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Bold lipstick, blond bangs, black eyeliner — Taylor Swift is a woman of habit when it comes to her beauty aesthetic, on stage and otherwise. Even through her many eras — “Fearless,” “Red” and “Reputation,” to name a few — her makeup has always remained the same, completed using products such as Tom Ford’s Eye Defining Pen Liquid Eyeliner Duo and Pat McGrath Labs LiquiLust Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick in shade “Elson 4.” Yet, one aspect of her signature style that’s remained an enigma is her scent.

Swift has dropped many Easter eggs over the years, but she’s never verbally confirmed her exact fragrance of choice. For a while, it was assumed that “Wonderstruck” and “Wonderstruck Enchanted,” the perfumes she created with Elizabeth Arden in 2011 and 2012, were her go-tos. However, when the fragrances were ultimately discontinued, fans were left wondering what she wore once again.

Fast forward to the premiere of Swift’s documentary, “Miss Americana,” on Netflix in 2020. Here, one of her staple scents was revealed: Tom Ford’s Santal Blush. The rectangular bottle enclosed by a brown cap was spotted in the background next to Swift backstage during her Reputation Tour.

Priced at $195, the Tom Ford Santal Blush Eau de Parfum Fragrance combines woody and earthy scents with notes of ylang-ylang and Australian sandalwood. “A warm wood scent, Santal Blush also has spicy aromatic notes like cinnamon that might remind you of baking or fall — two things well associated with Taylor,” Sarah Chapelle, author of the New York Times bestseller “Taylor Swift Style,” told WWD.  

Nina Lato, stylist and celebrity strategist for beauty, wellness and fashion brands, described the scent as an “exotic second skin that feels both intimate and sultry” in a written statement sent to WWD. “It’s that balance of resinous warmth and floral spice, layered with Tom Ford’s signature weighty concentration, that makes it both exotic and intimate.”

According to Lato, many perfumers have attempted to replicate this scent, “but they can’t quite capture the precision in blending and the luxe raw materials that keep Ford a leader in the fragrance space,” she said. Other “warm and spicy” scents by Tom Ford include Tobacco Vanille, Oud Wood and Vanille Fatale.

In 2024, Swift confirmed her love of Tom Ford fragrance in conversation with drag queen Xunami Muse at the MTV Video Music Awards. In a TikTok video posted by RuPaul’s Drag Race, Muse can be heard complimenting Swift’s smell, to which she says, “It’s Tom Ford.”

Tom Ford took home the award for “Fragrance of the Year” in the Women’s Luxury category at the Fragrance Foundation Awards in 2022 for its Soleil Brûlant scent. The brand was also awarded the Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year award for its Ébène Fumé scent and the Fragrance Hall of Fame honor for its Black Orchid perfume.