FEBRUARY 16, 2026

Some people don’t like ranking fragrances and ‘love them all equally’… I don’t. Taste is subjective. My favorites and especially the order may change every single day, but at least once a year, I thoroughly assess my collection, to see how my taste has changed and how my feelings towards certain fragrances change after more time with them.

This year. the list grows from a Top 50 to a Top 60. Instead of doing a separate analysis after the list, I’m adding a write-up below each entry, which includes my deliberations. You can check out previous rankings here: April 2025, April 2024, July 2023.

🥇 ROJA PARFUMS TAIF AOUD
Taif Aoud has overtaken Enigma Pour Homme as my favorite Roja Parfums London. I really struggled with picking a #1 this year, but I think Taif Aoud strikes a balance between something that I wear regularly, and something that feels special, luxurious and ‘elevated’. Taif Aoud is the most versatile and comfortably wearable between Aoud, Amber Aoud, Musk Aoud & it, while still being fully part of that same DNA. Soapy bright rose, with that signature oudy-ambery base. And with all the changes at Roja, I wonder if we will ever get a fragance from them at this level again.

🥈 PUREDISTANCE PAPILIO
My favorite release of 2023 enters my top 3 for the first time. Papilio is the perfect leather for people like me, who aren’t always comfortable wearing heavy leather scents. It’s bright, it’s sparkling with citrussy, floral and sweet facets, all dancing around a classy, modern leather core. Fancy, without being overbearing; this has been my go-to pick for dining out for example. PureDistance is probably my favorite brand alongside Frederic Malle at the moment and one of the few remaining houses that hasn’t devolved in recent years.

🥉 XERJOFF IRISSS
Iris is my favorite note in perfumery. While I have many iris loves, Irisss feels the most regal. While not 100% soliflore, due to its strong bergamot opening, I feel confident in saying that this is an iris that only appeals to true fans of the note. It’s a more singular, earthy, rooty and cool take with a bit of a carrot scent, rather than a floral, brighter interpretation or one with significant distractions. I’ve always considered it to be the ‘Queen’ of my collection and I can’t imagine it leaving the top 10.

04. MARC-ANTOINE BARROIS GANYMEDE EDP
Last year’s #1. Arguably the most influential niche perfume to come out since Aventus & Baccarat Rouge. I consider Quentin Bisch the most influential perfumer of this decade, by a large margin and I feel that Ganymede was the catalyst for what feels like a new genre of perfumery with this mineralic, spicy feeling (often tied to akigalawood). And I think that Ganymede EDP is still the best version of it. When I smelled it, it was a very rare instance of discovering something new and unique after smelling thousands of fragrances. If I had to pick one signature scent, this would probably be the one.

05. FREDERIC MALLE PORTRAIT OF A LADY
Portrait Of A Lady was one of my first ever niche purchases and it’s been in my top 10 since. And every year, I think I’m going to rank it lower. This is the second year that I contemplated ranking Malle’s Rose Tonnerre over it. And every year, I can’t get myself to do so. There’s an uplifting, feel-good quality to POAL that is hard to beat, and being one of my first fragrances, nostalgia plays a factor too. Maybe next year Rose Tonnerre, maybe.

06. GUERLAIN MITSOUKO PARFUM (VINTAGE)
A previous #1. Ranking vintage fragrances (and even fragrances from a decade ago, given how much reformulations have changed some popular perfumes) alongside newer versions is quite complicated. I think in particular, it’s hard to recommend or explain vintages to other people, as no two bottles will smell the same. I’ve had 4 different versions of old Mitsouko and they differ vastly; not even smelling like the same fragrance. My favorite is my pristine bottle that is from between 1967 and 1976. Much sweeter and less green than modern Mitsouko, with a stronger ylang-ylang tropical twist and what smells like chocolate-heavy patchouli (at times reminiscent of the Chanel Coromandel Parfum). If this had better performance (and a sprayer), it may still be my #1.

07. FREDERIC MALLE ROSE TONNERRE
When this was released as Une Rose, I didn’t instantly love it. When it came out as Rose Tonnerre (which was barely different in my opinion), I didn’t instantly love it. I got my hands on a bottle randomly through a swap and I’ve liked it more with each time that I wear it. It may very well dethrone Portrait Of A Lady as my favorite Malle; I definitely wore it more in the past year. Both earthy and sweet, but Rose Tonnerre is slightly more mature and dark. I called POAL uplifting, I think Rose Tonnerre is more mysterious and serious.

