Carolina Herrera Perfume Review: Are They Good?


You can hear a lot about some perfumes without knowing whether or not they’ll be any good for you personally.

Carolina Herrera fragrances are well-loved, with Good Girl being the most popular scent released by the company. With fragrances for women and men, you and a partner could even compliment each other’s scent story. Expect timeless, sophisticated perfume that mirrors the Carolina Herrera fashion style.

To learn more about the company and which Carolina Herrera might work best for you, stick around.

Carolina Herrera Perfume Review

All About the Company Carolina Herrera

First introduced to fashion by her grandmother, it was through attending fashion shows and wearing haute couture at a young age that Herrera attributes the development of her design eye. 

She began working for designer Emilio Pucci – known for saturated colors and geometric layouts – in her birth city of Caracas. In her early forties, she transitioned to his New York boutique.

Venezuelan-born Carolina Herrera originally founded her eponymous luxury fashion brand in 1981. For her first showing, she commissioned samples from her native Caracas, Venezuela. 

An instant success, her brand’s first headquarters opened in New York City. 

Her chic designs have been adored the world over. And her custom couture is unmistakably identifiable. 

Carolina Herrera designs are famously sophisticated, intricate, and elegant. As such, she’s known for dressing many former first ladies of the United States. This list includes Jacqueline Kennedy, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, and others. 

She also designed Caroline Kennedy’s wedding gown back in 1986. Herrera’s first bridal collection was released a year later.

Surprisingly, her first boutique didn’t open until 2000 on Madison Avenue in New York City. In 2001, her lifestyle brand, CH Carolina Herrera was released. This ready-to-wear line of apparel and accessories had offerings for the whole family – women, men, and children. 

An eyewear collection was first launched in 2011.

History of Carolina Herrera Fragrances

The fragrance division of CH was first launched in 1988 and was licensed by Puig. They were charged with developing the fragrances and marketing them. In keeping with her brand, scents were timeless and sophisticated.

The first Carolina Herrera men’s fragrance was launched in 1991, called Carolina Herrera for Men.

Carolina Herrera has been said to have referred to fragrance as the “invisible accessory.” Particularly, her CH Carolina Herrera fragrance that was launched in 2007.

The Puig Acquisition of Carolina Herrera

Barcelona-based Puig was founded in 1914 and is a multigenerational family business that operates in 29 countries. This multi-million dollar company has their products available in over 150 countries.

Separated into three divisions: Beauty and Fashion, Charlotte Tilbury, and Derma, their top-tier products include fashion, makeup, dermo-cosmetics, and fragrances. 

Puig’s brand ownership portfolio is brimming with recognizable brands, like Nina Ricci, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Swedish fragrance house, Byredo. They also license brands, like Christian Louboutin’s fragrances and Shakira beauty products.

In 1995, the Carolina Herrera fashion brand was acquired by Puig. It was then that the brand’s fragrances and fashion were combined under one house. The companies demonstrate overlapping qualities:

  • Boldness
  • Refinement
  • Heritage
  • Cosmopolitan
  • Craftsmanship
  • Happiness of living

Carolina Herrera was kept on as Creative Director. And her daughter, Carolina A. Herrera de Baez became the Creative Director of the fragrance house in 1996.

Carolina Herrera Today

In 2018, after close to 40 years in the fashion industry and over 70 shows, Carolina Herrera presented her last collection at a show held at the Museum of Modern Art. She then passed the Creative Director reins to Wes Gordon, an American designer.

Under Gordon, the first Carolina Herrera makeup collection was released in 2020. But he has continued to carry on the signature Caroline Herrera style. Get a glimpse of it in this release of the Spring/Summer 2023 collection launch:

In addition to the New York fashion house and corporate office, the beauty and fragrance divisions are based in Spain. 

Carolina Herrera Fragrances Today

You can find eau de parfum and eau de toilettes for men and women in the Carolina Herrera fragrance range.

There are also gift sets, a shower gel, hair mist, body mist, body cream, perfume rollerball, deodorant sprays and sticks for men, and multiple perfume travel spray options.

Whether light or dense, Carolina Herrera fragrances are complex, yet elegant. All of them are made with the finest ingredients and poured into exquisite vessels.

Scents for WomenScents for Men
Good GirlBad Boy
Good Girl SuprêmeBad Boy Cobalt
Good Girl Légère
Very Good Girl
Very Good Girl Glam
CH WomenCH Men
CH Beauties
CH Hot! Hot! Hot!CH Men Hot! Hot! Hot!
212 NYC212 NYC Men
212 VIP212 VIP Men
212 VIP Rosé212 VIP Black
212 Sexy212 Sexy Men

This may look like a long list of scents to choose from, but you might notice that there are a few core groups for women and men.

