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5 Best Perfumes of Winter 2026
A week into 2026, we can now say that fragrance truly outperformed makeup and skin care in 2025 when considering the beauty industry at large, as measured by a year-over-year increase in sales, searches, and new launches. What this means? All the relevant predictions — like a 2024 McKinsey report stating that “each category [of the global beauty market is] projected to experience increased retail sales by 2028,” with fragrance being “forecasted to lead this growth” — came full circle.
The perfume industry is as ripe as ever, and whatever people’s motivations are for diving headfirst into the world of scents (some experts believe fragrance has usurped lipstick’s spot as our generation’s newest recession indicator), the proof is in the data-pudding — a younger slice of society is interested in perfume ownership; people now own more extensive perfume collections (or what are called “fragrance wardrobes”) than in years prior; and buyers are increasingly drawn to the kinds of scent profiles that cause them to feel something, making this beauty category nothing if not emotionally salient.
But, when push comes to shove, what fragrances are actually worth the investment in 2026? There’s no such thing as a be-all and end-all purchase in this case, just like we’d be foolish to recommend “the only dry-skin moisturizer you’ll ever need.” Instead, certain trends are taking shape that are worth using as a shopping rubric of sorts: molded not only by how consumers actually spend their money on fragrances but the kinds of messages they’re spreading about them on social media.
TikTok‘s resident fragrance fanatics, for instance, are slowly but surely leaving one-dimensional sweet smellers in the past — swapping out the vanillas of the world for complex, saccharine-adjacent formulations with character, commonly featuring layers of nuttiness, milkiness, and even booziness (Sephora’s dedicated “Boozy Fragrances” section is replete with bestsellers that put rum accord and bourbon front and center). So too are the chronically online perfume-collection chroniclers leaving sweetness behind altogether, resorting to unexpected infusions of leather, intense woods, and even frankincense during the crisp winter months.
“Smellmaxxing” is a term that came and went, referring to the ways in which the Gen Z populace (particularly teenage boys) went on — and documented — their journeys of finding signature scents in order to come off as more attractive. But the conversation around scents as a whole is only gaining steam, and our editors are coming in hot with our own, tried-and-true perfume recommendations of 2026.
No matter if you’re exclusively in pursuit of a pretty bottle to double as an objet d’art (that’s a more common driver of perfume purchases in this day and age than you think), are finally ready to give into the well-deserved Parfums de Marly Valaya hype, or want to go the nutty route and say “yes” to something pistachio-laced and cardamom-injected, consider this shopping list a how-to on smelling your best, feeling your best, and turning heads in every room you enter this year.
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Rabanne Phantom in Red Parfum Intense
What it will feel like: Dancing ’til closing at a Berlin nightclub; bodies everywhere, eyes locked on that special someone; letting the softness of the almost-accidental lavender here be overtaken by the fiery (saffron) and the heady (plum liquor), just as you’re letting yourself get completely engulfed by desire; feeling the earthiness of your own sweat creep in, which turns out to be no match for the earthiness of Phantom in Red’s amber, tobacco, and oud.
Why it’s special: The most intense manifestation of Rabanne’s beloved Phantom line for men, this perfume packs a long-lasting punch that won’t have you reaching for reapplications throughout the day. It’s one of the only fragrance bestsellers on the market that takes advantage of plum liquor — fusing 2026’s perfume trends of more sophisticated gourmands and boozy concoctions — and is refillable (because something this rich is meant to be used for a lifetime).
Notes: Lavender, benzoin, amber, plum liquor, saffron, lavender, oud
Price upon publish date of this article: $150
D.S. & Durga Pistachio Eau de Parfum
What it will feel like: Biting into your first gelato of the season, because only a bite can reflect how ravenous you are for all that summer has to offer; being stunned by said gelato’s unexpected burst of saltiness; teleporting back to the pistachio gelatos of seasons past, and with them youth and with youth a kind of intentional carelessness; deciding, just for a day, to be careless again — to let the sensation of the sun on your face and the taste in your mouth overwhelm all else.
Why it’s special: Perfume shoppers are getting picky — evidenced by the recent shunning of flat vanilla and caramel formulas in favor of the moody and toasted. Nuts, then, are the It-thing of perfumes in 2026, and this D.S. & Durga standout masters a just-right balance of playfulness, nostalgia, and elegance. Pistachio dominates the scene here, sprinkled very lightly with cardamom, almond, and vanilla creme for depth. Ultimately, the gourmand fragrance ends up coming across as “all around very herbal,” according to reviewers, and we’re also surprised by its pared-back ingredient list on the back (only seven in total — a modern-day rarity).