08. FRAGRANCE DU BOIS SAHRAA [#AD]
Sahraa held the crown for multiple years. I’m as amazed by it every time that I wear it, but I do wear it less these days. For a brand that has received quite some criticism (not in the least from myself), I think Sahraa is an absolute gem, with a real oud-kick in the opening and to this day, I have not come across a fragrance that could be a great alternative for it.

09. AMOUAGE EPIC 56
A greener, more aromatic fragrance than I ever expected to love this much. Texture-wise this is one of the greatest feeling, thick, dense, liquid fragrances in my collection and the performance never fails to impress me. For me, the best fragrance from Amouage. Significantly better than Epic Woman (which is still awesome at a lower price) and better performance and value versus Rose Aqor attar (which is a warmer, sweeter take on the same DNA in my opinion). The ideal balance and the best green rose out there.

10. PUREDISTANCE DIVANCHE
The highest newcomer! In my recent Best Of 2025 list, I crowned Maison Crivelli Safran Secret over it, and I do think that Safran Secret offers better value for most people. However, I’m already finding that I’m choosing to wear Divanché a lot more. This is an easy reach, one that I can wear to the office and frankly, if I had to chose a signature scent for the rest of my life today, this could give Ganymede a run for its money. I’ve been drawn more and more to brighter, easier to wear fragrances throughout the years and Divanche is one of the nicest, soapy, musky clean scents I could imagine, without feeling bareboned or generic.

11. ROJA PARFUMS ENIGMA POUR HOMME [#AD]
After several years with it, the opening with its signature sparkling cola vibe, is still one of the best in the world. This Pour Homme version is a lot more interesting than the flatter, more vanillic Parfum Cologne (which is still a good fragrance). Longer sparkling texture, more mossy, more complex overall. It does dry down to a less interesting vanilla with light tobacco hints, which is why Taif Aoud has surpassed it for me. Then again, if you view this as a tobacco scent, as many do, I think it’s arguably the best one on the market.

12. PRISSANA MANDARAVA
A big jump in the ranking for Mandarava. This feels as opulent and regal as its dark juice suggests. Prin Lomros makes a lot of interesting (and wildy varying) fragrances, with Mandarava feeling more Eastern and traditional. This to me exceeds what I’ve smelled from Ensar, Areej, Bortnikoff so far (which is limited to be fair). Given the price point, it’s a true gem. The dark, metallic florals in it remind me of vintage jasmine as well, like Jean Patou Joy, which you’ll find later in this list.

13. ONE DAY JEJU [#AD}
The second highest newcomer. One Day is probably the best brand that I’ve discovered in recent years and Jeju is hard not to instantly love. I wonder how I feel about this ranking next year, as Jeju feels more like a typical fresh, citrussy scent for every day wear, and less ‘special’, different or luxurious than many high ranked fragrances on the list. However, it’s my single most worn fragrance since I got it and it’s the perfect scent for the office and warm weather. What makes it more than generic is the way it uses tomato leaf for sweetness; something that colognes have done before, but this is the first time that it has clicked for me.

14. OSTENS IMPRESSION JASMINE ABSOLUTE [#AD]
Fresh jasmine that doesn’t get too sweet, too musky, too… different, from what I want a jasmine to be like? Ostens created everything that I miss in 95% of the jasmines that I sample with Impression Jasmine Absolute. Very floral, sunny, uplifting, but without feeling thin or light. And according to your taste, you can layer it with their own jasmine oil, which is a bit darker and more indolic. The best bright jasmine that I’ve smelled.

15. FREDERIC MALLE NOIR EPICES
While I can see how some people wouldn’t like this at all (it’s rather sharp, shouty, kitschy), I think it’s one of the most underrated fragrances there is. Especially amongst Malle enthusiasts; I’ve seen many a top x Malle list, without Noir Epices getting as much as a mention. This is spicy, but also citrussy; I don’t think the ‘dark’ in its moniker makes sense, as I smell a lot of crisp orange and brightness throughout.

