A New Chapter in Turkish Perfumery

We have concluded the Marie Claire Türkiye Fragrance Awards 2026, not merely as a glamorous awards ceremony, but as a significant new milestone in the history of Turkish perfumery. In designing these awards under the visionary leadership of Serli Gazer, Editor-in-Chief of Marie Claire, and our meticulously dedicated project team, our goal was to create more than an event where winners are announced. We aimed to establish a robust framework for how fragrance should be evaluated in Türkiye and to highlight creative approaches through a multicultural, international lens.

At the heart of this framework lay a rigorously structured blind sniffing process. For an entire month, our jury members worked with 10ml amber glass bottles with black spray caps, labeled only with category information and application numbers. There were no brand names, no designer titles, no marketing language, and no campaign influence. There was only the scent. Each fragrance was scored based on its technical structure, note balance, sillage, development, olfactive signature, consistency with its stated narrative, and sensory impact within its category. It is for this reason that a profound value stands behind every award given this year: Integrity.

The true growth of a fragrance culture in any country is only possible by establishing a fair and reliable ground for evaluation that goes beyond "pleasant smells." In conceiving these awards, we did not just want to identify "winners"; we wanted to define the criteria by which perfumery is taken seriously in Türkiye—what constitutes quality and what merits recognition. In this sense, the Marie Claire Türkiye Fragrance Awards was much more than a night of results. It was a threshold where the industry began to look into its own mirror with greater intent.

One of the most valuable aspects for us was that, although the majority of our jury consisted of technical experts, the evaluation did not remain confined to the language of the laboratory. Because a perfume is neither just a formula nor just a story. It is not merely technical success, nor is it purely emotion. A great fragrance becomes "timeless" only to the extent that it can harmonize all of these elements. The fact that this year’s winning scents truly struck that balance was one of the strongest pillars of this inaugural edition.

And yes, at the end of the night, every brand—whether they received an award or not—knew that the process was not driven by bottle aesthetics, perfumer signatures, or marketing investments, but by the truth of the scent itself. For a debut organization, there could be no greater achievement than this. Of course, we do not claim to have done everything perfectly; this first year has taught us a great deal. We have seen clearly what we can improve, where we can delve deeper, and which industrial needs require more focus. Therefore, we do not view 2026 as a concluded success story, but as a powerful beginning. We are moving forward with these lessons, noting our observations, and embracing our areas for growth as a natural part of our evolution.

Because we know that this country possesses not only a strong heritage of scent culture but also an incredibly potent future for the industry. This is a world growing through its raw materials, designers, perfumers, producers, creative brands, "kolonya" legacy, niche perfume audacity, agriculture, craftsmanship, and storytelling. And this world deserves a larger, more influential, and truly international stage.

This is why we have already rolled up our sleeves for 2028. We will return with all the experience, learning, excitement, and professionalism of this inaugural year. We will return with a stronger structure, a wider sphere of influence, a more refined setup, and higher international visibility. In short, we will return with an edition that does not just repeat itself but grows.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our Platinum Sponsor MG International Fragrance Company, our Silver Sponsor PARKİM Fragrance House, and our International Partner Givaudan for standing by us as we took this first step. We also thank our Supporting Brands Çiftsan Etiket & Ambalaj, YONCAHES Luxury Perfume Boxes, and WeReserve; our International Media Partners Basenotes.net and Perfumer & Flavorist; our esteemed international jury members for their time and expertise; our creative and unique Turkish fragrance brands, and everyone who believed in this dream.

See you at the Marie Claire Fragrance Awards 2028...