21 Scents That Give Us Early 2000s Nostalgia

If you don’t get flashbacks to your middle school or high school gym class locker room when you smell this, are you even a Millennial? We still love this fruity-floral scent all these years later, so it’s no mystery why it’s still so popular.

This scent didn’t just smell like the inside of a Limited Too store, but it was everywhere in the early 2000s. Though it’s tough to find online today, you can find dupes to this iconic fragrance on Amazon or at Bath and Body Works.

This sweet fruity-floral fragrance has been iconic since the ‘90s and is appropriate for women and girls of all ages. Though it’s no longer available at Gap stores, you can still find it on Amazon.

Nothing says early 2000s quite like the signature Juicy Couture sweatsuit, and their original fragrance is just as iconic. The fruity-floral notes will transport you right back to the good ol’ days. The best part of this scent is that it’s appropriate for women of all ages, so you can enjoy it now just as much as you enjoyed it in your teens.

We all wanted to be the girl in high school with the designer bag and Viva La Juicy perfume. Like the original Juicy Couture perfume, the scent is sweet, fruity, and floral. It’s just as sweet in 2022, making this an all time favorite for many.

Though most of us remember Abercrombie for it’s intense colognes, how could we forget their perfumes? It’s soft sandalwood scent is perfect all-year-round, and it’s suitable for both teenagers and young women.

This fragrance is nostalgia in a bottle. It may transport you back to high school with its fruity-floral notes, but this is a classic for a reason.

Cucumber Melon was for the gals who thought Sweet Pea was too sweet and girly, but we still love this scent just as much as we did back then. It’s as refreshing as it is timeless, so it’s no wonder that it’s been a fan favorite for years.

Though Britney Spears didn’t invent perfume (or did she?), Curious by Britney Spears was the first perfume for many of us in the early 2000s. It’s the perfect fruity-floral fragrance in a beautiful bottle, making it a great gift for a loved one or yourself.

We couldn’t settle on just one Britney fragrance on this list. Though Fantasy by Britney Spears is sweeter than Curious, its signature fruity-floral notes are just as timeless.

Even though Aeropostale no longer carries any of their fragrances from the early 2000s (which were all a fruity-floral wonderland), their current fragrance, Sugar Rush, is similar to some of their older ones. It has fruity, floral, and sweet notes (which was definitely a trend in the 2000s), and will take you directly back to your childhood.

If Britney is the queen of perfume, then Paris Hilton is the princess, and this perfume is everything Paris in a bottle. The fragrance is feminine and sweet with fruity-floral notes, and we bet you’ll love it just as much now as you did in the 2000s.

Though Heiress is sweeter than Just Me, it’s just as iconic as Paris’ original perfume. This scent will bring you right back to summer nights watching The Simple Life, making it the perfect nostalgic scent.

Unlike most of the fragrances on this list, Vera Wang Princess leans more on the floral side of the fruity-floral spectrum, but it’s just as sweet and girly as some of your other favorites. The packaging is also adorable, making it a staple of early 2000s fragrances.

We all had that one friend who kept a mini-size version of this scent in her backpack, and she was a lifesaver when it came to days when your UGGs smelled off or you forgot to apply deodorant in the morning. This comforting scent just smells like the 2000s, and we love that it’s still available for Gen Z to enjoy its glory.

This was the perfect scent for the girls who didn’t like the vanilla fragrance from Warm & Cozy, giving us the fruity alternative we needed. Like Warm & Cozy, this scent is still available if you want to try it again after all of these years.

One whiff of this scent will take you right back to sleepovers and bingeing High School Musical. This fruity-sweet scent smells like bubblegum, cotton candy, and vanilla without being too overwhelming, and it’s impossible not to smile when you wear it.

Hollister was the perfect place to recreate the SoCal style of Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari of Laguna Beach, but how could we forget their iconic perfumes? SoCal was one of our favorites growing up because its fruity scent reminds us of summer.

With its gorgeous packaging and fresh fruity-floral scent, we can’t get enough of this classic Betsey Johnson fragrance. Though it’s definitely more appropriate for teenagers, the nostalgic power of this fragrance will last forever in our hearts.

Similar to Curious by Britney Spears, this was the first perfume for many of us. It’s citrusy with a hint of sweet floral notes, and we love that the packaging gives off Limited Too vibes.

Another fragrance that you can still wear today, this citrusy fragrance never fails to make us smile. It’s both fresh and timeless, proving that fun and happiness never go out of style.