16. MAISON TAHITE COFFEE BOMB
Looking at the list up until this point, Coffee Bomb may feel like a bit of an outlier. It’s the first (semi)gourmand listed, although there’s a sharp metallic rose that’s prominent too. This is your upgrade to Montale Intense Café, elevating every facet, at one of the best price points for a niche brand anno 2026. One of my most worn; perfect for when I want something modern, sweet, mass appealing, without going full gourmand.

17. MAISON CRIVELLI SAFRAN SECRET
Another highly ranked newcomer. This was the winner of my Best Of 2025 awards, over Divanche. Safran Secret (first released as Ingredients 07/2012) is unique, it’s complex, it’s a statement maker, with massive performance. Which is why I ended up ranking it lower here now. I’m enamored by it each time, but it’s a commitment to choose this as scent of the day, given how strong and present it is. I generally lean towards subtle and underspraying, so Safran Secret is not fully up my alley. It is however, magnifcent.

18. BOADICEA THE VICTORIOUS BLUE SAPPHIRE
Technically another newcomer, but it doesn’t feel like it. I’ve never included it in my yearly ranking, as I never owned a bottle, but I’ve always known it well and wore samples throughout the years. I finally got a partial bottle and later a 10ml miniature as well. As with Safran Secret above this, it’s a bit ‘too much’ and loud to crack into my top 10 for now; especially with Taif Aoud filling a similar spot in my collection. Blue Sapphire exudes luxury, but not in a subtle manner and with aging, the saffron/leather dominates more and more, which is not my favorite aspect of it.

19. LORGA AMBRE PLATINE
The best full-gourmand? Actually, I find that over the years, my bottle has made this scent more and more spicy. Still, a gourmand with a pretty linear and straight-forward scent of almond/tonka bean and that spicy kick to it. Not overly sweet; fans of the contemporary ‘realistic’ gourmands may find this to be a lot less gourmand than I do. This wears like an upgrade over the now discontinued Guerlain Tonka Imperiale to me. Texture-wise, it’s simply immaculate, feeling super dense and resinous smooth.

20. JAZEEL GHALA
Ghala is my favorite ‘typical’ oud-rose (I’ve never viewed Fragrance Du Bois Sahraa fully as one). This has a big earthy, patchouli-oudy base, but what makes it, is the contrast with a rather citrussy, vibrant, big rose. The opening can be heavy and skanky, but it settles into a more common earthiness after. I can’t help to think that this is what popular rose-oud fragrances like Oud Ispahan tried to be, but fell short of achieving.

21. ATELIER DES ORS POMELO RIVIERA
My favorite straight-up citrus scent on the market. If you like grapefruit/pomelo/blood orange/bitter orange etc. and you want that sensation of bright, sparkling, zesty orange citrus, Pomelo Riviera delivers. It’s simple, linear and not all that long-lasting (I’d say, fine and average for a citrus), but it’s all you should want from a true citrus fragrance. I don’t really do ‘seasonal’ fragrances, but this is one that I save up for warmer days.

22. CHANEL 31 RUE CAMBON
My definite favorite of the Les Exclusifs. I did lower it significantly in this year’s ranking. Perhaps it wears a bit too classical, retro for my usual taste. To me this has a lot going on, with overall luxurious soap quality to it, but I find it bordering on daring and animalic at times as well. In particular, when wearing it to the office, I’ve found it more than I bargained for on several occassions. A masterpiece either way and I don’t understand why Chanel hasn’t made a Parfum/Extrait version of it yet.

23. ELLA K POEME DE SAGANO
A new leader for Ella K. I think this brand (especially earlier releases) have some of the best quality fragrances on the market. The ingredients really shine and everything felt precise (something that feels lacking in their most recent releases to me). I’ve always ranked Melodie de L’Altai higher and that’s the one that I’ve probably recommend more than anything else. For my personal taste and trending towards the easy wear, brighter scents, Poeme de Sagano has won me over this time. Super crisp, elegant and clean.

24. SUPERFUMISTA INFRA ROSE
One of the rising stars on the list. This is to white, yellow, pink and red rose what Epic Woman/Epic 56 is to green and spicy rose. Very oily/resinous feeling, but wearing bright and vibrant with a lemon edge and a lot of white musk for a clean base. This is joy, white t-shirt and Summer-day in a bottle for me. Basically the rose variant of Ostens’ jasmine that was listed earlier.