Notes: Pistachio, cardamom, roasted almond, vanilla creme
Price upon publish date of this article: $300
Tom Ford Myrrhe Mystère Eau de Parfum
What it will feel like: Like the Magi, you travel by night; the journey is long and at turns spiritual and the only constant, save for the seemingly unchanging landscape, is the aromatic resin that trails you; you don’t know how long the trek will last, but there’s a sensual serenity to it that feels grounding; your Star of Bethlehem is all the intimate wishes, taken collectively, that you hold closest to your heart; when night turns to day, the myrrh’s shadowy presence clings on, a musky balm that, though you’re miles and miles from it, feels like home.
Why it’s special: Tom Ford’s 2023 Myrrhe Mystère release is called provocative for a reason — it aces a hard-to-ace structure that folds in heavier, darker notes (myrrh, absinthe essence, sandalwood) with full-of-life jasmines and vanillas. Unisex and sustainably made, this is the kind of scent that also lends itself well to layering, paying dividends through its staying power.
Notes: Myrrh duo, absinthe essence, Australian sandalwood, jasmine absolute, ultra-vanilla accord, black leather accord
Price upon publish date of this article: $195
Dries van Noten Soie Malaquais Eau de Parfum
What it will feel like: You pull out your fountain pen and ink blotter and proceed to write a letter to some faraway duchess or other whom you’ve had the pleasure of meeting in recent months; though the heavy velvet curtains of your study are drawn against the morning, the Brussels sun still manages to scatter its diffused rays across the mahogany floors; with a cup of tea nearby (bergamot), you lose yourself in thought, and the letter-writing takes a backseat to the daydreams; as your father plays his piano in the parlor downstairs, the music becomes a soundtrack to your inner world; soon, it will be time for supper and after that your daily walk in the park, peppered by the season’s first snowfall; the letter still left unfinished.
Why it’s special: Tired of unnecessarily elaborate scent profiles and more-is-more approaches to what we spritz on our bodies, consumers are tapping into soft-spoken and “second-skin” perfumes this winter. Quiet-luxury airiness is thus on the rise in the industry, and it’s hard to find a better fit for the description than Dries van Noten’s Soie Malaquais. A marriage of chestnut and the kind of silk that sometimes swaths the fashion house’s dresses, attended by blackcurrant, cocoa, bergamot, and other guests of honor, the offering is frequently deemed “ethereal” and channels this via its porcelain, Delft-inspired bottle — some of the loveliest packaging we’ve seen to date.
Notes: Bergamot, blackcurrant, rose, silk, chestnut, cocoa
Price upon publish date of this article: $376
Parfums de Marly Valaya Exclusif Parfum
What it will feel like: The thrill of a moonlight-soaked tryst; locking hands with a lover that might or might not stay beyond that night, while thinking nothing of the latter possibility; coming upon an already dew-soaked garden at the peak of summer, somewhere just south of Versailles; inhaling once, twice to discover that it’s laden with almost-ripe fruit varieties and only after glimpsing their vague silhouettes framed by lush leaves, dark wood, and veiled sky.
Why it’s special: Parfums de Marly has managed to transcend its old-school reputation as a French perfume house paying homage to King Louis XV’s legacy and all of its accompanying opulence — now attracting a younger audience with contemporary sensibilities thanks to the virality of its Valaya arrival. This instant icon is a study in contrasts, at once bearing cotton-like softness and the vigor of citrus. Interestingly enough, the layering here intentionally takes a page from the way French court dresses were styled in the late 18th century. Make no mistake, though: The perfume is far from flighty and transparent (as signaled by its opaque bottle). Its trademark femininity is what makes the product sell out on the regular.
Notes: Bergamot, mandarin, white peach, orange flower, nympheal, vetiver, akigalawood, ambrofix, musk
Price upon publish date of this article: $430
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Meet the Author
Stacia Datskovska is a Senior Commerce Writer at WWD. Previously, she worked at ELLE DECOR as an assistant digital editor, covering all things luxury, culture, and lifestyle through a design lens. Her bylines over the past five years have appeared in USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Teen Vogue, Boston Globe, Food & Wine, and more. Prior to joining ELLE DECOR, Datskovska learned the ins and outs of e-commerce at Mashable, where she tested products, covered tentpole sales events, and curated gift guide roundups. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international relations. Datskovska regularly reports on beauty trends and how to shop them most effectively.
