Taylor Swift Finally Reveals Her Go-To Perfume Is Tom Ford at the 2024 VMAs

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 12 September 2024

For more than a decade, inquiring minds have been working day and night to figure out what Taylor Swift smells like. Or more specifically, which perfume she wears. Now, it seems her recent appearance at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards has led to a major break in the case. During a very cute recorded interaction between Swift and drag queen Xunami Muse that subsequently surfaced on X, Muse poses for a photo with Swift, then casually turns and does the unthinkable by straight-up asking the pop star what scent she's wearing.

"You smell so good," Muse appears to tell Swift before miming the act of applying perfume. "What is that?" Swift seemingly lights up and replies, "Oh thank you, it's Tom Ford." Muse then appears to echo Swift by saying, "Tom Ford! It's so nice."

Taylor Swift with drag queens at the 2024 vmas — Taylor Swift posed with drag queens at the 2024 VMAs in a sequin mini dress before revealing her Tom Ford perfume to the group.

📹| Drag queen @XunamiMuse asking Taylor what perfume she's wearing 😂 #VMAs Xunami: You smell so good. What is that? *imitates perfume spray*Taylor: Oh thank you! It's Tom Ford!Xunami: Tom Ford!! It's so nice! pic.twitter.com/42rKXUdPINSeptember 12, 2024

The clip is the closest fans have ever come to getting a direct answer from Swift herself. Of course, we've been theorizing about her signature scent for years. In the pop star's 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana, Swifities noticed a bottle of Tom Ford's Santal Blush sitting in the background along with a bottle of L'Oreal Elnett Spray. The discovery backs up claims on Reddit and TikTok that Swift has shared several of her favorite fragrances with secret listening party attendees over the years. The rumored list includes Santal Blush as well as Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb and another iconic Tom Ford fragrance, Tobacco Vanille.

All three perfumes cohere with David Letterman's 2010 remark about Speak Now-era Swift smelling like “expensive wood.” Santal Blush is a spicy, sumptuous blend of ylang-ylang, cinnamon, cedar, and sandalwood. Tobacco Vanille is an elevated gourmand spiked with wood sap. Flowerbomb opens with tea and bergamot but dries down to a base of musk and patchouli.

Tom Ford Noir De Noir Eau De Parfum

Tom Ford Santal Blush Eau De Parfum

Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb Eau De Parfum

Perhaps someday Swift will give us the perfume collection tour we've been requesting for more than a decade now, but I wouldn't hold your breath. Miss Americana rarely, if ever, name-checks beauty brands. That is, unless you're Mother Pat McGrath.

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Hanna Lustig is a staff writer at Marie Claire, where she gets to gab every day about the topics she holds most dear: fashion, beauty, and celebrity. Hanna’s editorial journey began with formative internships at Elle and InStyle, where she was lucky enough to work for some of the smartest women in media while she was still in college. Hanna then accepted a digital culture reporting fellowship at Insider, where she helped carve out a new beat dedicated to covering influencers. Those experiences later served her well as a staff writer at Glamour, where she developed a knack for spinning quick turnaround celebrity news and trend reporting into juicy long-form feature stories.

Diane Keaton once hung up on Hanna during an interview, but thankfully that mishap did not derail what has otherwise been a deeply fulfilling career writing for and about women. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of Tennessee, where she was mainly taught to love and revere Dolly Parton. When she’s not at work, Hanna can likely be found listening to pop music, talking to her dog, and gossiping with her best friends. For more of Hanna’s perfect opinions on pop culture, you can follow her on Instagram and X.

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