What 2025 smells like, according to local fragrance experts

words by lara daly

The year in top, middle and base notes.

We’ve witnessed a real contrast in terms of beauty trends this year. One one hand, the clean-girl craze has been revamped by makeup artists like Nina Park. At the same time, we’ve seen the pendulum swing to a playful, maximalist aesthetic embraced by the likes of Emily Wood, Chappell Roan and Zara Larson.

But if there was one word that swept through the entire beauty industry this year, it would be edible. From biscuity fragrances to honey shampoo and donut-scented lipgloss, it seems the only thing on everyone’s minds is dessert. “It was definitely the year – once again – of the gourmands reining supreme,” says Jess Tate, co-founder of Lore Perfumery in Melbourne.

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Speaking to other local fragrance founders and buyers, the same is true across the board. “Gourmands were well and truly in charge, and pretty much anything with a low-maintenance touch of fruit,” Perdrisât founder Callum Rory Mitchell tells me.

And over at Libertine Parfumerie, “vanilla is still everyone’s favourite sweet ingredient,” says founder and director Nick Smart. Aside from smelling like literal cake, Adore Beauty customers have been drawn to marshmallow and juicy citrus notes this year.

So what’s behind our sugar cravings? According to American beauty writer Jessica DeFino, restriction. “I definitely think that the popularity of food-inspired beauty products, and scents in particular, speaks to a sublimated desire for the things we don’t or won’t eat in the age of Ozempic,” she wrote earlier this year.

But not everyone drew this connection. “My wild take is that with our growing dependency on social media and general reliance on parasocial relationships, the need to feel alive and real (aka less digital) and, in turn, more edible is greater than ever,” Callum says. “Fruit and food are a soft reminder that we are alive and breathing, and don’t always have to be plugged in.”

Frances Shoemack, founder and director of Abel Fragrance has noticed a different shift. “After years of sweetness and predictability, there’s a hunger for originality — for scents that surprise you but still feel wearable. There’s definitely been a move toward complexity within freshness and fragrances that feel clean, but still have character.”

Like Callum, Frances thinks there’s a collective desire for scents that feel ‘real’. “Natural materials and biotechnological innovations are also allowing us to create these nuanced compositions that feel alive on the skin, which I think really connects with today’s fragrance lover,” she says.

There’s a lot to unpack. So, what better way to distill the essence of 2025 than to ask the country’s leading fragrance experts how they’d bottle the year into a scent?

What did 2025 smell like?

Gourmand, vanilla and peach

“2025 as a fragrance would be unmistakably gourmand,” says Mina Gorman, creative director of Odesse. According to Mina, 2025 was characterised by “creamy vanilla balanced with airy florals, melting into a decadent heart of caramelised brown sugar and rich tonka bean, before settling into a warm, woody, musky base.”

Jessica Tate, co-founder of Lore Perfumery is in agreement. “If we’re talking popular fragrances, it would smell like top notes of peach, middle notes of a variety of nuts, and base notes of vanilla and musk,” she says.

Bergamot, rose and vanilla

Nick Smart, founder and director of Agence de Parfum and Libertine Parfumerie thinks the year would open with “bergamot and mandarin, and maybe a bit of lily of the valley. The middle notes would have to be rose – take your pick of French, Turkish, Bulgarian, or Tunisian. And the base would be a powdery vanilla with coconut and Akigalawood.”

Ink, hibiscus and Palo Santo

“It feels like a lot of things were signed for both myself and all those around me,” says Callum Rory Mitchell, founder of Perdrisât, whose tells me his top note of ‘ink’ encompasses business contracts, new leases, divorce papers and NDAs. As for the heart note? “Hibiscus. [It’s] the symbolism of all the good things; grace, friendship, delicacy, prosperity. And if those things are not at the heart of life, then what is?

“Hibiscus has followed me around all year. I had a Californian summer and the hibiscus flowers were blooming at every corner. I’ve been drinking hibiscus tea because a wellness influencer on Instagram said it de-puffs you. And even while re-watching ‘The OC’, I clocked that Sandy Cohen had these Hibiscus print board-shorts he seems to wear all year round,” he says. Lastly, Callum’s base note would be “Palo Santo, because we’ve all needed some extra cleansing.”

Ginger, immortelle, candied violet and vetiver

It’s been an interesting year with lots of challenges mixed in with moments of playfulness for Emma Hogan, Adore Beauty’s Makeup and Fragrance Category Manager. “To me, it would look like top notes of ginger and fizz, like an adrenaline rush… exciting but sharp with a hint of bitter orange,” she says.

“Middle notes of Immortelle – a distinct, golden flower that smells like hay, honey and warm sun. It represents resilience and longevity. Mixed with candied violet, which is sweet, nostalgic and almost powdery. Base notes would combine vetiver and caramel for a savoury-sweet, edible note that lingers on the skin.”

Metallic, musk, resin and smoke

According to Frances Shoemack, founder and director of Abel Fragrance, it’s been a year of contrasts. “It would open sharp and mineral, maybe even metallic, something that feels almost electric and a little unsettling. The heart would soften into something more human and familiar, like skin musk or damp earth after rain.” For the base note, she suggests something grounding like dark woods, resin and smoke.

“This year has been defined by tension and transformation; beauty and unease coexisting,” she tells me. Therefore, the scent of 2025 would be one “that doesn’t settle but instead keeps evolving… much like the year itself.”

The bestselling fragrances of 2025

We’ve discussed vibes, now for the sales data. Here are some of the scents customers bought the most this year, according to the local brands and fragrance buyers we asked.

Guidance by Amouage