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As 2025 comes to a close, Launch Digest is taking a beat to slow down and reflect on the past year. We’re breaking down 2025’s biggest trends in some of our favorite product categories in order to set the stage for some big picture predictions for 2026.
Fragrance exploded in 2025, bolstered by influencers sharing seasonal favorites and brands across hair, beauty, skincare, and home categories imbuing their offerings with signature scents. I checked in with experts from the brands that created two of my favorite scents of 2025 about their perspective on the year’s biggest fragrance trends, and where we’re headed next.
Wearable fragrance was overwhelmingly dominated this year by punchy, gourmand scents. Charlotte Croonenberghs, President of North America for Baobab Collection, told me that in 2025, she noticed gourmand as a trend in home fragrances as well: “Just like in personal fragrances, gourmand accords were on the rise, reinforcing a strong sense of comfort and warmth.” Woody fragrances were also very on-trend, Croonenberghs told me. “Woods were very popular, with notes such as cedarwood and pine trees creating grounded, enveloping interiors.”
Croonenberghs believes 2026 will have a different path. “Fragrances evoking lavender fields and eucalyptus bring a lighter, more breathable atmosphere into the home. Fresh green and floral notes promote groundedness, balance, and a deeper sense of calm and wellbeing.” Baobab Collection’s upcoming SS26 collection will reflect those new trends with lavender notes.
Abel founder Frances Shoemack predicts a new era of subtlety in wearable fragrance. “2026 will mark a noticeable move away from so-called beast mode’ fragrances; scents designed to fill a room before you enter it. As people become more mindful of personal space and sensory consideration, oversized projection is starting to feel almost impolite. In its place, we’ll see a rise in ‘come closer’ fragrances.”
Shoemack also predicts one major lifestyle shift in our relationship to scent: “The days of a single signature scent are in the past for many who’re embracing fragrance wardrobes. 2026 will see layering become far more intuitive and experimental, with people building combinations that reflect mood, time of day, or even intention.”
Fragrance as mood ring and vision board, rather than set identity. Per Shoemack, people want “fragrances that play well together, shift character depending on how they’re worn, and feel personal rather than prescriptive.” I couldn’t agree more – as people develop a more subtle understanding of fragrance’s relationship to mood and season, we’re sure to see a more expansive, playful approach to how we build out our “scent wardrobes” in 2026.
Here are the 5 best new fragrance launches of 2025, sure to invite others to ‘come closer’ in 2026, too:
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My absolute favorite scent of the year was Abel’s Cyan Nori – one of the reasons I was so excited to hear from Abel founder Frances Shoemack. It unfolds in a wholly unexpected way, introducing layers of citrus and salty, marine notes as you wear it. Unexpected scents like this will be a big trend in 2026, says Shoemack. “As consumers grow weary of formulaic fragrance structures, 2026 will celebrate unconventional notes — compositions that surprise, with texture, contrast, and a point of view…Expect to see more perfumers experimenting with contrasts like metallics, smoke, vegetal greens and mineral facets — scents that feel alive and just a little unexpected.”
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Best Scented Hand Cream:
As I wrote in our Sagittarius Gift Guide, applying the soothing Maison Louis Marie Hand Cream in No. 14 Icila has become a part of my daily writing and wind down routines. The bright jasmine notes are anchored by dark plum and vanilla flower, making the scent subtly floral without being overpoweringly sweet.
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Best Fragrance Collab:
Pairing the ultra hydrating Crown Affair Leave In Conditioner (one of my go-to leave in products) with DS & Durga’s signature I Don’t Know What scent was a perfect fit. A perfumer friend gave me I Don’t Know What to layer on top of florals that felt too powdery or sweet, and it opened up a whole new category of fragrances for me. The bergamot and vetiver scent was developed to layer with DS & Durga’s other fragrances, making it an ideal, subtle hair scent to blend with whatever fragrances you wear on your body.
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Best Home Scent:
The best home fragrance of 2025 was another limited edition scent, Baobab Collection Folia Calanque from their summer Folia collection. The green tea, musk, and bergamot was presented in a beautiful hand-crafted ceramic vessel inspired by the rugged coast of the Côte D’Azur. Though its initial run sold out, you can still find it in stock at select online retailers. While I hope the scent is brought back next year, I’m excited to try more of their bespoke candles in intriguing scents like the leather, plum, and rose-forward Stones Marble and the woody Sand Siloli.
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Best Floral:
Initially introduced as a limited edition fragrance, Maison Francis Kurkdjian Le Beau Parfum joined its My Very Intimate Perfumes collection this year. The white floral is delicate and perfectly balanced, blending ylang-ylang, jasmine, orange blossom, and tuberose. It’s sunny and enveloping without being overpowering. Like all Maison Francis Kurkdjian scents, it’s sophisticated and luxurious, with an unexpected edge.
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Happy shopping. Email me directly – hannah@thequalityedit.com – with any launches you’d like to see in the spotlight, or DM us over @thequalityedit.
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