The Scent-Obsessed Gift Guide

We all know that one person who turns to treats during the holidays, from hot chocolate to peppermint bark. Putting these fragrances on your body can sometimes be overbearingly sweet, but Dove’s holiday hot-cocoa scent has notes of cocoa and toasted marshmallow that smell a bit nutty and layer well with vanilla. This body scrub will not only leave them smelling amazing, but it also gently exfoliates the skin, leaving it silky-smooth.

TikTok can’t stop talking about EOS scents. Sparking Amber has become a favorite because people have been comparing it to Baccarat Rouge 450. To be honest, it does smell very similar, and the moisture it provides lasts all day long.

Phlur’s Vanilla Skin was probably the scent of the year from its growing popularity on social media and at retailers. The brand recently launched deodorant that smells just like the scent. It’s sweet and addictive, and it actually works. It’s the perfect gift for the friend who can’t stop talking about how much they love the scent; it’ll complete their collection.

This lavender- and chamomile-infused pillow spray is a must-have for relaxation and meditation.

It doesn’t have to be expensive to be great. Ashlea Halpern over at the Strategist describes the scent: “Delicate but powerful. Not in a nose-singeing, throat-scratching, dorm-room patchouli kind of way, but more like I’d stumbled into a dewy meadow or sun-dappled timberland and inhaled with all my might.”

Saltair is beloved for its blissful vacation scents like Pink Beach. This year, the brand turned the coconut-and-vanilla fragrance into a glistening body oil with SPF. The sun-kissed glow it gives is like no other.

This is No. 1 on our Best-Smelling, Bubbliest, Most Soothing Bath Products roundup: “The cult-favorite gardenia scent has a slightly creamy undertone that translates well into a relaxing bath, and the bubbles are also kind of mellow.”

Perfect for an at-home spa day, or every day. Mom get super-soft skin, plus the aroma of warm almonds and vanilla. If she likes it, you can buy her the refill (with 78 percent less packaging) next time.

Simple and minimal, this candle has subtle notes of orange, bergamot, and cardamom. Keep this earthy and woody candle lit or leave it as a centerpiece on a coffee table.

This candle sets the perfect recovery vibe, infused with chamomile and driftwood to calm and comfort the mind and body.

This sugar scrub gently exfoliates the body while conditioning it with shea butter and argan oil, a shower must-have. The topless tangerine scent is a juicy citrus that adds to the body-care experience, and the refillable packaging is so easy to travel with.

This earthy yet rosy candle encapsulates floral gardens in the South of France. If you have a friend who visits every summer (or wants to), gift them this to transport them their for the holidays.

Hermés launched a Birkin-inspired chypre fragrance this year. The patchouli and citrus scent smells like a second skin. This soap bar has a luxurious lather and is engraved with a jumbo H for Hermés, a chic bathroom statement for any host.

Yes, Drake has a candle line, and the scents actually smell really good. If you’ve ever been in the lobby of the Edition Hotel, you’ve likely been captivated by the citrusy yet warm and inviting scent. This smells just like that, and it comes with a gold marker so it can be customized by the owner.

This lightweight beard oil has a citrusy aroma for the man who likes his beard to smell good; it also provides a luster that nourishes and softens beard hairs.

What do you give your homebody friend who has every homey item they could possible have? A fragrance for their room. This one leaves an earthy aroma with vetiver and fir balsam; it’s meant to be meditative and invigorate the senses, a dream for anyone who loves the comfort of their own home.

Glasshouse scents fill up my home in November and December because they don’t smell like corny holiday scents that bring back yucky nostalgic odors. Instead, they play on the freshness of holiday scents and make you want to light a candle, bake cookies, and turn on a Hallmark movie.

Beyoncé’s ultimate gift to us is a Christmas performance this year. You probably aren’t gifting your BeyHive friends tickets, but you can gift them a Cécred candle. The temple-oud scent of the hair products has had me sniffing my hair all day (not cute), but that’s how good it smells. With notes of oud and sandalwood, the candle will fill up any home with cozy vibes.

When you have absolutely no idea what to get someone who loves scent, play it safe by gifting this Burberry set. Both Burberry Her and Burberry Goddess are beloved, so you can let them choose for themselves.

Hate candles, but still want to be able to choose the aroma in your space? Diptyque’s scented wax ovals omit scent for up to three months just by hanging around and looking pretty.

Brown Sugar Babe tapped beauty editor Kayla Greaves this year for a body-oil scent that exudes confidence like an “It” girl does. With patchouli, myrrh, bergamot, and black pepper, the thick oil seeps into the skin while leaving a lingering scent that sticks to any fragrance applied on top of it.

This sachet filled with a mixture of buds, leaves, and flower petals typical of the Tuscan hills is the sort of luxury we’d never buy for ourselves but would love to get as a gift. Santa Maria Novella is an apothecary in Florence, Italy, and the oldest pharmacy in the world. The proprietors have been making potpourri for three centuries — they know what they’re doing.

Beauty podcaster Brooke DeVard bottled up her vision of Los Angeles in a scent: a bergamot and neroli scent balanced with musk notes like amber. It’s a scent that changes throughout the day as you wear it, and the bold orange bottle is a treat for any fragrance shelf.

