The Big White Florals, or BWFs, have a reputation. This isn’t entirely surprising, as BWFs are very big and very … floral. If you’ve ever felt suffocated by someone’s perfume, chances are that a big and white floral was involved.

At the same time, this genre includes some of the most beautiful fragrances ever composed. If you want to feel fabulous, white flowers are definitely worth looking into. Predictably, I’m a big fan and I’ve collected some of my favourites below, sorted by the dominant note. I must stress that this is absolutely not an exhaustive list: I’m missing several important flowers in this group (tiare, ylang-ylang, magnolia, etc) and I couldn’t include even a fraction of my favourites without turning this into a monster post.

My choices will not surprise any seasoned perfumistas, but I know that not all readers here have a 50+ bottle collection. Keeping this in mind, I’ve also included a more wearable version of every note, for those who want to explore the genre without upsetting family members and pets.

1. Tuberose
Of all the big white flowers, I’d say tuberose is the biggest, although jasmine offers some stiff competition. It’s intense, voluptuous, creamy, slightly fruity and a bit green all at the same time. Frederic Malle calls his version Carnal Flower, although ironically, I find his take on the flower quite virtuous. Of all the excellent tuberoses out there, my first love is the classic Fracas by Robert Piguet. It’s too much for most people, but I don’t find it diva-ish, I just find it stunning. For a more user-friendly take on tuberose, my pick is Estée Lauder’s Tuberose Gardenia. It is a very beautiful, sunny floral that I find pretty easy-going, but still with enough personality. Every time I smell it I wonder why I don’t own a bottle.

2. Jasmine
Jasmine is one of the most popular notes in perfumery and it makes perfect sense. It doesn’t only have a striking scent, it’s also very versatile; from a full on indolic, over-ripe blast to sweet and pretty, jasmine can do it all. It also plays so nicely with others that it is present in very many perfumes where you wouldn’t suspect to have it at all. For a serious jasmine hit, I don’t think there’s anything better than A la Nuit from Serge Lutens. Even if you cannot wear it, do smell it, for enjoyment and reference. For a more accessible jasmine, By Kilian Love and Tears drops the indoles, but keeps the beauty. It’s radiant and lovely and I have met very few people who don’t like it. The only unfortunate thing about this scent is that it’s more pricey than the Lutens.

3. Gardenia
Gardenia is a bit of a speciality of mine – it’s one of my favourite notes and I believe I have sampled most of the well-known gardenias out there. The spot for the Big Gardenia to End All Other Gardenias does in fact belong to Tom Ford’s Velvet Gardenia, the most life-like and pungent of them all. I usually don’t think about perfume in terms of sexiness, but this one is extremely sensual and a bit bad. It is, also, discontinued, and I will never forgive Tom (unless he brings it back, of course, then we are totally best friends again). So in the absence of Velvet Gardenia, let me give you an equally good, but different gardenia scent – Arquiste Boutonnière no. 7. This one has a recognizable gardenia note, but it’s greener and lighter and woodier, probably the most elegant and refined take on gardenia I’ve encountered. If this is still too attention-grabbing for you, I highly recommend Annick Goutal’s Un Matin d’Orage, a dewy white floral that must be one of the prettiest scents in the world. It is not a straight-up gardenia, but I get a distinct ‘garden-after-rain-with-some-gardenias’ vibe from it.

4. Orange blossom
Orange blossom is the most citrusy of the bunch and as a note, probably my least favourite. But the one orange blossom I adore, I adore with passion. Remember when I just said I don’t like to call perfumes sexy? Well, Serge Lutens Fleurs d’Oranger certainly is, but it’s sunny-sexy compared to Velvet Gardenia’s dangerous-sexy. It has a dose of cumin that for some people reads sweaty, but on me just seems to meld everything together into this fabulous mixture of white petals, sunshine and skin. I feel like a Summer Goddess when wearing this and my bottle is therefore empty. Jo Malone Orange Blossom Cologne centres on the same note, but is much lighter. It is well made, fresh, summery and very enjoyable. Jo Malone is often a good choice if you want to explore different notes, but don’t want to scare anyone. It’s not cheap, but they do small bottles, which is a huge plus.

5. Lily
I think the lily scent of my dreams has not yet been created. If Lys Fume by Tom Ford was smokier, it could be it. Still, it’s a beautiful lily as it is and my current favourite. Lys Fume has a great spicy opening and then turns slightly fruity to my nose – not as in fruit salad, but simply lending the titular flower some roundness and softness; lily can be quite uncompromising on its own. Still, Lys Fume remains pretty heady and you have to like the real life lilies quite a lot to appreciate it. Guerlain’s Lys Soleia from the Aqua Allegoria line, however, is very easy to love. It’s sunny, soft and sweetish, with a touch of ylan-ylang, but it’s not boring. For a good quality lily at a reasonable price point, this one is hard to beat.

Ah, I had to leave out so many great scents that must now go and write a sequel.