  • Good Girl / Bad Boy
  • CH Women / CH Men
  • 212

These three primary groups all offer a subcategory or more specialized fragrances. So if you like one collection, then you might enjoy similar fragrances within the same collection. 

Herrera Confidential Unisex Perfume Line

This exclusive collection is inspired by Caroline A. Herrera’s personal memories of Middle Eastern perfume layering. 

  • Sandal Ruby
  • Saffron Lazuli
  • Oud Couture
  • Herrera Tuberose
  • Gold Myrrh Absolute
  • Gold Incense
  • Platinum Leather
  • Bronze Tonka
  • Burning Rose
  • Mystery Tobacco
  • Nightfall Patchouli
  • Amber Desire

You can wear them individually or mix and match the fragrances to create your own unique scent.

Top 7 Carolina Herrera Perfume Products

Good Girl has been the most successful Carolina Herrera fragrance, so we’ll start there. 

1. Carolina Herrera Good Girl Eau de Parfum

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Carolina Herrera Good Girl Fragrance For Women - Floral Family Notes Of Tuberose, Tonka Bean And Jasmine Sensual Evocative Both Freshly Light Moodily Dark Edp Spray 2.7 Oz
  • THE DUALITY OF THE FEMININE; The Carolina Herrera Good Girl is daring yet sophisticated; feminine yet bold; An embodiment of this femme-fatale energy; Good Girl’s seductive aroma envelops the wearer in a scent that awakens and entices the senses
  • HIGH-FASHION DESIGN; Housed in redesigned haute couture; the original Good Girl scent arrives in a simply seductive black stiletto bottle
  • DEFY CONVENTIONS; Good Girl enters the scene with notes of almond; easing into a hint of jasmine samba; and drying to a musky finish of cocoa and tonka bean
  • RADIANT; LONG-LASTING SCENT; Excite and enthrall your senses with a sensual; evocative scent that emanates all day
  • CHIC ELEGANCE AND BEYOND; Established in 1980; the iconic Carolina Herrera Fashion and Fragrance house has always specialized in curating sophisticated; classic fragrances with uniquely unexpected notes and twists

Good Girl and Very Good Girl perfumes are housed in the iconic glass stiletto, making them the ideal gift. This is a 2.7 oz (80 mL) version.

All of the containers are slightly different. A scalloped gold heel, black and deep blue body makes this one mysterious and daring.

The scent is feminine yet daring; part of the oriental vanilla fragrance family. You’ll initially smell almond notes. After about fifteen minutes, tuberose and jasmine sambac will come to your attention. The fragrance mellows out with tonka bean and cocoa. It’s a complex combination of scents that can’t be fully explained. It must be experienced.

This blend speaks to the duality of women – delicate yet strong. To further support dualism, this scent is flexible enough to be worn day or night. Because one application can last up to ten hours, you can easily leave work, and then go out to play, while still carrying a wonderful scent.

Seasonally, it might work better during colder seasons than warmer ones.

Although the bottle design might encourage you to display this fragrance on top of your dresser or elsewhere for others to see, use caution. Remember that it’s best not to leave any perfume in direct sunlight. So make sure it’s displayed in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.

Good Girl is also available in 1 fl oz (30 mL), and 5.1 fl oz (150 mL) sizes.

== Check Price on Amazon ==

2. Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl Eau de Parfum

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Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl Glam EDP Spray Women 2.7 oz
  • Launched by the design house of Carolina Herrera.
  • English (Publication Language)

Newest Good Girl addition, Very Good Girl, is equally bold but on the sweeter side. Most notably, this fragrance has a deep cherry overtone.

Beginning with its exterior, Very Good Girl shines. Similar to Good Girl, you’ll notice a bright gold stiletto with a fanned pattern connected to its black heel. What makes this stiletto special is its cherry red body with a shimmering lower body and toe. 

Since it’s a new release, you’ll only find this fragrance in three bottle sizes: 1.01 oz (30 mL), 1.69 oz (50 mL), and 2.7 oz (80 mL).

Moving on to its fragrance family, this one belongs to the floral fragrance family. Its secondary categories are woody and amber.

Top notes include cherry and bitter almond, unlike the singular almond top note of Good Girl.

Heart notes include rose and ambrette seeds. Lastly, rose, ambrette seeds, and tonka beans round out the base notes. 

Ambrette seeds smell musky and nutty. It’s a rich yet sweet ambery scent. And it’s this combined with rose that you’ll smell throughout most of the day since they mostly make up both the heart and base notes.

Tonka bean is the source of the vanilla notes. And tonka beans generate a nutty, spicy, sweet and woody fragrance blend.

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3. Carolina Herrera CH for Women Eau de Toilette

Carolina Herrera CH for women is still seductive, but with subtle freshness. You can find it in multiple eau de toilette bottle sizes, like 30, 50, and 100 mL (3.38 oz). Its eau de parfum option is only released in one size, 100 mL (3.38 oz).

