This Light, Prickly Pear-Scented Perfume Changed My Mind About Fruity Fragrances

Fruity scents have never been my thing. My first ever body-spray was Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar ($15), a gourmand instant classic beloved by middle-schoolers everywhere. Since then, my preferred scent profile has veered away from sweet and sugary into all-things beach-y. Think: salt water, sandalwood, pink pepper. Citrus and coconut? Sure. But sugary fruits, like cherry, apple, and strawberry? Absolutely not. My gag reflex could never.

At 28 years young, I had convinced myself fruity fragrances just weren’t in my cards. Keep your berry-blasted body sprays and peach-infused perfumes! Give me light, give me clean, and give me salty.

Well, I’m here to tell you I’ve changed my tune on all-things fruit. Thanks to the Prickly Pear Hair + Body Perfume ($46) by Dae, I’ve been convinced not all fruity scents are bad. In this case, they’re actually pretty heavenly if you find the right one.

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Dae, Prickly Pear Hair + Body Perfume — $46.00

This hair and body spray is clean, crisp, and juuust the right amount of sweet.

You probably know Dae for its desert-inspired line of hair products (including its best-selling hair brush that Sephora can’t seem to keep on its shelves.) This past September, the brand launched its first line of fragrances: Its signature citrus, which is the scent behind its shampoo and conditioner, and the Prickly Pear Hair + Body Perfume.

A fruity cynic, I was hesitant to try the pear-scented stuff. Do I like pears? Yes. Real pears. A pear-scented perfume screamed “artificially sweet” to me, kind of like pear-flavored vodka or anything else created to mimic the distinctive fruit. Still, I gave it a whirl, and I’m glad I did.

Unlike anything berry or stone-fruit scented, this pear perfume is subtle. Akin to its minimalist bottle and understated color palette, the scent is slight and faint (similar to the Prickly Pear Hair Oil ($36) it was inspired by).

Spritz it on your wrist or on the top of your scalp and you’ll see what I mean. At first, it’s just the tiniest bit sweet and flowery, before fading into a pleasant pear scent that’s elevated with a touch of citrus. It’s lightweight and crisp, not heavy in the least, and certainly not overpowering. (In fact, don’t be afraid to get a little heavy-handed when you spray, otherwise it’s so light, it smells like nothing’s there.)

Scent aside, the formulation is pretty impressive, too. Like the rest of the Dae product line, it’s vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty-free, so you’ll feel good giving it a spritz. As for the ingredients, it’s all great stuff. There are no chemicals or anything that will dry you out, something traditional fragrances have struggled with for a long time. And it’s reasonably priced—at $46 a bottle, it’s way worth the buy and, IMO, blows its luxury competitors out of the water. If only all fruity fragrances could be this well-done.

If you’re like me—skeptical of fruity scents and set in your own ways—give this pear perfume a try. Let me be living proof that you can come to love fruity scents, too. A spritz of the Dae Prickly Pear Hair + Body Perfume proves that not all fruity fragrances are bad apples after all.

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