After sniffing dozens of fragrances to determine our picks for this list, we’ve determined that August fragrance, as a whole, is having an identity crisis. And honestly, we get it. Technically, we're still deep in summer spirits, but the moment that first sign of fall pops up, some of us get tunnel vision for everything warm and cozy, including NEST New York's new Cardamom Latte and PHLUR’s Vanilla Canyon. This month's launches lean into that ethos, spanning nearly every olfactive family, from fruity and floral to vanilla and gourmand. So, whichever season you're emotionally living in, there's a scent for it. Below, see our list of the best new fragrances launching right now.
The Best New Fragrances in August 2026
DIOR Miss Dior Eau de Parfum ($154 for 50ml)
Five years after its 2021 relaunch (the original was born in 1947), Miss Dior is evolving again, and this time the shift is bigger than a tweak. The 2021 edition, composed by François Demachy, was an amber floral, but this new iteration, dreamt up by Francis Kurkdjian, is a creamy floral chypre, built around Centifolia rose absolute from Dior's own Grasse gardens. (Christian Dior and his sister Catherine grew them on their estate there.)
Other key notes include rosewood, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla and tonka bean. Plus, you can also personalize your Miss Dior bottle with custom engraving and a couture houndstooth bow: Choose from black and white, pink, pale pink or denim.
Lake & Skye 222 Eau de Parfum ($105 for 50ml)
Lake & Skye follows up its cult-favorite 11 11 fragrance (one of my personal faves I’ve worn for nearly 10 years) with 222, a milky-soft skin scent. Where 11 11 leaned into a signature musk-forward profile, 222 goes softer: Think almond blossom, vanilla cream and frothed milk with a touch of bergamot, fresh florals and an airy musk.
The name nods to the angel number 222, which is a symbol of trust and balance that founder Courtney Somer says shaped the fragrance's mood: "The angel number 222 is a reminder to soften and trust what is unfolding. It's about balance, patience and embracing the in-between moments."
Rare Beauty Rare Beginnings Eau de Parfum ($78 for 50ml)
Selena Gomez's second scent is a fruity floral with just the right amount of sweetness, and the brand says it lasts up to 12 hours on the skin. Top notes are pear nectar and creamy pistachio; the heart includes gardenia, jasmine and lotus blossom; and the base comprises vanilla bean, pink sugar and cedarwood. And, of course, the unique bottle design matches the brand’s signature scent, featuring an ergonomic shape built for easier, more comfortable dispensing.
The name “Rare Beginnings” is fitting, as Gomez says she wanted the scent to bottle the feeling of a fresh start: "I try to look at each day—each moment—as a new opportunity. There's always something beautiful ahead. I wanted this fragrance to capture that feeling of possibility, so bright and sweet."
Ellis Brooklyn PLUM TONIC Eau de Parfum ($115)
Ellis Brooklyn’s new gourmand bottles that golden hour feeling and the confidence that comes with it—it’s the kind of scent that will have strangers asking what you’re wearing. "I wanted to capture the excitement of going out in New York City—the heady anticipation and the fizzy-sweet energy,” says founder Bee Shapiro. “This scent is a plum that's ready to party."
Top notes are sparkling mandarin, plum nectar and açaí; mid notes are peony petals, iris flower and violet leaf; and the base includes amber crystals, cashmere woods and sugared musks.
YSL Beauty LIBRE Santal Couture Eau de Parfum ($155 for 50ml)
YSL Beauty’s best-selling LIBRE collection gets a new addition with Santal Couture, its first floral-woody fragrance that’s both vibrant and warm. "LIBRE has always been about subverting a classic fougère into a feminine fragrance,” say perfumers Anne Flipo and Carlos Benaïm. “With Santal Couture, the challenge was to turn a masculine woody facet into a feminine signature. We worked on enveloping the sensual facets of the sandalwood with the feminine heart of LIBRE. The result is intensely velvety, sensual and addictive." Key notes include Moroccan orange blossom accord, French lavender and New Caledonian sandalwood.
NEST NEW YORK Cardamom Latte Eau de Parfum ($98 for 50ml)
Autumn in a bottle? Yes please. Crafted by master perfumer Honorine Blanc, this creamy, spicy-gourmand scent is warm and indulgent, yet sophisticated, and the perfect pick for the upcoming fall season. Key notes include cardamom, jasmine petals, coconut milk and vanilla cream. You will keep coming back to this one; just wait.
Gap Beauty Heaven Eau de Parfum ($52 for 50ml)
Gap fragrance is having a full-circle moment. First launched in November 1994, the line became one of the defining scent stories of the era—unmistakably '90s. Now, Gap Beauty has brought back its OG fragrances as eau de parfums (20-percent concentration) made with “cleaner, more modern ingredients and updated perfumery techniques.”
Heaven is the softest, most sensual of the bunch—the brand describes the floral-amber scent as “soft, solar and serene.” Top notes are pear, juniper essence and cardamom SFE; mid notes include honeysuckle, pear and Madagascar vanilla; and base notes are patchouli, golden amber (Amberever) and celestial musks.
PHLUR Vanilla Canyon Eau de Parfum ($99 for 50ml)
Phlur is doubling down on vanilla with this new launch, created by renowned perfumer Jérôme Epinette. The amber-woody fragrance is inspired by “the feeling of limitlessness. Like gazing into a vast canyon or driving toward the horizon on an open road, it’s an ode to awe-striking moments that take your breath away and make you feel alive.”
Top notes include velvet plum and tonka bean; mid notes are jasmine petals and wild honey; and base notes include Madagascar vanilla, patchouli and oak wood.
Estée Lauder Glimmer Eau de Parfum ($130 for 50ml)
The brand describes this feel-good, amber-floral fragrance as “a scent not just to be worn, but to be felt, remembered and shared. Because when you find what makes you glimmer, it lights up everyone around you.” Top notes are raspberry mousse accord, orange flower and mandarin oil; mid notes comprise macaron rose accord, rose, vanilla Bean and Cashmeran; and base notes include patchouli, amber embrace accord, sandalwood accord, cedarwood accord and tonka bean.
Miu Miu Miutine Intense Eau de Parfum ($145 for 50ml)
Miu Miu’s new launch pushes the brand's signature scent into richer, more sensual territory. Creator and master perfumer Dominique Ropion describes the fruity-floral gourmand as one that “expresses a form of intensity that doesn't rely on excess. It embodies an effortless, instinctive femininity, where presence is felt rather than asserted."
Key notes include blackberry, gardenia accord, magnolia leaf oil, rose, Madagascar vanilla bourbon and patchouli oil. "Blackberry has an intrinsic ambiguity I find fascinating,” says Ropion. “It gives an immediate, mouthwatering intensity. The gardenia emphasizes a creamy, textured, almost tactile facet. Vanilla adds depth and sensuality. It brings intimacy, contributing to the addictive trail through depth."
BYREDO Future Memories Eau de Parfum ($235 for 50ml)
Veteran perfumer Quentin Bisch is the nose behind this vanilla-forward, ambery-green fragrance, which he says is “about the scent you wear today becoming the memory others keep of you.” Top notes include blackcurrant, fresh aldehydes and galbanum; mid notes are labdanum, iris butter, orange blossom and white vanilla; and base notes comprise musks, Madagascar vanilla, vanilla liquor accord and Ambrofix.
