The 3 Fragrance Trends We Endorse

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I don’t love the “signature scent” crowd. I think it’s fun to mix and match, to play around depending on the seasons.For that, I’ve been thinking about a few things this year. Some of these opinions come from fatigue around the TikTok consumption machine; some of them come from what I’ve smelt in the world; some of them come from looking at my own personal shelf and realizing my “variation” never strays far from a leathery amber. Regardless, this is what we’re feeling in 2026.Floral at the ForefrontFlorence SullivanThis is not me, the fashion guy, challenging you, the well-meaning but less experimental reader, to a game of gender norms chicken. (But honestly, they’re just smells, brother.) Brands are taking a more masculine, worldly approach to florals these days.Two of the biggest designer fragrance releases of the past year are your North Star here. Louis Vuitton’s Ombre Nomade and Tom Ford’s Oud Voyager are both very clearly Middle Eastern-inspired scents. Rose—which Middle Eastern culture does not consider feminine the same way our side of the world does—fronts and lingers around in both fragrances. The Tom Ford scent is more unisex, settling into oud and musk. Ombre Nomade becomes a more traditional Western masculine scent as it settles into oud and incense. But throughout both, the rose doesn’t go away.On the less amber side, I love Creed’s Green Irish Tweed, a distinctly ‘80s ozonic fragrance. Though iris can feel old-fashioned, my brother and I are crazy about the smell, which we chalk up to our dad wearing iris-fronted colognes when we were kids. If you want a younger-leaning floral, Ranger Station—a little Nashville-based brand I love—makes a good one with Jordan’s Perfume. Throughout the wear, I pick up the rose and jasmine notes, but the sandalwood grounds it in something more earthy.Creed Green Irish TweedTom Ford Oud Voyager Eau de ParfumNow 22% OffOmbre NomadeRanger Station Jordan’s PerfumeSmelling Like You Spilt Your DrinkFlorence SullivanI don’t have to do any fashion guy apologizing for this one. What’s more traditionally masculine than smelling like booze? Not much. I am, however, not interested in smelling like an old fashioned. We can get weirder here.Recently, I’ve been specifically infatuated with fragrances that go for light and summery booze. When perfumer’s lean into juniper, a traditional barbershop note, you can get something that smells remarkably close to a gin and tonic. Anti’s Dukes Carpet and Mondial 1908’s Ice Gin smell almost identical on that track. The Mondial settles into a more classic minty barbershop scent, but the Anti scent sticks to it’s gin and tonic guns.My preference is Guerlain’s L’Homme Idéal. Every expression in the line is rooted in an almond-y amaretto base, but the parfum sticks with it through the entire life of the fragrance—only taking a slight detour into leather and musk. It smells like you spilt your digestif on a leather banquette, phenomenal. D.S. & Durga’s Cognac Reign takes a very similar approach but has a more woody and caramel-sweet vibe.Guerlain L’Homme Idéal ParfumD.S. & Durga Cognac ReignNow 25% OffMondial 1908 Ice Gin Gentlemen's Barber Eau de ParfumĀnti Dukes Carpet - Eau de ParfumSingle Scent…Or Mostly Single ScentFlorence SullivanLastly, I’ve found myself really into scents that stick to one thing. I’ve been “taken” on so many “journeys” by brands, designers, and noses. I don’t need a soliflore, but I would like to stay in one fucking place for a little bit. I like the idea for two reasons. One, it shows which makers really have their formulas down. If you can get good performance, real compliments out of a perfume that hits one note all day, it’s good stuff. Two, I just find it more... honest? Practical? Most of the time, the top notes of a scent are for my wife and I, because by the time we drive to where we’re going, it’s already settling.That Guerlain L’Homme Idéal parfum I just mentioned could also fit in this section, as it’s amaretto from start to finish. But at the moment, I think Diptyque’s Philosykos is the best in the business. It’s fig leaf, fruit, and tree—leans a touch feminine, but I find it to be elegant and masculine in the summer. But if you need something truly masculine, you have to go for Santa Maria Novella’s Tobacco Toscano. There’s leather, wood, smoke, and musk to varying degrees over the scent’s live, but all the way through it’s beautiful pipe tobacco—great anytime of the year.Guerlain L’Homme Idéal ParfumDiptyque Philosykos Eau de toiletteCredit: DiptyqueSanta Maria Novella Tabacco Toscano