What is the Sour accord in perfumery?

Sour is one of perfumery's core accords, appearing in 31 fragrances across our catalog. It's most commonly paired with sweet, fruity, fresh and tends to drive the dominant character of a composition rather than acting as a supporting note.

What's the best sour fragrance to start with?

Our top-ranked sour-led fragrance is Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl. It scores well on community ratings and carries the sour signature strongly enough to give you a clear sense of the accord. Full ranking above.

Which brands do sour best?

Across our top picks, Guerlain, Avon, Lady Gaga, Alexandria Fragrances appear most often, with strong sour-led compositions across both designer and niche tiers.

Accord

Best SOUR Fragrances

31 fragrances · ranked by community + accord strength

Sour appears in 31 fragrances across the Fragranova catalog, where it most often partners with sweet, fruity, fresh, citrus and floral. It shows up heaviest in compositions from Guerlain, Avon, Lady Gaga and Alexandria Fragrances, and tends to drive the dominant "feel" of a scent rather than acting as a supporting note. Below are the 20 sour-led fragrances our catalog ranks highest, weighted by community ratings and the strength of the sour signature in each composition.

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Top pick: Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl — highest-scoring sour-led fragrance in our catalog, weighted by community ratings and accord strength.