Rare Beauty and Tom Ford win top honors at fragrance awards

The Fragrance Foundation’s awards offered an early read on the prestige bottles most likely to move from insider picks to safe-status gifts, with Rare Beauty and Tom Ford rising to the top. Held at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City, the ceremony drew more than 1,000 people and gave the fragrance market a clear seasonal map: what looks current, what feels giftable, and what has the kind of name recognition that makes a present land well.

Tom Ford Oud Voyager took Fragrance of the Year in the Ultra Luxury category, the sort of win that reinforces Tom Ford’s place at the high end of the gifting table. Rare Beauty Eau de Parfum won Fragrance of the Year in Popular, while Rare Beauty Fragrance Layering Balm won Innovative Fragrance Product of the Year, a combination that says as much about modern fragrance habits as it does about Selma Gomez’s brand pull. The message for gift buyers is simple: Rare Beauty has become one of the most legible prestige beauty gifts because it works at more than one price point and more than one level of commitment.

The rest of the winners filled out a useful luxury shortlist. Valentino Beauty Born in Roma Donna Extradose won Fragrance of the Year in Women’s Luxury and also Consumer Choice in Luxury and Prestige, making it an easy candidate for a recipient who likes a recognizable bottle with broad appeal. Miu Miu Beauty Miutine won Women’s Prestige and Media Campaign of the Year, while Jo Malone London Beach Blossom took Universal Prestige. Prada Beauty Paradigme won Men’s Prestige, Yves Saint Laurent MYSLF Absolu won Men’s and Universal Luxury, and NEST New York White Lotus, Cucumber & White Sage won Candle and Home Collection of the Year, a reminder that scent gifting now reaches well beyond eau de parfum.

Honorine Blanc of dsm-firmenich received the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer award, underscoring how much of the prestige market still turns on a single nose’s signature. Her work also appeared across several 2026 winners, including Valentino Beauty Born in Roma Donna Extradose, which is exactly the kind of behind-the-scenes authorship that gives a fragrance more depth when it is given as a present. Nordstrom, Inc. was honored in the Hall of Fame, and Jamie Nordstrom tied that recognition to Nordstrom’s 125th anniversary year, connecting the category to one of luxury retail’s most durable names. With the April 16 finalists luncheon at Cipriani 42 setting the early frame and the June 11 ceremony closing the loop, the awards made one thing clear: the safest luxury scent gifts right now are the ones with both cultural visibility and a distinct point of view.