I Tested Hundreds of Perfumes This Year—These 10 Won My Heart During the 2026 'Marie Claire' Fragrance Awards
A beauty director's personal favorites.
Inch by inch, my fragrance collection is taking over my vanity. Glass bottles also perch precariously on every part of my desk at the office, waiting until I find a moment to spritz and assess whether or not I’m bringing them home to join my happy perfume family. Earlier this year, the Marie Claire beauty team spent hours, days, weeks sniffing and spraying the best of the best new fragranced products—we included candles, detergents, cleaning sprays, gift sets and more—to find the 62 winners of the 2026 Fragrance Awards. When I tell you I smelled nearly 1,000 different scents, I’m not kidding. This was a beauty editor’s dream scenario, even if I needed to stick my head out the window a few times to reset my nose during busy testing days.
Of course, fragrance is so subjective, so even though there were six of us ranking the winners, we all had our favorites of the bunch. So, without further ado, these are the 10 fragrances that stole my heart and convinced me to reassess my summer perfume lineup.
Surprise Hits
I have my go-to fragrance brands, but I’m always delighted to discover an unexpected winner. These were just a few of the surprises I found during testing.
The winner of our Best Overall Men’s Fragrance, Indie, is a unisex scent I’ve quickly folded into my summer scent lineup. The pear and bergamot open with a juicy, sun-warmed brightness, while the musks and woods pull the blend somewhere darker and more interesting.
While milky perfumes have been trending for a while, they’ve never really appealed to me, to be quite honest. That’s until I sniffed this golden nectar, coastal lavender, marine salt, and amber milk blend. Gen Z is onto something here—it’s gone TikTok viral for a reason.
The Stalwarts
I knew these scents would be winners before we even started testing—they’re just that delectable.
I adore The Maker Lover so much—it’s the closest I’ll get to a signature scent. This new release is part of a sister duo of scents, but this sandalwood, rice milk, freesia, and orchid combination is pure perfection.
Hermès rarely misses with its fragrances, and the newest launch reminded me just how much I adore floral and mineral scents (because this is the perfect combination of both). I receive endless compliments after I spritz this on in the morning.
The Affordable Cuties
Fragrance doesn’t always have to break the bank—even though I love a luxury perfume as much as the next girl. These winners are under $100 and still manage to dazzle.
Lore has been the biggest breakout star of the last year in the perfume world, and it easily won our Best Aquatic Scent category. A musk and sea salt-forward fragrance, it’s perfect for those hot summer days when you wish you were at the beach in a teeny tiny bikini.
Pistachio is quickly becoming the buzziest fragrance note for 2026, and Dime captures it beautifully with this perfume. The addition of tonka bean and cashmere musk make it cozy and captivating for any fragrance fan.
Luxury Lovers
What can I say? I love a little luxury. These scents are the perfect reminder that you always deserve the finer things in life.
You don’t get much more luxurious than a Clive Christian perfume. This musk scent is already legendary, especially among the beauty team at Marie Claire, as it smells like pure wealth and sophistication. Musk lovers, this is one perfume you can’t miss.
I’m on a mission to collect all the Dries Van Noten perfumes that I can fit in my apartment—I mean, just look at this bottle. The woody-meets-green scent marries fig and sandalwood for a delectable perfume that demands attention.
Take It Home
Beautiful scents aren’t just limited to your perfume, as evidenced by the winners of our home care categories. These two immediately stood out to me.
Dare I say, I like cleaning my apartment, as long as this surface cleaner is in the mix. Cedarwood, cardamom, and leather create the most refreshing fragrance. I’m on a mission to get the brand to launch a body spray version.
Don’t underestimate the power of a beautifully scented laundry detergent. Nothing beats wrapping yourself up in sheets that smell like citrus and bergamot.
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