Banana is the niche fruit note gaining momentum this season, and while potentially polarising, it offers a surprisingly creamy and edible quality to perfumes and scented bodycare.
I'll be the first to admit that the idea of a banana perfume once had me scrunching up my nose in disgust. Personally, I'm actually not a fan of the fruit, in general, and can only tolerate it in sweet treat form, like muffins or banana bread. Thus, when I saw it touted as a 2026 fragrance trend, I was more than a little sceptical. But having smelt several of this year's new, banana-centric releases, I can tell you that when blended with similarly sweet and edible notes, it can be very appealing. Especially if your tastes already skew towards more gourmand and sunny-smelling long-lasting perfumes.
It's not just in the perfume space that banana is popularising, though. You can also find body washes and treatments bearing its signature, ripe smell, which, if you're already sold on the concept, is ideal for fragrance layering.
Banana scents are trending for summer 2026 - here are our 8 picks
RRP: £100 for 50ml | Notes: banana, maple syrup, coconut, frangipani flower, vanilla and sandalwood
This latest launch from Juliette Has A Gun was my first foray into banana scents, and I'm so glad. On first inhale, I was instantly reminded of those pale, foam banana sweets, but the blend quickly develops, with warm notes of maple syrup, creamy coconut, vanilla and sandalwood melting together with that initial burst of banana. It's decadent and downright delicious - so not what I was expecting for a banana-inspired scent. If you love warm, velvety gourmand scents, it's definitely one to invest in, especially with summer ahead.
RRP: £135 for 75ml | Notes: banana, peach blossom, fig, iris, banana leaf, hay, musk, sandalwood and cedar
If you're yet to invest in a Granado perfume, now is the time, as the brand has just introduced its own banana-themed fragrance, and unlike most of the scents on this list, it's described as a fruity-floral rather than a gourmand. It combines banana and soft peach blossom with powdery notes of iris, musk and warm woody base. It's creamy and fruity, but with a hint of greenness (by way of the banana leaf), there's also a velvety softness to it that makes it feel very wearable - despite those more unusual banana hints.
RRP: £28 for 30ml | Notes: Banana milk, coconut solar and sweet musks
If you want to trial this modern scent genre, without splurging too much on one, Le Monde Gourmand have launched their own, affordable take. It blends banana milk with solar notes of coconut and delicate musks, which balance the ripe sweetness of the fruit and creaminess of the nut notes with warmth. It is sunny and smooth, not sickly, which adds to the a-peel (see what I did there?), and you really can't sniff at that £28 price tag. If you like milk perfumes and, of course, the smell of fresh bananas, this is definitely the scent for you.
RRP: £80 for 50ml | Notes: banana, coconut cream, gardenia, jasmine. rum, sandalwood and vanilla bourbon
For solar perfume lovers, this Kayali scent layers sweet banana with creamy coconut and soft florals, as well as decadent boozy notes of rum and vanilla bourbon. It's both tropical and fresh, with a sunny quality that just makes it perfect for holiday spritzing. If you're a fan of the brand's other gourmand blends, you're sure to like this.
RRP: £95 for 27ml | Notes: bergamot, green banana peel accord, broom flower, ripe banana, jasmine, orange flower, honey and labdanum
For a more unusual take, 27 87's Hakuna Matata features green banana peel as well as ripe banana accords, and layers them with crisp bergamot, jasmine, orange flower and sweet honey. It's fun, tropical and ambery, ideal if you're on the hunt for a unique and unusual summertime signature.
RRP: £15.99 for 90ml | Notes: banana flower, meringue and almond
If you're on the hunt for an affordable fragrance, the best ZARA perfumes are always worth a sniff, but for something very new and trendy, we recommend trying Sun Kissed Banana first. It's described by the brand as a solar floral, layering banana flower with almost-edible and nutty notes of meringue and almond.
RRP: £62 | Scented with: peach, banana, cacao, tonka bean and musk
As mentioned, banana isn't just proving popular in the fragrance world but also in body care. Like trendy Saltair, Joonbyrd offers a range of skin-loving and gorgeously scented body lotions, washes and so on, and has just launched two new formulas boasting a banana-y scent. This body glaze is powered by ingredients like grape flower, resveratrol, plant biopeptides, maize kernel sugar and 7-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, to support your skin's long-term health and leave it looking glossy, radiant and smelling like fruity peach, banana and tonka bean.
RRP: £39 | Scented with: peach, banana, cacao and tonka bean
If you're keen to embrace a banana scent throughout your beauty routine, this new Joonbyrd body wash is a lovely option. Its fragrance boasts notes of peach, banana, cacao and tonka bean. Meanwhile, its lathering formula is enriched with a nourishing biotech complex of plant-derived exosomes, organic sunflower sprouts, maize kernel sugar and 7-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid to help lock in moisture and leave your skin feeling supple and looking refreshed.
Now, if you're reading this and thinking, "Why would I want to smell like a banana?" a few months ago, I was right there with you. But hopefully, having shared my overall aversion to the fruit, you'll trust me when I say that they grow on you. Like many of the best gourmand perfumes, these featured banana blends are sweet, creamy and in some cases, very nostalgic-smelling.
Plus, if you've been staying across the scent trends, you'll know that more unusual notes have been on the rise for some time now, especially regarding fruity perfumes. Last year, it was all about berries, with strawberry and cherry perfumes gaining a lot of search and interest. Meanwhile, gourmands have been making a comeback, with creamy milk perfumes and nutty blends among the most in-demand, with many of us seeking out niche and under-the-radar options to make our signatures. So, the fact that banana perfumes are on the up actually makes a lot of sense.
What does banana smell like in perfume
Similar to vanilla and more laconic accords, banana can afford a very smooth, sweet and creamy quality to a fragrance. It can also be quite lightweight and almost whipped - picture the light and sugary smell of foam banana sweets - depending on what notes it's layered with.
Then there are those that boast a very sunny, tropical sort of scent, much like notes of fig or coconut, hence why it's such a popular summer perfume option. You can also find greener fragrances featuring notes like banana leaf.
