The best fragrances: Hit the jackpot this Christmas with these stand-out scents

Fragrance can be a tricky gift to give. Unless you have access to their dressing table, or they've been dropping weighty hints, you might not be able to single your loved one's signature scent from the endless perfumery permutations at the beauty hall.

Going off-list is a gamble – scent is subjective after all – but when you catch a whiff of them wearing your choice well into the spring, you'll know you've hit the jackpot. Go with your gut, but here are a few that can be relied upon to elicit coos of "Ooh, you smell lovely".

Mon Patchouly by Ramon Monegal

£130, harrods.com

An exotic blend of Indonesian patchouli, vegetal amber, incense and Egyptian jasmine. Holm oak moss washed in the Ibizan sea adds an invigorating splash of surf.

Portrait of a Lady by Dominique Ropion, Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

£145, lessenteurs.com

This is a grown-up, feminine and sensuous proposition – Turkish rose is blended with dark berries, cinnamon, patchouli and amber.

Eau des Merveilles

£97, Hermès, houseoffraser.co.uk

Sweet and musky without being cloying thanks to a spritz of citrus, this has amber woody accords, a slightly salty tang and a deliciously powdery finish.

Rose Velours, Van Cleef & Arpels

£126, houseoffraser.co.uk

A simple, elegant bottle houses a tactile take on rose that has softer edges than more traditionally floral fragrances. Warm and velvety thanks to golden honey and iris.

Molecule 01, escentric molecules

£66, liberty.co.uk

On first sniff this has almost no aroma, but as Iso E Super, the titular molecule, reacts to pheromones it can cause a surprisingly seductive reaction that is unique to the wearer.