Short answer
Yes, at home, for her husband, and among women and mahram relatives. What is haram is wearing a scent that non-mahram men can smell when she goes out, including to the mosque. Unscented or very light products whose smell does not spread are fine. All four schools agree.
Perfume is permitted and good for a woman at home and among those she may show her adornment to. Going out wearing a scent that reaches non-mahram men is haram. Light deodorant or soap whose smell does not carry is not included.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Scent is part of a woman's adornment, and the Quran lists who may see a woman's adornment: her husband, her mahram relatives and other women. The Prophet ﷺ was very direct about the opposite case: a woman who puts on perfume and passes by men so they can smell it is sinning gravely. He also told women who come to the mosque not to wear perfume.
The scholars took from another hadith that a woman's scent should be one whose colour shows and whose smell stays hidden, while a man's is the reverse. In other words, a woman's public scent should not announce her.
Common questions:
- Deodorant: use an unscented or light one. Avoiding body odour is part of cleanliness.
- Scented shampoo or lotion: a faint smell that only someone very close would notice is not the issue. A strong fragrance that fills a room is.
- Workplace or university: the same rule applies. Keep the perfume for home.
- At a women-only event: perfume is fine, as long as you will not walk past men on the way while it is strong.
- For your husband: it is encouraged.
For alcohol-based perfumes, see is perfume with alcohol haram. For going to the mosque, see women in the mosque.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Noor 24:31
وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَٰرِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ أَخَوَٰتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُهُنَّ أَوِ ٱلتَّٰبِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُو۟لِى ٱلْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ أَوِ ٱلطِّفْلِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَىٰ عَوْرَٰتِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۖ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ ۚ وَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٣١﴾
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
A woman's adornment, including her scent, is for her husband, mahrams and other women.
Sunan an-Nasa'i 5126
Grading to be checked... أيما امرأة استعطرت فمرت على قوم ليجدوا من ريحها فهي زانية ...
"Any woman who puts on perfume and passes by people so that they smell her scent is an adulteress."
A strong warning against wearing scent for non-mahram men to notice.
Sahih Muslim 443
Sahih... إذا شهدت إحداكن المسجد فلا تمس طيبا ...
"When one of you attends the mosque, she should not touch perfume."
Even for the mosque, a woman does not go out perfumed.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hazr wa al-Ibaha. A woman going out adorned and perfumed in front of non-mahram men is forbidden.
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Karahiyya, chapter on adornment. Adornment for the husband is encouraged.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.