25. ETAT LIBRE D’ORANGE EXPERIMENTUM CRUCIS
A slight drop in ranking, due to heavy competition I guess. I have to be in the mood for this, but when I do, it’s magic. Similar to Ganymede, which it does also share some DNA with; and this is my second favorite Bisch creation. Very modern, plasticy, spicy rose with a divisive cumin up top. I feel like ELDO Hermann A Mes Cotes is more known, but Experimentum Crucis is a less green, better version of that for me.

26. XERJOFF LUNOSA
I want to rank this higher, if only because it’s the most money I’ve spent on a perfume on this list. And Lunosa is special. It wears more like an artisinal than a Xerjoff, with a big resemblance to Areej Le Dore Sir Winston, but I definitely prefer Lunosa. It’s one of the densest, sillage-heavy fragrance that I’ve come across, but that, in combination with a dark tuberose, sweet tobacco scent profile, limits its wearability. This is the definition of a special occassion fragrance for me; I wore it on New Year’s Eve and I wore it after I signed to buy my house for example.

27. GUERLAIN GOURMAND COQUIN
This fragrance always brings me joy. A retro powdery gourmand. I’m so happy that I picked it up impulsively during a boutique visit (what turned out to possibly be the last bottle in Europe). It’s back now as Feve Gourmande, but opinions vary on how much it has changed (according to perfumer Thierry Wasser not at all, but Guerlain now lists Delphine Jelk as perfumer, so… in fairness, I only smelled Feve Gourmande in store, and on first impression, it did smell very similar).

28. STRANGERS PARFUMERIE SALTED GREEN MANGO
I feel like the hype for this fragrance came and went. For a moment, people (Youtubers especially) in the fragrance community spoke on it frequently and now it seems almost forgotten. Which is a shame, because it truly is one of the most unique freshies on the market. Mango has been very popular in recent years, but almost always sweet or even gourmand. Here, as the name suggests, it’s green and it’s salty. I think my favorite ‘sea breeze’ type scent.

29. JEAN PATOU JOY PARFUM (VINTAGE)
Unfortunately, I don’t know how old my bottle of this is, but very old. And very impressive. I don’t know how it was supposed to smell initially either, but time has turned this into the most sensual, perhaps more so sexual, jasmine that I’ve smelled. It’s surprisingly daring, indolic, rich. It smells like slightly sweaty, warm skin and melting flowers.

30. DIOR BOIS D’ARGENT
This one comes with a caveat. Because, how the mighty have fallen… Dior’s Privee line arguably had the best line-up out of any designer line, with Bois D’Argent, Gris Dior, Ambre Nuit, Oud Ispahan… and what’s left of it today are mere shadows of what it used to be. Personally, I’ve never tried the 2004 Bois D’Argent Cologne by Annick Menardo and not even an early years batches of the Kurkdjian (which launched in 2010). My bottle is from 2017-2018 I presume, yet it already smells 10x better than what I found in stores in the past couple of years, including the 2025 Esprit. I’m usually not that strong of a ‘reformulation’ or ‘batch difference’ guy, but Dior in particular, has seen the worst downgrade of any brand that I can think of since 2020. Older Bois D’Argent or perhaps settle for VCA Bois D’Iris instead… extremely cozy, powdery goodness.

31. XERJOFF 40 KNOTS
A significant drop in ranking and frankly, I’m not really sure why. I think I’ve worn this quite a lot in the past 2 years and I liked it more and more… and now I’m over it a bit. One of the best ‘salty’ seaside scents, with more rose than people seem to give it credit for. Performance is better than it has any right to be for this style fragrance; it’s maybe the strongest ‘freshie-related’ scent I have. The best Xerjoff in this price class in my opinion and I’m sure that I will appreciate it more again after giving it a rest for a while.

32. MASQUE MILANO L’ATTESA
The only reason that L’Attesa isn’t higher up on this list, is because I prefer Irisss over it. L’Attesa is very similar to the Xerjoff, but it’s brighter and and more powdery, whereas Irisss feels more regal, more earthy and with more depth. If the average person asks me to recommend an iris scent or they want an example of what iris in a perfume smells like, L’Attesa is probably the best pick though.