If you have a friend who sprays their fragrance in their hair, please stop them. The alcohols in fragrance are damaging to hair, which is why hair mist exists. My most complimented one is Parfums de Marly’s Valaya mist, a fresh yet floral scent that grips to the oils and weight of my hair and usually lasts longer than the scent on my body.

Beauty influencer Jackie Aina launched her first fragrances this year after being a scent authority. The most beloved? I Am Her, a pear and red-velvet blend with subtle hints of oud. It’s feminine and badass, so it’s safe to say it lives up to the name.

This scent is meant to stop time, so you don’t know if you’re ending the night or starting it. It’s bold enough to be seductive, but also playful enough, with notes like raspberry, to be an everyday scent. It gets endless compliments without breaking the bank.

This Maison Margiela candle set has a scene-inspired candle for every mood. Our favorite? Jazz Club. Overall, these candles are great to have around the house because even if you don’t light them, you’ll get a whiff of the notes and they look nice if your décor is on the minimal side.

The person in your life who has a shelfie full of products can never have too many body creams. Fenty’s body cream smells just like the fragrance — spicy and warm with notes of rose. The thick cream hydrates the skin while leaving the alluring scent behind. Not only will they have the most luscious skin, but they’ll be smelling just as good as it looks.

This is like a gift for you too — your partner will smell better than they ever have before. And nothing says “I think you’re a grown-up with long-term relationship potential” like fancy hand wash.

Every beach bag deserves a Bum Bum cream. The lusciously warm scent is hard not to love, and this jumbo-size cream will last for months. It’s a gift for the friend who is always on a flight for beach vacation.

Moodeaux fragrances are formulated with less alcohol to minimize the drying effect for sensitive skin, but it doesn’t affect the scent at all. In fact, it lasts longer than most because it has a higher percentage of fragrance oil. This scent, Worthy, is a woodsy floral aroma that the brand dubs “a hug in a bottle,” and I must admit I do immediately feel at ease when I wear it because of how velvety it feels and smells on the skin.

Byredo is a classic. It’s so aesthetically pleasing that you might never want to light it. Byredo’s summer rain has warm sandalwood and tonka beans as the base with top essential-oil notes.

Because who wouldn’t want a Loewe candle? They’re long-lasting with an aroma that fills the entire home and the vessel is the gift that keeps on giving even after the candle is done burning.

A diffuser is a good way to scent your space safely (no fire hazard) and naturally. This one is attractive enough that you can leave it out as decor, too and Saje’s essential oil blends have a powerful aroma so the scent travels across your home.

Send a person sweets and you feed them for a day. Send them an assortment of blondies, though, and you fill their home with the smell of deliciousness for more than just a day (if they can resist). This decadent assortment would be great to bring to a gathering, too because it includes gluten-free and vegan options.

This scent is for people who don’t like to smell like anyone else. Stora Skuggan’s scents introduce you to a room before you step in; that’s how intense they are. Moonmilk has unique notes of sandalwood, black tea, leather, and black pepper. Even though it’s warm and creamy, it’s also slightly animalic.

This is another scent that’s designed to layer; it’s a magnifier meant to intensify the perfume you’re already wearing. Because it’s sandalwood based, it pairs great with other notes in the musk family.

This is the candle I love to pull out when I have company because of how inviting and fresh it smells. Cartier candles also last forever.

This is Gucci’s first gourmand fragrance, and the first time I smelled it I immediately asked, Why haven’t they explored this sooner? It’s an overload of vanilla that leaves a honeyed sweetness on the skin, one that’s rich but not overpowering.

Inspired by decadent French pastries, Choux Choux is a rich gourmand scent with notes of sandalwood and cocoa. Many scents have been trying to smell like actual food; this smells more elevated and the sweet notes are balanced out with citrus peel. It lasts all day long. I’ve gotten endless compliments on how delicious it smells.

As a molecule perfume, this adapts to everyone’s body differently. The fun in gifting it is seeing how it smells on the recipient.

This is the scent I wear for every date night. The mysterious tobacco enveloped with creamy vanilla makes it an alluring feminine scent. Victoria Beckham created this scent to reawaken a travel memory with her husband, David Beckham, so it makes sense that it’s so fitting for date night.

Parfum de Marly’s newest scent is a rich, musky one. With notes like bourbon vanilla and cinnamon, it is a long-lasting fragrance that gets compliments all day long.

Frédéric Malle’s interpretation of Acne Studios is a clean, yet magnetic scent with a sweetness of peach and florals that make it addicting.

Extraits are the most concentrated forms of perfumes. Fragrance du Bois is home to extraits that are uniquely crafted for specific types of people. This cherry and incense fragrance is its first female-inspired scent.

Van Cleef scents are often full of mystery. This one smells like tobacco overload, a great scent to layer with creamy and warm perfumes.

Mind Games often takes notes that you’d never expect to be blended together, and the result is magical. Prodigy fuses rose with cinnamon for a spicy surprise — they’re wafted together with soft musks for a flirty finish.

Have a friend who can’t get enough of vanilla? If Gucci Flora isn’t enough, this Vanilla Powder perfume dries down with a bit of an enticing coconut aroma.