This scent is bottled in a somewhat more traditional way. Glass bottles are round or oval. With decorative red or mustard yellow banding. Eau de toilettes don red snakeskin leather banding and hanging gold CH charms. The golden yellow velvet around the eau de parfum bottle carries a multi-colored embroidered butterfly. Gold CH charms also hang from these bottles.

When it comes to eau de toilettes, you can expect about half of the fragrance concentration as you’d experience with eau de parfums. In addition to them containing 5% to 12% of fragrance oils, they’re top notes comprise half the fragrance. These are scents with a lighter fragrance. 

This invisible, yet powerful, accessory is ideal for day wear. It’s at once invigorating and calming. Belonging to the floral fragrance family, you’ll discover bergamot and grapefruit as CH top notes. Heart notes are composed of bulgarian rose and jasmine sambac. Praline and patchouli make up the base notes. 

Miniature CH Women bottles are also available for those who’d like to try the scent before making a larger investment. It’s 8 mL (0.27 fl oz).

== Check Price on Amazon ==

4. 212 NYC Eau de Toilette for Women by Carolina Herrera

Carolina Herrera 212 Nyc Fragrance For Women - Floral Notes - Sensual And Feminine Scent - Multi Layered Fragrance Of Zestful Energy Inside - Sandalwood And Bergamont - Edt Spray - 2 Oz
  • COMPLEX YET CLASSIC; This flirty; energizing fragrance is challengingly unexpected but undeniably classy; like the woman who wears it; Floral aromas intertwine with musky notes to create a dynamic scent with a hint of seductive mystery at its core
  • THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS; Inspired by the modern architecture of the every-growing organism of the NYC Skyline; 212 NYC arrives in a sleek; separatable bottle; Keep one container at home; and slip the second in your purse when you hit the town
  • ENERGIZE AND EXCITE YOUR SENSES; 212 NYC for Women emulates the sound and sensuality of the city; inviting the wearer in with sweet notes of flower stems and bergamot; drying with deep; lustfully feminine hints of sandalwood and musk
  • RADIANT; LONG-LASTING SCENT; Excite and enthrall your senses with a zestful; fresh scent that emanates all day
  • CHIC ELEGANCE AND BEYOND; Established in 1980; the iconic Carolina Herrera Fashion and Fragrance house has always specialized in curating sophisticated; classic fragrances with uniquely unexpected notes and twists

Also an eau de toilette, this scent is light and fresh – perfect for day wear. (Try 212 Sexy for an evening scent.) 212 NYC is a floral scent that leans towards the musk subcategory. It was created to highlight the independence and conviction of this up and coming generation.

What makes this capsule container especially unique is that the 2 oz (60 mL) and 3.38 oz (100 mL) sizes hold two bottles of 212 NYC. You can leave one at home and have one for when you’re on the go. Or, if you’re feeling generous, you can give one bottle to a friend. 

Price too high? Split the costs with a friend and each of you will have your own bottle without having to decant them yourselves.

Here’s what you can expect of 212 NYC scent notes:

  • Top notes: bergamot and floral stems
  • Heart notes: gardenia and jasmine
  • Base notes: sandalwood and musk

Aside from its lighter scent notes and fresh feels, eau de toilettes are usually more economically feasible due to the lower scent concentration. Even with less fragrance oils, 

Carolina Herrera scents are still timeless and fragrant – you won’t smell like you’re wearing drugstore perfume.

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5. Bad Boy Eau de Parfum by Carolina Herrera

No products found.

The male equivalent of Good Girl, Bad Boy is a bold fragrance symbolizing the electrifying nature of men. Its container is molded into a striking lightning bolt. 

Bad Boy has been described as smelling enough like a sophisticated modern man without hints of an older gentleman. 

Created to be worn at night, Bad Boy belongs to the woodsy fragrance category. Its subcategory is aromatic.

  • Top notes: grapefruit and hemp
  • Middle notes: sage and geranium
  • Base notes: leather and vetiver

These are somewhat odd pairings, but they work well together. Bad Boy is an exciting, warm, and seductive fragrance.

No products found.

6. Carolina Herrera CH Men Eau de Toilette

CH by Carolina Herrera for Men - 3.4 oz EDT Spray ,(Packaging may vary)
  • CLASSIC WITH A TWIST. For the sophisticated, distinguished man with a sensual, mysterious side. Chic for Men embraces the allure of the masculine with a deeply seductive spiced fragrance.
  • SOPHISTICATED AND STREAMLINED. Elevated with trimming in the ever-classic Carolina Herrera House red, Chic for Men’s streamlined, sophisticated glass bottle design is attractive and easily transportable.
  • SPICY AND ALLURING. CH for men intertwines a cocktail of spicy, citrus fragrances, with notes of cardamom, lemon, mandarin orange and cinnamon and dries into a musky aftertone of amber and woody cedar.
  • RADIANT, LONG-LASTING SCENT. Excite and enthrall your senses with a sensorial, leathery scent that emanates all day
  • CHIC ELEGANCE AND BEYOND. Established in 1980, the iconic Carolina Herrera Fashion and Fragrance house has always specialized in curating sophisticated, classic fragrances with uniquely unexpected notes and twists.

