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The Best Perfumes to Buy at Sephora in 2026, According to Editors
Overwhelmed by Sephora’s fragrance aisle? Team Cosmo narrowed it down to the best perfumes that smell amazing—and last—all day.
Sephora is a fragrance lover’s playground, stocked with hundreds of bottles spanning every scent family imaginable. But an endless trove of perfumes can quickly become overwhelming—especially when you’re shopping online without the advantage of a real-life spritz. Lucky for you, Cosmo editors are unapologetically obsessed with scent, and we’ve done the heavy lifting: testing and sniffing our way through Sephora’s vast fragrance selection to find the best perfumes that are blind-buy worthy and long-lasting too.
From universally loved daytime scents to spicy gourmands that are ideal for nights out, our beauty editors curated the most-loved fragrances at Sephora across a wide range of occasions and notes. To build this list of the best perfumes to shop at Sephora, we revisited past Cosmo beauty award winners, polled our most fragrance-savvy editors, and researched the scents our readers can’t stop buying.
Our picks for the top perfumes at Sephora in 2026:
Keep scrolling for our picks for the 15 best perfumes at Sephora.
Best Deal
One Cosmo editor says: "You know when you finally find the perfect (but slightly expensive) white T shirt and you’re like: “this is worth every dollar—I’ll wear this all the time and a million different ways?” That’s Retrospect. It’s indulgent, but ideal for everyday and the clean, skin-like scent is easy to wear, whether you’re a perfume novice or full-on nose."—LAUREN BALSAMO, BEAUTY DIRECTOR
Features at a Glance
| Key notes | Bergamot, pear, jasmine, musk |
| Scent family | Warm and spicy |
One Cosmo editor says: "I'm extremely picky about floral perfumes and admittedly expected to hate this. But the scent is layered with juicy strawberry, warm brown sugar, amber, and yummy bourbon vanilla that gives the whole thing a fun and youthful twist. It's not too intense for the office or daytime, but also just sweet enough that I'd grab for it on a date night." —BETH GILLETTE, BEAUTY EDITOR
Features at a Glance
| Key notes | Strawberry, brown sugar, amber, vanilla |
| Scent family | Warm florals |
One Cosmo editor says: "My mom wore Gucci Bloom throughout my childhood, and this Parfum version is like the elevated, yet younger version of the original. With modern floral notes, and a touch of spice and vanilla, I'm coining this the perfect perfume to wear out and about. If I could drench myself in this all the time, I would. “—JASMINE HYMAN, ASSISTANT BEAUTY EDITOR
Features at a Glance
| Key notes | Jasmine, tuberose, peru balsam, sweet moss |
| Scent family | Floral |
One Cosmo editor says: “I’m convinced every single perfume lover has this on their vanit—and I totally get why. The iconic sweet, bold scent lingers on skin for a full day, making it perfect for wearing from day to night. No wonder it’s considered the best-selling perfume in the world.” —BG
Features at a Glance
| Key notes | Jasmine, almond, tonka bean, tuberose |
| Scent family | Warm florals |
One Cosmo editor says: "This mouthwatering scent combines smooth and spicy notes for a warm and sensual effect. It's one of the few spicy scents that I can easily wear for any occasion—and it layers beautifully with my vanilla body lotion too." —LB
Features at a Glance
| Key notes | Citrus, apricot, vanilla, amber, sandalwood |
| Scent family | Warm and spicy |
One Cosmo editor says: “A little tart and a little sweet, this helped me get through the depths of winter because of how joyful and playful it feels, and you best believe I’ll be wearing it long into the warm season. In fact, I’m already naming it the scent of the summer.” —MARY HONKUS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Features at a Glance
| Key notes | Green mandarin, rhubarb, white musk |
| Scent family | Fresh florals |
One Cosmo editor says: "Of all the Glossier You scents, this one is the sexiest. It's like if Brat was a perfume. Tart plum, sweet buttercream, and nutty almond come together to create a new type of sexy perfume. Unlike all the usual gourmands I love, this has a juiciness that's unique and cool girl."—BG
Features at a Glance
| Notes | Buttercream, plum butter, ambrox, almond |
| Scent family | Fruity gourmand |
One Cosmo editor says: “I love the warm, cozy scent of this perfume and notice a little goes a long way. I'm pretty sensitive to fragrance, so it’s usually difficult for me to indulge in rich perfumes like this one for the most part. Since this scent is so rich, I'll spray just a lil bit on my skin so it's not overpowering or intense."—IMAN BALAGAM, CONTRIBUTING BEAUTY WRITER