33. ELLA K MELODIE DE L’ALTAI
This may be the fragrance that I’ve recommend to others the most. Hard to explain; it smells like caramelized gummy bears and real leather. Semi gourmand, perfect for a date night. This is the single sexiest scent on a woman in my opinion, which is probaby why I’ve gravitated to wearing it less and ranking it lower for myself.

34. SERGE LUTENS FEMINITE DU BOIS
One of the classiest scents and a rightful classic. This is subtle and mature, with dried fruits, spices and a great woodiness. I’ve never tried the 1992 Shisheido version, but in my experience, I find that my modern bottle (design as shown above) has held up really well compared to an older style Serge Lutens bottle. It feels extremely well-constructed and classical.

35. DIOR MISS DIOR (VINTAGE)
Talk about a fragrance that you can’t really compare to anything out there. My bottle of Miss Dior EDT is a sprayer from 1970. In great condition (I bought it sealed) and it has retained more brightness and freshness than any of the other old vintages that I have, but also has a hint of skanky acidity up top. It’s a mossy, floral chypre. It’s based on the 1947 formulation and has nothing to do with current day Miss Dior (It was heavily reformulated in 1992 and in 2011 that shifted into the Miss Dior Originale line. The regular Miss Dior after 2011 share no lineage at all to the 1947 Miss Dior to my knowledge).

36. CHRISTIAN PROVENZANO SANTAL INDIEN
New on the list, but not new to me. This has been on my wishlist since its release (I’d never tried the EDP version before it, but I believe they are nearly identical). This is a pretty straight-forward spicy sandalwood, with saffron as co-star. Fairly linear and simple, with a lot less sweetness than what you get in 90% of modern sandalwoods. Making this more classy and mature. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that it smells like pure Mysore sandalwood and it definitely is sweetened, but it feels created for the coinnoisseur, more so than for mass appeal.

37. PRADA AMBER (OG VERSION)
This is Prada Amber, also known as Prada Prada from 2004; not to be confused with Prada Amber Pour Homme. A tart, dry, powdery scent with a Shalimar-esque labdanum sweetness and nods to Coromandel, but also bright at the same time. Some wears it borders on gourmand on me, some wears it veers towards chypre. This was discontinued and it has come back; I’ve not tried the new version, but I’m hearing that it’s unfortunately not as good anymore, so keep that in mind.

38. ESSENTIAL PARFUMS FIG INFUSION
Fig Infusion is one of my most worn fragrances in my entire collection, and one of the more affordable ones at that. My favorite fig and one that leans more into fresh territory. It has an olive oil (fig oil obviously) texture, not a creamy, milky one and it strays on the fruity and green side quite bit. I think it’s super versatile, without being overly generic, making this my most worn to the office, along with One Day Jeju.

39. REGALIEN DEM [#AD]
It’s not that I don’t like Regalien, I do, but Dem felt like such a step up to me, from what they’d been releasing prior, and I was instantly hooked to it. A hard to find blend of soapy, fresh and warm, spicy, sweet. It reminds me of a rooibos tea and it’s a somewhat unassuming, but magnifcent release that should be on more people’s radar.

40. ANGELOS CREATIONS OLFACTIVES SALON DT
Following Dem with another tea-themed fragrance. And this is a more serious, contemplative and smoky one. This is tea done in a hay-tobacco style scent. It has bitter facets and to my nose, it reads like an Earl Grey with black tea more than anything else. A bit honeyed as it dries, but nothing as sweet or vanillic as popular sweet tobacco fragrances.

41. MAITRE PARFUMEUR ET GANTIER CUIR FETICHE
A true hidden gem (so hidden that I frequently forget that I have it). Also, not one for daily wearing. This is truly retro, with powdery, ‘pissy’ florals that you rarely see since I was born as it opens. As the name suggests, the drydown goes into leather, but the real surprise here is a serious dose of iris at the heart. This won’t be for everyone, maybe not even for me, but it’s one that I stumbled upon and have appreciated since.

42. GUERLAIN HOMME EDP
As a longtime fan of Homme EDP, I’ve never understood why this collection is not remotely as popular as the L’Homme Ideal collection. Homme EDP is the ideal ‘mojito fragrance’. The booziness is understated (although it does keep me from wearing it to the office), but it has an amazing lime note up top. Men’s designers should turn to this style a lot more if you ask me.