For day wear, men prefer CH Men eau de toilette. This 3.4 oz bottle is one of three sizes available. The other two being 1.69 fl oz (50 mL) and 6.76 fl oz (200 mL).

This is a lighter, fresher alternative to Bay Boy. Also part of the woody family, CH Men top notes are grapefruit and lavender. Middle notes are saffron and cyclamen, and base notes include cashmere wood and leather.

The wood and leather notes keep this scent warm, but it’s brightened up by lavender and citrus notes.

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7. Carolina Herrera 212 VIP Eau de Toilette for Men

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Carolina Herrera 212 VIP Men EDT Spray - Notes of Caviar, Lime, Ginger and Tonka Bean for a Fresh Woody Scent
  • THE MODERN ICON; This scent invigorates you with aromatic hints of nights out on the town; inviting the wearer into an evening of sophisticated luxury
  • ALWAYS ON THE LIST; Inspired by the vibrant qualities of New York City nightlife; 212 VIP for Men arrives in a classic clear bottle with streamlined; rectangular architecture
  • MAGNETICALLY SENSUAL; Opulent and alluring; 212 VIP refreshes the senses with intriguing; energized notes of frozen mint; chilled vodka and caviar lime; and dries into an unexpectedly seductive musk of kingwood and tonka bean
  • RADIANT; LONG-LASTING SCENT; Excite and enthrall your senses with a magnetic; intimate scent that emanates all day
  • CHIC ELEGANCE AND BEYOND; Established in 1980; the iconic Carolina Herrera Fashion and Fragrance house has always specialized in curating sophisticated; classic fragrances with uniquely unexpected notes and twists

Also a celebration of uninhibited youthfulness, 212 VIP for Men is a scent preferable worn in the evening. It’s fresh, yet down to earth.

This sleek 3.4 fl oz (100 mL) container is a stoic rectangular shape that’s curved around the edges – still signaling duality.

It’s a long-lasting scent composed of:

  • Top notes: caviar lime and frozen mint
  • Middle notes: ginger and chilled vodka
  • Base notes: kingwood and tonka bean

Caviar lime offers a sweet and sour balsamic fragrance, paired with the freshness of pungent mint. Spicy ginger is mellowed out by the smooth and sweet smokiness of tonka bean.

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Customer Opinions about Carolina Herrera Perfume

An overwhelmingly positive response to Carolina Herrera perfume is what I mostly found online. Whether you prefer singular note fragrances or more complex combinations, you can find an accommodating scent in the Carolina Herrera fragrance range.

What Customers Enjoy about Carolina Herrera Perfume

  • Carolina Herrera fragrances never fail to surprise or excite those who wear them. 
  • All of the scents are lovely in their own way. 
  • Some Carolina Herrera scents can be discreet but somehow they’re still powerful.
  • Customers fall in love with these fragrances. Each scent lasts a long time and smells priceless.
  • Men are thrilled that Carolina Herrera fragrances for men are not as easily recognizable as many men’s scents.

What Customers Dislike about Carolina Herrera Perfume

When customers are disapproving of a Carolina Herrera fragrance, it’s rarely regarding the quality of the product. It’s usually just a matter of taste. Not every scent is for everyone.

But sometimes the company changes the scent formula. For instance, the original 212 was released in the late 1990s but the current version, 212 NYC smells slightly different from the original and loyal customers can tell the difference. In this sense, they’re often disappointed because they preferred the original scent.

Lastly, there are times when the scent doesn’t unfold as expected. And because scents smell different on everyone, there isn’t a way to prevent this from happening. You never know how a fragrance will smell on you until you try it.

Final Thoughts

There’s no doubt that Carolina Herrera fragrances are as well-loved as its apparel. 

For those who haven’t tried Carolina Herrera perfumes before, I think that a 1 oz bottle of a more moderately priced Good Girl would be a nice introduction to this brand.

CH is another favorite for women. Men adore the husky Bad Boy and 212 VIP Men

If you prefer singular notes or like to create your own custom scent combinations, Herrera Confidential is ideal.

But as always, it’s best to choose whichever scent best fits your needs. 

Grace

Hello and welcome to Fragrance Advice! My name is Grace Young, and I’ve been drawn to fragrances since I was a little girl. There's just something about scent that brings me so much joy! 

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