2026 Fragrance Trends Signal Towards Layered Fruits And Mature Gourmands

After having a year saturated in vanilla, Middle Eastern scent profiles and musky scents, we’re entering 2026 with a question — Is the course of fragrances flipping back a few pages to the internet’s frenzy over 2016 or evolving in what would define 2026 in its own right? Turns out, it’s a bit of both. This year, we are expecting a berry-licious summer, followed by spiced notes and caffeinated kicks for the transitional weather and amber sparking through winter galas. With insights from the best in the business, these are our picks for scents that are likely to be on every shelf this year.  

The Berry Renaissance

Lately, we all have been meaning to smell like our favourite drinks and desserts. Adding to the list of familiar notes of puddings and vanilla lattes, as witnessed last year, are berry scents. Sweet and tarty, playful and sassy, berry scents have officially entered the season with releases like Phlur Vanilla Blackberry, YSL Libre Berry Crush and Miu Miu Miutine EDP with its strawberry notes. Walking the line, as explored by classics like Paco Rabanna Armure Mara, is reminiscent of youthful times, and will be interpreted into various concoctions as the season evolves. While winter might experience a dramatic take on berry notes like Devil’s Berry by Fraganote, spring blooms into fresh and juicier notes as seen in Burberry Her EDP.

“What further elevates berry notes is their strong layering capability. They blend seamlessly with musks, adding softness and sensuality, and pair naturally with woody or amber accords, which introduce warmth, structure, and longevity. This allows fragrances to open fresh and lively while gradually unfolding into something richer and more dimensional, moving well beyond simple fruit-forward profiles,” adds Garima Kakkar, Founder, Fraganote. Even if berry notes are something you tend to avoid, the placement and pairing of the scent might take you by surprise.

Not Your Average Citrus

It is impossible to miss the citrus counterpart of gourmand when talking about fragrance trends this year. Visibly so, passion fruits and pineapple scents seem to have been crawling their way back up into scent almirahs of 2026. With releases like Oud Majacujá by Maison Crivelli, the overdosage of fruits in fragrance is taking over. “These notes tap into a broader fruity renaissance where perfume compositions favour freshness and emotional positivity over heavy sweetness,” comments Garima Kakkar. Be it a scent as experimental as a Banoffee or something saturated in fruit extract as seen in Juliette Has a Gun Pear Inc and Dear Diary's Irreplaceable, the fruits this season are in for sensory play beyond the visual presence in marketing seen last year.  

When asked specifically about pineapple and passion fruit notes, Garima expands, “Pineapple and other tropical fruits like passionfruit are surging in the industry because they deliver energetic, fresh and emotionally uplifting brightness — a scent language that instantly uplifts mood, travel escape and joyous optimism. This playful yet sophisticated fruit momentum is encouraging people to explore bolder, lively accords that match emotional states — from energetic mornings to relaxed weekends.”

Spiced Vanilla And Fantasy Accords 

“When we talk about vanilla today, it’s no longer about a single, sweet note,” says Snigdha Suman, General Manager, Avon. Love for vanilla is unlikely to dry down this season, but something we will witness this year is mature scent profiles incorporating vanilla. Think similar accords to Burberry Goddess, and Prada Intense, or prominence of notes like ginger, pink pepper and nutmeg. These scents bring about a depth to the profile while posing as bold and mysterious. 

Snigdha explains, “Spiced and fantasy accords add depth and contrast, preventing vanilla from feeling flat or overdone and instead making it more modern and sensorial. These layers allow vanilla to evolve, sometimes warm and comforting, sometimes bold and unexpected, keeping the fragrance experience fresh. As consumers in 2026 look for familiarity with a twist, vanilla anchored with spice and imaginative accords will sit at the centre of trends.” To add to the same, there would be a significant rise in nuttier and buttery accords and profiles this year that are warm and woody in nature, rooted back to the rise of pistachio, which further evolves into almond lookalikes. Making us wonder if vanilla for vanilla’s sake has completed its cycle and is ready for a revamp with nuttier and spiced accords.

Amber & The Leather Weather

The rise of intense and saturated scents took over last year’s perfume scene. This year, the love for amber and leather is likely to take over the fall/winter. With winter asking for moodier, grimmer, more dramatic scents, with a special emphasis on depth and character, you might find the winter smelling like a cowboy tavern. The scents are likely to grow into boozy and caffeinated tones as the year progresses, but the prominence of amber and leather would be seen throughout.

“These notes bring warmth, richness and a sense of quiet confidence that feels grounding in an increasingly fast-paced world. Amber adds a glowing, enveloping quality, while leather introduces structure and sophistication, creating long-lasting, memorable compositions. We’re also seeing a shift towards gender-fluid and statement fragrances, where these deep bases work beautifully across preferences. We view amber and leather as timeless foundations that can be reinterpreted in modern ways, softer, smoother and more wearable for everyday use. Their return reflects a desire for scents that feel personal, enduring and expressive rather than fleeting.” Snigdha concludes. 

Zen Scents For The Soul

Given the cathartic tone of 2025, we all can take some zen home in ‘26. The prevalence of skin scents and scents that sit on the adjacent end of the intense profiles is going to be a heavy inclination. These Zen Accords might just be the lighter, closer-to-skin fragrance that you’ve been looking for. “Rooted in calm, clarity, and understated elegance, they (zen scents) favour clean, green, and delicately floral aquatic accords that create balance rather than bold projection. In 2026, this category is set to rise as consumers redefine luxury, shifting from flamboyance to intentional wellbeing. Fragrance is no longer just worn; it becomes a ritual of focus, serenity, and sensory harmony, essential to modern living. Zen scents reflect a refined way of living, where calm becomes the ultimate indulgence and subtlety the new statement,” adds Manish Gupta, CEO, Fragrances and Accessories Division, Titan Company Limited.

Having witnessed the resurgence of tea-based scents last year, with fragrances like Bvlgari Eau Parfumée Au Thé Blanc with its white tea notes, SKINN by Titan Sheer and Kilian Paris Bamboo Harmony Eau de Parfum making it to scent wardrobes, this year we are more likely to carry similar scents to travel and work. And zen scents might be the calm after the scentmaxxing from last year that we desperately needed.