43. PARFUMS DE MARLY HEROD
One of the OG’s as far as my niche collection goes. And while almost all of my heavy-hitters from the first 1-2 years of my fragrance journey have been surpassed by new favorites (the exception being Portrait Of A Lady), Herod has held up well. While not as interesting as Roja Enigma Pour Homme, I think for a sweet tobacco scent, this is the most pleasant, coziest option out there to this day. I’ve had Tobacco Vanille, Plum In Cognac, Vanille Havane, Triumph Of Bacchus etc., but I keep coming back to Herod.

44. LES ABSTRAITS BELLE AME
As an avid iris-lover, it’s hard to find iris fragrances that bring something new to the table. Belle Ame did just that; dry, nutty, with ginger as twist. I lowered it in ranking, because I like it more as an idea and as fragrance to sit with and dissect, rather than something to just spray on out the door (it’s not cozy). A rather unique gem and quality materials that you can’t go wrong with.

45. DIPTYQUE LAZULIO
I was on the fence about including Lazulio; I only own a small size bottle and I do not like the green, dank opening. But I had to. Number 3 in my Best of 2025 list and a rare rollercoaster of complexity. This is Quentin Bisch at its most Bischiest, seemingly weaving through 5-6 of his best-sellers during one messy, but lovely wear. Aside from not loving all facets equally, a fragrance like this reminds me of why I started getting into niche perfumery in the first place.

46. CREED JASMIN IMPERATRICE EUGENIE
Creed has been hit or miss for me, and I’ve always been an outspoken critic, not in the least place for their blatant lies and made-up history. But in their actual history (since 1980 or so), it seems like their gems are hidden beneath the currently popular ones. Enter Jasmin Imperatrice Eugenie; I believe sadly discontinued at the moment. This feels outdated (which can be a negative or positive), powdery, Guerlain Samsara-esque. The star of the show here is the sandalwood. While I like some of the recent Creed releases, they definitely do not make them like this anymore.

47. THOMAS DE MONACO SOL SALGADO [#AD]
One of the least expected favorites in my collection. Initially, I was fan of Raw Gold (the original, more so than the reformulated ones) and I’d pegged 2 others from the brand as runner-ups. Sol Salgado landed in my collection after Raw Gold instead and I’ve increasingly loved it since. This is a sea-side vanilla with mild florals up first, but growing more vanillic than I initially thought it would (probably getting sweeter as time goes by). Definitely my favorite Thomas de Monaco at the moment.

48. ROJA PARFUMS ROSE PARFUM
If you’re deep into the perfume hobby, you probably have heard people claim that Roja made clones of old Guerlain (where Roja Dove used to work prior to launching the brand). While I disagree with that claim for the most part, there is some overlap surely and a fragrance like Rose Parfum, feels like it could’ve been straight out of a vintage Guerlain (Nahema?). And that’s not a bad thing.

49. AMOUAGE JUBILATION 40 [#AD]
As far as flankers and extraits/elixirs/absolus goes, I think that Amouage’s Exceptional Extrait line does it correctly. Jubilation was my favorite Amouage early on in my fragrance journey and Jubilation 40 feels like a slightly more ambery, but similar, rich, opulent take. A bit heavier and earthier than I like to wear on most days, hence the lowered ranking, but a stunning fragrance and one that feels like it makes an effort to justify its price point in my book.

50. BON PARFUMEUR 502 – IRIS CARTAGENA [#AD]
Speaking of earthy… Iris Cartagena was my favorite release of 2024. The 2025 EDP is solid, but a step down in my opinion. This is one of the dryest scents that I know of, with some overlap in iris-style with Les Abstraits Belle Ame. The Bon Parfumeur isn’t as bright though, and goes into dark chocolate, patchouli. It feels very unlike Bon Parfumeur to me. I think the surprise of how much I gravitated towards it, made me rank it a bit high last year, but I’m still impressed by it.

51. HERMES TERRE D’HERMES PARFUM
In a way, this is the fragrance that started it all for me. After wearing Acqua Di Gio & Armani Code for a decade, I came across Terre D’Hermes as new ‘signature scent’ and that kicked off my interest in exploring more new fragrances. Lately, I’ve been wearing the Eau Givrée flanker more, but for old times’ sake, the Parfum remains on the list.

