranate Noir, but I couldn’t really find much pomegranate, nor the “fruit” that Jo Malone advertises.
The brand touts this as “an aromatic fruity” fragrance. Pomegranate Noir was launched in 2005. The nose behind this fragrance is Beverley Bayne.
The Notes: The notes are raspberry, pomegranate, plum, rhubarb, and watermelon; middle notes are lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, rose, pink pepper, clove, olibanum, opoponax, and guaiac wood. The base notes are virginia cedar, patchouli, musk, and amber.
The Bottom Line: However, Jo Malone’s scents are very wearable. They’re the kind you can use almost anywhere without overwhelming the room. But this one has more depth and intensity than I expected.
On my skin, the drydown became powdery, spicy, and warm rather than fruity. It’s understated rather than juicy or playful, but it has plenty of staying power. Try the .27 oz. Travel spray at FragranceNet for $16.89 (flacon colors may vary).
Monotheme Venezia Pomegranate:
First Impressions: I had never heard of Monotheme Venezia, but it’s obvious that the fragrances feature a prominent note. In this case, it’s pomegranate. The outer carton is so pretty, I didn’t want to throw it away. And the inner bottle is an apothecary style that looks much more expensive than it really is. Then came the surprise: despite being called Pomegranate, this fragrance is incredibly soft. It’s also the most budget-friendly of all the pomegranate-centric fragrances I tried.
Monotheme Venezia Pomegranate was launched in 2022. The nose behind this fragrance is Lorenzo Vidal.
The Notes: Top note is Red Fruits Sorbet; middle notes are Pomegranate, Peach, and Black Currant; base notes are Musk and Amber.
The Bottom Line: You might say that I left the best for last. The gorgeous packaging is one you’ll love to display. And the soft scent makes this one a warm-weather must-have. But while it celebrates pomegranate, like the Jo Malone, it isn’t screaming with tart fruit. Instead, it’s soft and needs to be sprayed liberally. Upon drydown, the pomegranate shows up, but it’s subtle. This would be a lovely fragrance to wear if you work somewhere that your perfume can’t be “loud.” The price shocked me. This fragrance is a bargain at just $29 for 3.4 oz. At press time, there was also a coupon on FragranceNet bringing the price to just $18.84. For me, this ended up being the sleeper hit of the group.
And finally, all of these fragrances reminded me of the Persephone myth: bright and joyful on the surface, but with something darker, softer, or more mysterious underneath. Maybe that’s why pomegranate works so beautifully in perfume. It never smells one-dimensional. Like the story itself, it always feels caught somewhere between sunlight and shadow. Which of these fragrances appeals to you the most?
*All prices quoted are from FragranceNet.com, who kindly provided the perfume samples for me to review. Their prices are good, and the items are authentic.