Features at a Glance
| Key notes | Vanilla orchid, jasmine, brown sugar, amber, musk |
| Scent family | Warm and sweet gourmands |
One Cosmo editor says: "If you wanna smell delectable, like someone could take a bite out of you, spritz on this new scent from Tom Ford. It's got notes of mandarin, bergamot, and pink pepper to create a scent that's the perfect balance of juicy, citrusy, and spicy. I love wearing it for nights out in NYC."—JH
Features at a Glance
| Key notes | Fig leaf, bergamot, muscovado |
| Scent family | Fresh fruits |
One Cosmo editor says: "I've been almost exclusively wearing Flowerbomb for the last few weeks to really nail my thoughts on this scent. But in all honesty, it wasn't exactly just because I was trying to do this experiment. If I hated how it smelled, I would have 100 percent ditched it in favor of one of my other go-tos (typically, a gourmand perfume). So when, I chose to douse myself in Flowerbomb for the Tate McRae concert this weekend, I knew it was something I really loved."—BETH GILLETTE, BEAUTY EDITOR
Features at a Glance
| Notes | Tea, bergamot, osmanthus, orchid, jasmine, rose, patchouli, musk, vanilla |
| Scent family | Warm and floral |
One Cosmo editor says: "This scent reminds me of eating fruit on the beach—it’s sweet but not overwhelmingly so and feels really bright and energizing on the nose. It also lasts a shockingly long time. Perfume doesn’t usually take to my skin very well, so I was impressed that I could smell this on my skin hours after the initial spritz.” —VERONICA LOPEZ, SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS EDITOR
Features at a Glance
| Key notes | Mandarin, pink pineapple, orange flower |
| Scent family | Citrus |
One Cosmo editor says: "Rihanna is known for smelling ~incredible~ so it's no surprise that the Fenty perfume gives off boss bitch energy. Although it's rose heavy, this isn't your grandma's rose perfume. This is warm, spicy, and jammy with a bouquet of Bulgarian rose (aka the most complex of all roses in perfumery), geranium, and magnolia. I love how tangerine gives this an unexpected brightness before settling in a heady blend of patchouli and musk. This is a total statement-maker."—MH
Features at a Glance
| Notes | Magnolia, musk, Bulgarian rose |
| Scent family | Musky floral |
One Cosmo editor says: "This smells like eternal summer. When I get kinda sad about the dwindling days of warm weather and salty air, I just spritz on this watery, fresh perfume. It evokes the feeling of spending all day in the ocean and coming home and taking the best everything shower of your life. IDK where Jake's house is, but I want an invite."—BG
Features at a Glance
| Key notes | Neroli, watery notes, musk, honey |
| Scent family | Aquatic |
One Cosmo editor says: "When I spritz myself with this vanilla body mist before bed, I sleep like a baby. The scent cocoons me in warmth and zen. I think of it like a grown up, sexy pillow mist. Instead of lavender, there's powdery violet, surrounded by sugary sweetness and grounded in soft sandalwood. This + my Kindle = perfect night in." —BG
Features at a Glance
| Notes | Vanilla orchid, sugar, violet, sandalwood |
| Scent family | Sweet and woodsy |
One Cosmo editor says: "This hair mist is the perfect micro-dose of summer. It’s fruity, but it’s such a complex scent, so don’t worry if you aren’t into really cloying sweet fragrances—this one feels elevated, like you’re at a 5-star resort and every room smells like a hint of light musk and a little floral, with expensive sunscreen and piña colada.” —HANNAH OH, SHOPPING EDITOR
Features at a Glance
| Key notes | Tuberose, musk, dragon fruit, orange blossom |
| Scent family | Fruity |
Why trust ‘Cosmopolitan’?
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing fragrance stories.
Jasmine Hyman is the assistant beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with more than three years experience writing about the best beauty products, including all types of fragrances.
Jasmine Hyman is the Assistant Beauty Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she writes about the latest beauty trends and must-have products. Her most prized beauty possessions are a meticulous skincare routine and salon blowouts. You’ll also likely find her in bed reading a good book or endlessly scrolling TikTok (spoiler: it’s usually the latter) while listening to Harry Styles’ entire discography on repeat. Follow her on Insta to be inundated with pictures of her meals.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
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