On The Scent… of NEWS: The Marie Claire Fragrance Awards, Jo Malone London’s Pinterest move, and more
Our regular round-up of events, innovations, awards and other scented excitement, to keep your finger on the pulse of all things fragrant. WORDS: JO FAIRLEY
The votes are in for the Marie Claire Fragrance Awards
Winner of ‘Best Skin Scent’, Mabelle O’Rama, with her ‘sustainable’ Marie Claire trophy
On The Scent’s own Suzy Nightingale and Nicola Bonn were among the expert judges who sniffed their way through this year’s entries to decide the winners of 2026’s Awards. Presented at Nammos in Mayfair earlier this week, they’re a specialist ‘sister’ to the coveted Marie Claire Awards, which span the whole beauty landscape.
Below, the fragrant winners in full. And do you agree with Suzy, Nicola and their fellow adjudicators, Mowa Osifeso, Thomas Dunckley, Clémence Pellé, who judged the scents and provided scores based on perfume family, innovation, longevity and packaging.…?
Click to read more about each of the fragrances, candles or scented body products online. (And congrats to all the winners.)
SCENT PROFILES
BEST WOOD FRAGRANCE Granado Amazônico
BEST FLORAL FRAGRANCE Grandiflora Sandrine
BEST MUSKY FRAGRANCE Gritti Muskaria
BEST CITRUS Jorum Studio Risso
BEST SKIN SCENT Mabelle O’Rama Lunar Dust
BEST GREEN FRAGRANCE Free Yourself Aether
BEST FRUIT Véronique Gabai Délices des Bois
BEST GOURMAND Maison Louise Marie No.15 Vanille Infinie
BEST AMBER EX NIHILO Blue Talisman Extrait De Parfum
BEST CHYPRE Brunello Cucinelli Brezza Gentile
BEST SPICY Atelier Versace Safran Royal
BEST OUD Dolce&Gabbana Velvet Desert Oud
THE NEW GUARD
BEST COLLABORATION MEMO Paris Cap Camarat x Olimpia Zagnoli
BEST DISRUPTOR Bond No. 9 NoMad Eau De Parfum
BEST NEW FRAGRANCE (INDIE) L’OBJET Blindfold
BEST EXTENSION Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Intense
BEST NICHE MEN’S FRAGRANCE Lalique Encre Noire
BEST NICHE WOMEN’S FRAGRANCE Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady
WINNER (TEAM FAVOURITE) Atelier Rebul Parfum Artisanal Nomad Travel Case
BEST NEW FRAGRANCE (DESIGNER) Versace Crystal Emerald
BEYOND THE BOTTLE
BEST BODY WASH NEOM Wellbeing Feeling Grounded Body Wash
BEST ROOM SPRAY Tyler Aromatherapy The Sanctuary Mist
BEST BODY OIL Uni Golden Microalgae Body Oil
BEST FRAGRANCE CAMPAIGN Jo Malone London English Pear (with Lizzy and Georgia May Jagger)
BEST NEW FRAGRANCE (MEN’S) Bond No.9 Lafayette Street
BEST NEW FRAGRANCE (WOMEN’S) Bond No.9 Tribeca
BEST INNOVATION (FRAGRANCE) Creed Oud Zarian
BEST NICHE FRAGRANCE BOTTLE Atkinsons Born For Eternity
BEST DISCOVERY COLLECTION Balenciaga Le Dix Collection
PHOTO: Courtesy Marie Claire. PHOTOGRAPHER: Eglė Tolušytė
MODERN CLASSICS
BEST EAU DE TOILETTE Escentric Molecules M+ Champaca
BEST EAU DE PARFUM LBTY Fragrance Zephirine
BEST EAU DE EXTRAIT Maison Crivelli Musc Nurāsana
BEST DESIGNER FRAGRANCE BOTTLE Balmain Beauty Destin de Balmain
BEST WOMEN’S DESIGNER FRAGRANCE Miu Miu Miutine Eau de Parfum
BEST MEN’S DESIGNER FRAGRANCE Montblanc Explorer Extreme Parfum
BEST WOMEN’S LUXURY Parfums de Marly ATHÉNAÏS
BEST HIGH STREET FRAGRANCE Yardley London Vibrant Peony Eau De Parfum
BEST OVERALL WOMEN’S FRAGRANCE Tom Ford Beauty Black Orchid Eau de Parfum
BEST OVERALL MEN’S FRAGRANCE BOSS BOSS Bottled Eau de Toilette
BEST OVERALL COLLECTION Chloé Atelier des Fleurs, The Mediterranean Essences
BEST BRITISH FRAGRANCE Connock England Verdant Eau De Parfum
MOST NOSTALGIC FRAGRANCE Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue EDT
BEYOND THE BOTTLE
BEST BODY CREAM INITIO Parfums Privés Musk Therapy Body Cream
