Refinery29 Editors Name Top 2026 Fragrances

Refinery29's beauty editors have announced their 2026 fragrance awards. The list names 29 scents across nine categories. It includes luxury perfumes and affordable drugstore finds.

The editors spent years testing and discussing scents. They see fragrance as a constant in their lives. It's worn everywhere from the office to the gym. The awards aim to highlight scents worth a consumer's time, money, and shelf space.

Best New Fragrance

Byredo's Future Memories Eau de Parfum is named the best new fragrance. Refinery29's beauty director, Jacqueline Kilikita, predicts it will become the brand's most famous scent. She thinks it could usurp classics like Bal D'Afrique and Gypsy Water. It's a blend of vanilla-steeped whiskey, tobacco-like iris butter, orange blossom, and salty musk. Kilikita compares it to a 1920s speakeasy. She claims the scent has exceptional lasting power. It remained on a jacket for over a month.

Best Luxury and Drugstore Picks

Penhaligon's Halfeti Eau de Parfum wins best luxury fragrance. Kilikita calls it expensive and seductive. It has notes of saffron, cardamom, nutmeg, sandalwood, amber, and musk. She notes its enduring popularity a decade after launch. Nothing else compares, she says.

Le Monde Gourmand's Tomate Bébé is the best drugstore fragrance. Senior beauty writer Karina Hoshikawa describes it as vegetable-forward. It blends green pepper, tomato leaf, basil, lemon verbena, ambrox, and caramel. The scent was created with Los Angeles restaurant Jon & Vinny's.

Best Niche and Designer Scents

Ex Nihilo's Demon Dancer is best niche fragrance. Kilikita states it surpasses other popular scents from the house. It beats Blue Talisman and Fleur Narcotique. Its intriguing edge comes from tart rhubarb, peppermint, and blackcurrant. This is grounded by tonka and musk.

Miu Miu's Miutine Eau de Parfum is best designer fragrance. Hoshikawa argues it captures the strawberry note better than other recent launches. The scent features strawberry, gardenia, brown sugar, and vanilla. It is the brand's first new fragrance in six years.

Celebrity and Genderless Fragrances

Billie Eilish's Your Turn II Eau de Parfum is best celebrity fragrance. Hoshikawa reports the singer revealed it was an earlier sample she loved. It had not been released. The scent blends jammy fig and cassis with vetiver and olibanum. It is noted for its lasting power.

Lore's Somewhere but Nowhere Eau de Parfum wins best genderless category. Hoshikawa says she immediately wanted to smell it on her husband. The fragrance has a heart of cedarwood. It includes cardamom, black tea, and a touch of whipped vanilla cream.

Best for Everyday and Longevity

Merit's Retrospect L'Extrait is best everyday fragrance. Hoshikawa describes it as effortless yet impactful. Notes include bergamot, pear, jasmine, rose, violet, vanilla, musk, and moss. Its extrait concentration provides all-day wear.

Diptyque's Orphéon Eau de Parfum is best for long-lasting scent. Kilikita recounts smelling it on a coat unworn for over a year. She calls it a paradox of juniper berries with cedarwood, jasmine, and tonka bean. It finishes powdery and comforting.

**Best Compliment-Earner**

Glossier You Doux Eau de Parfum is the best compliment-earning fragrance. Hoshikawa says it earned her many compliments. It was a contender for her wedding day scent. It features toasted palo santo, violet, frankincense, and myrrh over a musky ambrox base.