52. OLYMPIC ORCHIDS BLACKBIRD
The best blackberry/blackcurrant/berry fragrance? Arguably. It’s hard to find good ones and Blackbird is almost perfect. Almost, because I do get a medicinal mintiness that creeps up ocassionally, but overall, it’s rich, it’s fruity, it’s foresty. Not a berry that’s supposed to smell like champagne, but one that smells outdoorsy and deep.

53. XERJOFF LOUIS XIV ROSE [#AD]
I’m being conservative with this ranking for two reasons; I haven’t worn it often yet & I wonder how this will wear in 1-2 years. The opening is spectacular; the best fruity opening that I can recall. It smells like wine and champagne in a feel-good manner. The drydown is a bit more sugary and sweet than I ideally would like it to be, and I worry that it will age towards cloying. We will have to see, and even if it does, that opening alone makes this fragrance worth it.

54. GALLIVANT BUKHARA
Bukhara is another iris entry on the list. This is one of the more refreshing fragrances in my collection; cool and dry, with pear and carrot-heavy iris. It wears much sharper (which can be a negative) when compared to a L’Attesa or Irisss that are higher on the list. Due to how many iris scents I have, I’ve not worn it as much in the past year, but I think this is an underrated release.

55. ERIS DELTA OF VENUS
Probably the best representation of guava/peach/nectarine-like fruitiness. Very musky, very clean. I kept a bottle in my car during the warmer months, as it’s the ideal, versatile scent to top up during a day or after sweating. A bit mundane to rank highly and there are a couple on the list that I would pick over it for a high-heat scent (like Pomelo Riviera), but one of the best no-brainers to have in a collection.

56. AMOUAGE REFLECTION MAN
Maybe the biggest drop in ranking this year. I believe that Reflection Man was the second niche that I ever bought, so maybe some fatigue set in; knowing it so well that it loses its magic. It’s still a great fragrance and I’ve always viewed this as the ultimate ‘confidence booster’. It feels like a fragrance made for millionaires and executives; a fragance that I like wearing to work meetings for example. Maybe that’s why I’ve wanted to rank it lower; I usually wear fragrances just for myself and Reflection Man feels more like something that I wear for what it exudes; I don’t remember when I last wore this to stay in the house or go out by myself.

57. PERRIS ABSOLUE D’OSMANTHE
There was a time when this adorned my top 10. This black-bottle Perris collection is one of the best collections out there, with surprisingly daring scents. Absolue D’Osmanthe is one of the few osmanthus that smell like the actual ingredient (as far as I’ve smelled it). Which is not fresh peachy floral, but a bit raunchy, animalic and leathery as well. There’s a strange milkiness in addition to this, but a truly interesting and underappreciated fragrance.

58. SCENTS OF WOOD NFT1
Scents Of Wood launched an NFT project a few years back, where you could sign-up to buy 4 yet-to-be-released exclusives (I’m still waiting on NFT4 at the time of writing). NFT2 & NFT3 aren’t great for me. However, NFT1 alone was worth joining the project. This is a vintage-smelling vanilla (?) to me; it smells nothing like the notes. It reminds me of a retro version of Nishane Ani and a decent reference would be Maison Violet Sketch.

59. MANCERA CEDRAT BOISE
Making its return to the list. To be fair, Cedrat Boise is simple, it’s mass appealing and I’ve had it in my collection for a while, which makes it prone to be left out when thinking of special fragrances. I’ve not worn it much in recent years, but I recently did, and its smoky-fruity drydown is still excellent. I would take this over Aventus any day of the week.

60. LORENZO VILLORESI TETI
My bottle should arrive the day after posting this, so I’ll rank it last. The biggest surprise in my sampling during 2026 so far. I think this may be the cleanest, most crisp, fruity scent that I’ve ever smelled. So clean that it makes musky fresh like Eris Delta Of Venus or Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline feel warm and sweet. I guess I would describe Teti as having a icy vegetal quality to it, with a prominent lily-of-the-valley. Not at all my usual style and I’m very curious to see how I’ll feel about it after having it in my collection for a while.