BEST SCENTED CANDLE (NEW) Diptyque Café (Coffee) Candle
BEST-SCENTED HAND DUO Bamford Geranium Hand & Body Wash and Hand & Body Lotion
BEST DIFFUSER Atelier Rebul J.C.R. Reed Diffuser
BEST SCENTED CANDLE (SHOWSTOPPER) Atelier Rebul J.C.R. XXL Scented Candle
BEST SCENTED CANDLE (CLASSIC) Jo Malone London Lime, Basil & Mandarin Candle
BEST INNOVATION – BODY Aromatherapy Associates Support Breathe Shower Mist
BEST BODY MIST Orebella Nectar Dew Hair & Body Perfume Mist
SCENTED CANDLE (TEAM FAVOURITE) The Perfumer's Story by Azzi Old Books Candle
For more on the Awards, visit marieclaire.co.uk
Could Pinterest fast-track you to your next perfect scent match?
That’s what Jo Malone London are betting on. Exclusive to Pinterest in the US and France (so far), they have partnered with Scent Scanner, an image-led AI tool that turns users’ saved pens into personalised scent wardrobe recommendations.
It builds, we’re told, on the success of Jo Malone London's AI Scent Advisor, introduced in 2025, offering a new way for consumers to find their personalised scent – but ‘shifting the starting point from words to images,’ say Jo Malone London’s ‘parent’, Estée Lauder Companies. ‘While the AI Scent Advisor invited consumers to describe the scent they were seeking, Scent Scanner reads visual inspiration – imagery, colour palettes, textures, destinations, rituals and aesthetics – to suggest fragrances suited to each individual. With their permission, Pinners can connect a Pinterest board from their profile and the Scent Scanner analyses the visual cues, themes and metadata in their saved content to build a curated fragrance pairing – a personalised set of Jo Malone London scents that are instantly shoppable on jomalone.com.
Watch this space for news of when it may land in the UK. (We’re already building our boards.)
Fragrance nerds: have you bagged your place at IFRA 2026?
Organised by the International Fragrance Association, this is a day in the calendar that we look forward to all year, with utterly riveting sessions featuring scientists, academics and other scent experts, all resonating with IFRA’s ‘desire to explore the sense of smell in all its facets and from many perspectives.’
Many of our ideas for magazine and online articles have been shaped by the insights we gather at IFRA conferences, and our Little Black Books have filled with the contacts for knowledgeable fragrance folk who can help us deep-dive into different scent-related subjects. And as IFRA explain it, ‘stakeholders, academics, journalists and interested parties are invited to celebrate the rich and diverse world of fragrance and olfaction and how it relates to the world around us.’
The IFRA UK Fragrance Forum will take place on 8th October at the Royal Institution in London, from 10.30am – 4.30pm ; registration is open until 23rd September at the following link:
To read more about securing your place, click here (tickets are available for non-members).
Suddenly, that mop looks much sexier
The functional fragrance market is booming. (Global estimates are as high as £12 billion for 2026.) We’ve had orange blossom-scented dishwashing liquids. Surface cleaners that smell of blonde woods. And now, British home cleaning brand Purdy & Figg have launched their debut Floor Clean, capturing their three all-time bestselling scents – Patchouli & Cedarwood, Vetiver & Coriander Seed and Geranium & Lemon. As they put it, ‘There’s nothing like giving your floor the best clean of its life.’
And we will certainly be showing ours a whole lotta love.
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