The 2026 Marie Claire Fragrance Awards Are Back—And Will Smell Better Than Ever
Entries are officially open.
Well, it’s official: Marie Claire’s Award Season is in full swing. Our big shebang of a program—the Marie Claire 2026 Beauty Awards—has been open for a few weeks now (our skincare and body care entries are now closed, but you’re not too late to enter hair, makeup, and nail products!), and products are slowly but surely rolling into the MC offices. But because Team Beauty hates a dull moment, we have also decided to kick off our much-anticipated 3rd annual Marie Claire Fragrance Awards (!!) this month.
This is my personal favorite program because not only do I stumble upon new brands and niche fragrances, but it also provides the perfect setting to rediscover classics. Each entry costs $250 and will be tested by multiple members of the Marie Claire Beauty Team. We spend hours (neigh, weeks) spraying, smelling, and wearing hundreds of different formulas on a mission to find the best 53 scents encompassing traditional perfumes, candles, home fragrance, laundry detergent, and scented body care. The result is a crop of products we can wholeheartedly recommend to our readers.
If you have yet to enter, act fast. Our application is only open until Friday, April 3, with the sample delivery due to the MC offices no later than Friday, April 10. All fragrances that will be eligible to shop in May 2026 are eligible to enter. The only caveat: if you are entering for the Best New Fragrance Award, the product must have launched between May 2025 and May 2026—no sooner, no later, no exceptions.
Winners will be announced on marieclaire.com and our accompanying social platforms in May 2026, photographed as part of a beautiful custom photoshoot, and celebrated at our Fragrance Awards Party, which will take place in early June. It’s my favorite night of the year, bringing together incredible noses, brand founders, industry leaders, and genius marketers.
If you have any questions, please visit our awards website or reach out to our very helpful and responsive team at [email protected]. Good luck, everyone—we can't wait to start testing!
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Samantha Holender is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and shares the breakdown on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty space. She's studied up on every ingredient you'll find on INCI list and is constantly in search of the world's glowiest makeup products. She's constantly tracking the biggest nail and hair trends to pop up in the beauty space, going backstage during fashion weeks, tracking celebrity looks, and constantly talking to celebrity hair stylists, nail artists, and makeup artists. Prior to joining the team, she worked as Us Weekly’s Beauty and Style Editor, where she stayed on the pulse of pop culture and broke down celebrity beauty routines, hair transformations, and red carpet looks. Her words have also appeared on Popsugar, Makeup.com, Skincare.com, Delish.com, and Philadelphia Wedding. Samantha also serves as a board member for the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). She first joined the organization in 2018, when she worked as an editorial intern at Food Network Magazine and Pioneer Woman Magazine. Samantha has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While at GWU, she was a founding member of the school’s HerCampus chapter and served as its President for four years. When she’s not deep in the beauty closet or swatching eyeshadows, you can find her obsessing over Real Housewives and all things Bravo. Keep up with her on Instagram @samholender.