Your Favorite ’90s Gap Perfumes Just Got a Modern Makeover

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love. Promise.Beth Gillette/GapHaving been born in 1996, I’ve had a close relationship with Gap for decades. To my parents, Gap was the pinnacle of luxury, a “name brand” that we aspired to. I wore Gap in nearly every elementary school picture, the one “expensive” outfit my mom would let me get before the year started. And I have vivid memories of my older cousins coating themselves in Gap Dream, the youthful white floral perfume that just smelled like high school bottled.In the age of nostalgia-bait, I’ve come back to Gap with a fervor. Half of my jean collection and all of my favorite white tees in my closet have a Gap tag attached to them. Thankfully, the reminiscing doesn’t have to stop there, as Gap has officially brought back its original, famed fragrance lineup for 2026.About Gap fragranceWait, hasn’t Gap always had fragrance? Sorta! The brand, known for its denim, originally launched perfume in the ’90s. These OG scents were mega best-sellers. But they were discontinued in the 2000s. Sure, they had a few fragrance launches here and there, but nothing that made quite the splash as the original Om, Dream, Grass, and Heaven. The last time the brand had a perfume was 2013, so of course, when they went back to the drawing board, they reminisced fondly on the brand’s biggest names.Now, launching today, are five Gap fragrances: four reimaginations of the original Om, Dream, Grass, and Heaven, plus a totally brand-new scent, Harmony. They were all created by perfumers Nicole Mancini and Honorine Blanc, who went into the archives and worked with the original versions of these beloved scents to develop something that held the essence but felt modern.It took them about two years once they were both on board because, aside from wanting scents that felt right for 2026, there are also compounds that were available then that aren’t now (and new molecules that we didn’t have before that fit well into these scent worlds).How I tested More than a month before Gap’s fragrance actually hit the market, I moseyed on over to DSM-Firmenich, one of the biggest fragrance creators in the world, to get the scoop straight from the source. In a gorgeous, airy conference room, I sat with other editors and the two perfumers responsible for reimagining these scents, Mancini and Blanc, music softly playing through the room’s speakers.We slowly went through each scent, with Mancini and Blanc explaining how they changed and iterated upon the original perfumes to modernize. As we sniffed, each scent had its own playlist tailored to its mood as a nod to the iconic Gap store playlist. Then, we took things even further. Once we sprayed and discussed the notes of each fragrance, we headed down to what became my favorite part of the Firmenich offices: the labs and testing rooms.Beth Gillette/CosmopolitanBeth Gillette/CosmopolitanFive soundproof, scent-proof booths held each fragrance, along with an MP3 player preloaded with the playlist that embodies the scent. Listening to my favorite band, The 1975, while I sniffed perfume in a box at the biggest perfume house in NYC wasn’t on my 2026 bingo card, but I’ll take it.Unfortunately, we couldn’t take any of the scents home that day. So I spent a month thinking about them, waiting until the day I could finally get them back on my skin. But just a month later, last week, I finally received the full box (along with said MP3 player loaded with so many of my favorite artists that are on the fragrance playlists: Olivia Rodrigo, Frank Ocean, Justin Bieber, Dijon, and more).For the last week, I’ve worn every scent a few times. Here’s my full review (and a ranking, because I really do have a clear favorite). And if you want to just try them all out, grab this discovery set.Beth Gillette/CosmopolitanMy reviews and ranking Om Key notes: Ginger, sandalwood, cedarThis was my favorite scent when I first tried them, and it’s my favorite now. Inspired by a moment of zen and clarity, this warm, calming fragrance reminds me of bare skin. It’s smooth and cozy, like the feeling of rubbing your legs together under the covers after you’ve just taken an everything shower. It’s exactly how I want to smell when I turn Clairo on my record player at the end of the day and patter about my room in my PJs. In fact, at the DSM office, Blanc compared each scent to an item of clothing, fitting with the idea of Gap. She described Om as a pair of silky pajamas, or a super-soft lounge set.I doused myself in this perfume last night before a big beauty editor dinner with dozens of my colleagues. No fewer than 10 people bombarded me with questions about what perfume I was wearing. Now, I have it packed in my travel bag for a weekend trip because I don’t want to be without it.Grass Add Cosmopolitan as a preferred source in your Google search results.Use your Google account to add this to your settings.Key notes: Green mandarin, matcha, Virginia cedarIf Om is a pair of pajamas, Grass is a flowy linen maxi dress. It’s airy, fresh, and garden-like, but in a green way, not necessarily like flower petals. It’s summery and cooling in hot weather, but still has a seasonless quality that I would wear in the winter too if it became a signature scent. One of the songs on the playlist, “Cobra” by Geese, perfectly embodies it. It’s dancing around in a big field; it’s wearing flip-flops and not being afraid of all the gross stuff on NYC city streets; it’s the calming early afternoon when you’re done with work but not ready for dinner yet.Hot tip: Om and Grass layer really well together. I wore them both on a plane and my seatmate, a total stranger dressed in very fancy corporate attire, told me I smelled good. I proudly announced, “It’s Gap!”Heaven Key notes: Pear, Madagascar vanilla, patchouliMancini is behind this perfume, and for reference, she’s also worked on Kylie Jenner Cosmic (one of my favorite celebrity perfumes). She’s an expert at creating gourmands that are still fresh and airy, which is exactly what Heaven is. There’s a surrealist quality to the scent, like the lo-fi house beats that flood the playlist. It’s a cloudy, fluffy vanilla with grounding notes that make it feel ethereal. Heaven is clean laundry, but elevated. It’s musky and warm, like the go-to worn white tee in your closet.DreamKey notes: Italian bergamot, jasmine, cedarwoodBlanc said Dream was the hardest to reimagine in 2026, largely because it was once so beloved. It’s the one scent that I really remember from my childhood; then, though, it smelled a lot more intense and heady. Like walking into a mall full of teenagers. Now, it’s the scent I could see myself wearing out dancing, after I’ve thrown a leather jacket over my white tee and jeans and grabbed a pair of heels. The playlist is filled with so many of my favorite artists: Troye Sivan, The 1975, Charli XCX, Fcukers, Addison Rae, Bad Bunny, Olivia Dean—and that’s a really good way to describe this scent. It’s pop music, cool, fun.The bright bergamot opening, paired with sparkly jasmine, feels optimistic and joyful. But I really love the cedarwood dry down; it adds complexity and depth. It reminds me of the iconic Addison Rae t-shirt: “Hating pop music doesn’t make you deep.” Liking the mainstream is still really special.HarmonyKey notes: Apricot nectar, gardenia, amberFunnily enough, this is the only scent that’s totally brand new, and it’s my least favorite. It’s still really good, though, so don’t let that deter you. Scent is all about preferences, of course. Blanc created this scent to play into optimism, joy, and energy. It’s loaded with a mix of sweet, warm notes, juicy fruits, and vivid florals. It’s what I would have wanted to wear in high school, which is maybe why it’s not my favorite now. There’s a preppiness to it that feels like suburbia (something I ran away from as quickly as I could).But when I listen to the playlist, I see the fun side of it. I sway to Justin Bieber, I belt “Drop Dead,” and it brings me back to the positive parts of youth. Maybe I shouldn’t be so cynical.Why trust Cosmopolitan? Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing hair, makeup, nail, and fragrance stories.Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.