Marie Claire 2026 Fragrance Awards Event Recap: Photos

If you want to know what the Marie Claire Beauty Team has been up to over the past few months? Well, here are the SparkNotes. We were each tasked with spraying, wearing, and evaluating nearly 1,000 fragrances on a mission to discover exactly which scents (and body products and home scents) would bring in the most compliments, last the longest, and spark tremendous joy. The result: an expertly edited list of the 62 best scents of 2026, otherwise known as the Marie Claire 2026 Fragrance Awards.

But what’s the point of an award if you’re not going to celebrate it? That’s very much a rhetorical question, and precisely why we gathered nearly 200 of the biggest names in the fragrance world at Nine Orchard Hotel in New York City last Thursday, June 4, to honor each and every well-deserved winner. We had noses responsible for creating our favorites in attendance (and yes, we obviously picked their brains about upcoming fragrance trends), as well as marketing executives, brand founders, and freelance writers.

The goal of the party? Eat, drink, mingle, and take in the picturesque skyline atop the Nine Orchard rooftop. While the views are the true star, we did spruce up the space with gorgeous flowers from Seeking Florals (@seeking_floral_arrangments), and have live jazz music playing in the background courtesy of Elan Artists (@elanartists), and photo opportunities with the incredible Sabrina Steck (@sabrina_steck). Of course, it wouldn’t be a Marie Claire Frangrance Awards party without the incredible Susanna Merick, founder of Aura Wear (@aurawearnyc). Every year, we try to step things up a notch, so in addition to Merick’s iconic intuitive aura read, guests were also received an aura photograph.

But the most special part of the evening is the conversation, which, obviously, is always about fragrance. And let me just say, you’ll learn a thing or two about the state of the industry when you spend three hours in a room with a bunch of fragrance nerds. There are new launches in the pipeline that I have a sneaky suspicion will make an appearance at next year’s celebration. In the meantime, scroll ahead to take a peek inside the 2026 Fragrance Awards event.

Of course, we had Marie Claire custom cocktails—with branded orange peels to boot.

Chatting about fragrance was in full force.

The Marie Claire Beauty Team (and our noses) are very relieved our Fragrance Awards is out in the world.

It was a big week for the AKT founders—they also helped sponsor the Tony Awards!

Guests probably talking about a secret 2027 launch.

Who doesn't love a trophy?

We'd like to thank the New York City weather for being the perfect 75 degrees and sunny.

Word from the wise: book a private appointment with @aurawearnyc if you want to be read like a book.

Every winner was able to take home a special, engraved trophy.

This live jazz music was the perfect backdrop.

We don't mess around with our gift bags—each contained nearly $1,500 worth of product.

A moment for this gorgeous step and repeat.

Beauty Director Hannah Baxter and Executive Editor Andrea Stanley gave some opening remarks to welcome guests and celebrate the success of the 2026 Fragrance Awards.

What's better than a MC Fragrance Award and this skyline?

What MC Fragrance Awards winner do we think they're wearing in this photo?

Beauty Director Hannah Baxter probably talking about her newest fragrance obsession.

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Samantha Holender is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and shares the breakdown on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty space. She's studied up on every ingredient you'll find on INCI list and is constantly in search of the world's glowiest makeup products. She's constantly tracking the biggest nail and hair trends to pop up in the beauty space, going backstage during fashion weeks, tracking celebrity looks, and constantly talking to celebrity hair stylists, nail artists, and makeup artists. Prior to joining the team, she worked as Us Weekly’s Beauty and Style Editor, where she stayed on the pulse of pop culture and broke down celebrity beauty routines, hair transformations, and red carpet looks. Her words have also appeared on Popsugar, Makeup.com, Skincare.com, Delish.com, and Philadelphia Wedding. Samantha also serves as a board member for the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). She first joined the organization in 2018, when she worked as an editorial intern at Food Network Magazine and Pioneer Woman Magazine. Samantha has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While at GWU, she was a founding member of the school’s HerCampus chapter and served as its President for four years. When she’s not deep in the beauty closet or swatching eyeshadows, you can find her obsessing over Real Housewives and all things Bravo. Keep up with her on Instagram @samholender.