Matcha Is The Cool Girl Fragrance Note Taking Over PerfumeTok

Matcha is a traditional powdered green tea from Japan that’s rich in antioxidants and contains awakening caffeine. Beyond being a staple latte order, the powerhouse ingredient has become a mainstay in the beauty industry.

The buzzy ingredient can be found in a range of products, like the IGK Direct Flight Multi-Tasking Matcha Dry Shampoo and Briogeo Superfoods Matcha + Apple Replenishing Shampoo, which both work to deliver detoxifying benefits for your hair and scalp. It has also crossed into the realm of skin care, as a complexion-strengthening antioxidant in formulas like the Tatcha Matcha Cleanse and the DAMDAM Matcha Boost Hydrating & Restorative Eye Serum.

Now, the tea has become a unique note that’s on the rise in the fragrance world.

The Rise Of Matcha Perfumes

In recent years, matcha has been a buzzword in fragrance — especially among indie brands and genderless perfumes. Olfactively, it’s a green note that has herbal and floral qualities. More often than not, perfumers take the note to a delectable gourmand territory, creating a sweet creaminess reminiscent of frothy matcha lattes.

Two of the most beloved matcha perfumes launched in 2021: Le Labo Thé Matcha 26 and the now discontinued Maison Margiela ‘REPLICA’ Matcha Meditation, both of which brought the note to the forefront in major ways.

Both scents have not only inspired quite a few dupes, but Matcha Meditation lovers in particular have begged for the scent’s return, with one reviewer saying, “This is by far the best green tea scent I've found, I'm so, so sad I can't buy another bottle.” Another wrote, “Please don’t discontinue this perfume. It is literal perfection in a bottle.”

Since then, there have been a few more noteworthy launches, no doubt furthering interest in the quirky (and surprisingly versatile) aroma. It also has the fastest-growing interest year over year amongst all fragrance notes according to beauty industry insight company Spate, with an average of nearly 2,000 people searching for “matcha perfume” on Google every month.

The sentiment is apparent on the perfume-loving corner of TikTok, too.

The Power Of PerfumeTok

On PerfumeTok, fragrance fanatics have generated hundreds of videos under the #MatchaPerfume hashtag.

The consensus? Perfumes with matcha notes often lend themselves to the “clean girl” aesthetic, just like making a homemade green-colored latte in the morning would. What’s more, the comparatively affordable Thé Matcha perfume from Le Monde Gourmand is frequently called out as a newer launch that’s “classy” and “fresh.”

5 Matcha Fragrances To Try

Although it’s nearly impossible to get your hands on Margiela’s Matcha Meditation, here, find five other matcha-filled perfumes to add to your fragrance wardrobes.

Le Labo Thé Matcha 26 is an intimate skin scent that’s meant to encourage deep introspection when breathing it in. Its softness is thanks to notes like bitter orange, fig, vetiver, and woods, which all swirl with the essence of matcha in a beautifully whimsical way.

Inspired by the awakening feeling of icy winter turning into early spring, Liis Rose Struck is a modern rose perfume that features notes of smooth matcha, powerful cassis, and bright tangerine.

A true gourmand perfume with unexpected spice, KILIAN Paris Princess is defined by the deliciousness of matcha-covered marshmallows, the elegance of jasmine petals, and the heat of ginger.

Le Monde Gourmand’s Thé Matcha scent is a blend of refreshing green tea, sheer white freesia, and comforting amber notes that create a sense of calm for the wearer (and those around them, too).

If Le Labo is a bit out of your price range, the Dossier Citrus Matcha is a near-exact dupe for the OG Thé Matcha 26 scent. It’s brimming with the aromas of bitter orange, juicy bergamot, earthy vetiver, musky woods, and — of course — matcha tea.