Follow Your Nose: Perfume Founders Predict the Next Trends in Fragrance
April 16 | 5 minute read
Words by Madeleine Boles de Boer
Like fashion, fragrance is constantly evolving – changing with the seasons, the latest innovations and, increasingly, trends. Just like switching up your wardrobe is a signal of self-expression and taste, fragrances can say just as much about who you are and what you’re into.
While I try to not follow trends too much in how I dress (for both the sake of my budget and dwindling closet space), fragrance offers a lower-commitment way to tune into the zeitgeist and experiment with something new and exciting.
In the spirit of staying across what’s new in the world of fragrance, we asked some of the industry’s coolest names to look into their crystal balls and share what we should be sniffing out in 2026 and beyond.
Think of it like the band you swear you loved before they made it big – these are the ingredients, profiles and scent trends to take note of now, before they hit the mainstream.
Vanilla, But Make it Fashion
Vanilla scents are among some of the most universally loved, but in 2026, these gourmands are growing up.
“Sweet is no longer playful,” says Jun Lim, founder of buzzy fragrance brand BORNTOSTANDOUT, explaining, “It is darker, richer, more textured. Booze, roast, fermentation, even a hint of something slightly off. Less cupcake, more after hours.” For Lim, it’s not so much about smelling edible as it is about indulgence, nuance and showcasing your personality rather than fitting in.
Bee Shapiro of Ellis Brooklyn echoes this idea, signalling a shift toward contrast and experimental combinations within traditional gourmands: “I think salty and umami notes will continue to be interesting. Vanilla Salt EDP is a good example of this where there is both sweet and salty.”
Have you ever put a scent on in the morning, and by lunch you can’t remember if you even spritzed? Same, and founders are taking note.
“Concentration is rising, fast,” says Lim. “Consumers are more educated now, and with that comes expectation – longevity is no longer a luxury or a niche preference; it is becoming the new standard. People want a scent that stays with them throughout the day, not one that only makes an entrance and disappears.”
Along with longevity, scent profiles are becoming bolder and more direct. Kavi and David Moltz of Brooklyn house D.S. & DURGA describe this as a trend toward “opulent Eastern perfumes”, with a distinct trend increase in musk notes - like the profiles of the brand's Coriander and Radio Bombay.
Scents of Self
Wearing one signature scent is all well and good – but building a collection is even better.
Says Lim, “People are building fragrance wardrobes – not collections for display, but for daily use; one for morning, one for night, one for mood, one for the version of themselves they want to step into.”
He describes it as “thinking about scent the way [you] think about clothing”: “A fragrance is no longer expected to do everything – it just needs to do one thing well and earn its place in a larger personal wardrobe.”
For Shapiro, this wardrobe approach also allows fragrances to do more than just smell nice – instead, they're offering a form of escapism through their power to capture the imagination. “The feeling I have right now is that the world is very unstable and I love to escape via a scent trip. Take me on a scent vacation!” she says.
“Historically, fruits were very blended into fragrances, to [the point] where you couldn't recognise the fruits easily,” explains Shapiro. “Looking ahead, I could see fruits being the headline for fragrances instead.”
[Editor’s note: If we're getting specific, my money's on guava – Ellis Brooklyn’s Guava Granita EDP and BORNTOSTANDOUT’s Black Guava Extrait Extrême, anyone?]
Legendary British perfumer Lyn Harris, founder of Perfumer H, has a similar philosophy, making natural notes – rain, wood, ivy and charcoal, to name a few, alongside more traditional florals, spices and citrus – the heroes in her fragrances.
“I don’t follow trends… But it has always been my mission to celebrate naturals in perfumery. A fragrance is not a fragrance without science, but the magic comes from this balance between science and nature,” she says.
You’ll find mandarin, bergamot and peach notes alongside rose and neroli in her Rose With Insect EDP, tangerine in her Heliotrope EDP and fig fruit, leaves and sap in the appropriately named Fig EDP.
