Fragrance has become more than just scent—it’s an identity, a daily ritual, a mood regulator, and a coveted collectible. Brands standing out in the booming category are making fragrance unexpected, pairing contrasting, bold ingredients and experimenting with new compounds and formats beyond the spray bottle. It goes beyond sensorial experiences, with bottles becoming artistic vessels and traditional home and personal care categories evolving into something entirely new.
BeautyMatter Awards Best Breakthrough Fragrance recognizes innovation in finished fragrances, fragranced products, and home fragrance.
Best Breakthrough Fragrance: Recognizes innovation in a finished fragrance product related to either formulation, delivery system, new format, use of technology, or sustainability.
Better World Fragrance House Summer Mink Eau de Parfum: The brand’s debut perfume is a modern amber-woody composition inspired by the absurdity of wearing mink in the summer. The fragrance opens with Italian citrus and sage, unfolds into jasmine sambac, and dries down to resinous vetiver and creamy musk for an intentionally genderless scent. The sculptural, globe-shaped bottle also doubles as decor. ($152 / 100 mL).
Bohoboco Perfume Mango Yuzu Gasoline: Capturing the tension and balance between contrasting ingredients, the fragrance blends tropical richness with sharper, brighter notes for a warm, refined scent, with gasoline adding a provocative undertone. Top notes include mandarin, yuzu, and pineapple, followed by a heart of muguet, iris, and jasmine tea. The base combines cedarwood, incense, gasoline, vetiver, moss, suede, and leather notes. The fragrance reflects the brand’s overall fluid, genderless approach to perfumery. ($210 / 50 mL).
NEST NEW YORK VOYAGES Cerulean Coast Eau de Parfum: A modern marine fragrance inspired by the Mediterranean coast, where land meets sea. Inspired by an 18th-century-style grisaille mural depicting the beauty beneath coastal cliffs, the fragrance blends aquatic notes with Italian bitter orange, seaside florals, amber, and salted driftwood for depth and warmth. The brand’s commitment to sustainability extends to the fragrance’s recyclable cartons made from sustainably sourced materials, reflecting the growing demand for environmentally conscious luxury products. ($250 / 100 mL).
NISHANE MEANT TO BE SEEN: Rooted in self-worth and quiet confidence, the fragrance draws inspiration from the idea of turning vulnerability into strength. Positioning fragrance as a personal affirmation, the scent opens with bergamot and violet before evolving into a heart of iris butter and aloe. It settles into a base of sesame, sandalwood, ambrettolide, and Akigalawood. ($390 / 100 mL).
Tab + Chance Fridays with Tab + Chance Her and His Business: A men’s and women’s fragrance duo designed to stand out individually while still blending together. The scents feature intentionally overlapping notes, while the custom bottles function as sculptural art pieces that come together to form a single silhouette. Finished in rich, skin-tone brown hues, the bottles emphasize the collection’s complementary design. ($110 / 100 mL).
Best Breakthrough Fragranced Product: Recognizes innovation in a finished fragrance product related to either formulation, delivery system, new format, use of technology, or sustainability.
BORNTOSTANDOUT Coffee Collection: An intense, saturated coffee composition that pushes the ingredient beyond conventional boundaries. The rich fragranced coffee features specialty-grade Brazilian coffee, amplified to emphasize its sweetness, texture, and density. ($40 / 250 g).
L’Avant Collective High Performing Laundry Detergent – Ambre Santal: A laundry detergent designed to tackle stains while remaining gentle on fabrics, delicate skin, and the planet. Fragrance is central to the product, with amber santal combining warm amber and soft, creamy sandalwood to make getting dressed a sensorial journey. ($38 / 30 fl oz).
NOYZ Mylk de Parfum: A pour-on fragrance milk that delivers the scent of an eau de parfum in a skincare-inspired format. Designed as the first step in a fragrance routine, the liquid melts into the skin, leaving it hydrated and nourished with a sheen. The product reimagines the traditional perfume format, making application as much about touch and texture as scent. ($45 / 50 mL).
Phlur Honey Moon Eau de Parfum: A fragrance that balances radiance and serenity through sweet yet airy, floral yet warm notes. The composition combines honey, florals, and creamy woods, opening with mandarin and lavender before moving into a heart of manuka honey, orange blossom, and saffron. Tonka and sandalwood round out the base. As the fragrance develops throughout the day, its layered composition reveals different facets of the scent. ($99 / 50 mL).
Supersuite No Bad Shaves Ultra Smooth Shaving Gel in Caramel Temptress: A shaving product that combines technical innovation with skin-focused performance. Designed for legs, underarms, and the bikini area, it elevates shaving from a necessity to a skincare ritual. Its gel-to-milk formula supports precise application and is formulated with coconut oil, oat extract, and coffee extract to leave skin feeling soft and smooth. Created by Christine Hassan at Givaudan, the Caramel Temptress fragrance is an indulgent amber-vanilla gourmand. ($22 / 4 oz).
Best Breakthrough Home Fragrance: Recognizes excellence in fine fragrance creation, celebrating olfactive composition and artistry in a finished Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, or similar fine fragrance format.
Neom Wellbeing Reed Diffusers: A collection of reed diffusers featuring 100% natural essential oil blends designed to transform everyday spaces into well-being environments. Created to support better sleep, reduce stress, boost mood, and increase energy, the products reflect consumers’ growing interest in fragrances that offer functional benefits. Scents include combinations such as lavender and chamomile, or neroli and mimosa. ($64 / 100 mL).
