beauty

The 11 Best-Smelling Conditioners That Are So Good They Could Replace Your Perfume

You know when you get random whiffs of your freshly washed hair and it’s so nice? The right shampoo and conditioner can do just that, and it’s a total mood-booster. Since we’ve already shared a list of the best-smelling shampoos with you, we thought it was time for part two: the best-smelling conditioners that feature such incredible fragrances they could replace your perfume.

The 15 Best-Smelling Body Washes for Every Preference


The Best-Smelling Conditioners At A Glance

Best New Launch

1. Ranavat Regenerative Conditioner

  • Why We Love It: makes hair soft and more manageable, has a sweet jasmine scent

Everything about this conditioner is lavish—from the regal blue shade of its weighty aluminum bottle to the creamy (but not too heavy) texture of the conditioner itself. And let’s not forget the primary reason it made this list: the bliss-inducing scent, which comes courtesy of Jasmine flower extract. The sweet floral scent is intense in the shower and leaves your strands smelling equally fragrant when you step out.

Best for Curly Hair

2. CURLS Blueberry Bliss Reparative Leave In Conditioner

  • Why We Love It: smells like blueberries, replenishes lost moisture

As our resident curly hair expert, Chelsea Candelario says, “a styling routine [for curly, coily or natural hair] should always start with a good leave-in conditioner.” Her go-to for years? This moisturizing pick that she describes as smelling like a delicious blueberry pie. “When my hair starts to soak up all the moisture from a wash, I apply this leave-in conditioner to replenish my locks and keep them tangle-free,” she adds.

Best for Puffy Hair

3. Vegamour HYDR-8 Hydrate and Repair Conditioner

  • Why We Love It: has smoothing ingredients for porous hair

Fellow Jasmine (and floral) lovers will want to take note of this nourishing conditioner from Vegamour. And if right about now you’re wondering how to choose between this and the Ranavat conditioner that also smells like a sweet bouquet, we’d say go with this one if you have thick, porous hair that’s prone to puffing up or frizzing. This one has a slightly heavier texture and features an ingredient called Kamartin, which is the brand's vegan silk alternative to keratin and silicone that helps seal in moisture.

Best for Blondes

4. IGK LA Purple Toning Leave-In Treatment Spray

  • Why We Love It: has a lightweight, pleasant scent, keeps blonde hair from getting too brassy

Our commerce editor, Olivia Kappler, swears by this conditioning spray for keeping her blonde hair looking and smelling fresh. “It has such a nice, light scent that isn't overwhelming. It’s deeply floral, but again, not too potent, and it’ll have you constantly sniffing your hair until your next wash day,” she shares. “The fact that it also tones my hair, while moisturizing and protecting it from heat makes it a must-have for my fellow blondies.”

Best for Fine Hair

5. Ouai Fine Hair Conditioner

  • Why We Love It: lightweight formula doesn’t weigh down hair

The last thing you want is a product that further weighs your hair down and causes even more build-up on your scalp. Thankfully, the featherweight formula of this Ouai conditioner nourishes even the finest strands using biotin, keratin and chia seed oil. Plus, the scent—a blend of lemon, jasmine and white musk—smells like a dream.

The Desert Island Pick

6. It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product

  • Why We Love It: smells refreshing, protects against heat damage

Another top contender that Kappler recommends? This classic leave-in conditioning spray from It’s a 10 that she credits for keeping her perpetually highlighted hair from turning into straw. As for the scent, she says it reminds of her when she was a kid, and her mom would spray detangler in her hair after a bath. “Remember how your hair would smell like a tropical island and make the brush glide through any knots without snagging? This leave-in conditioner does that—and so much more. While I love the nostalgia I feel whenever I spritz this in my hair, it’s really the results that keep me coming back for more,” she says.

Best for Color-Treated Hair

7. Oribe Conditioner for Beautiful Color

  • Why We Love It: has keratin to strengthen hair and UV filters to keep color from fading

Beloved for good reason, this decadent conditioner (and longtime stylist favorite) is a go-to for keeping your colored strands bright and shiny. Formulated with smoothing plant extracts and strengthening keratin, it keeps your hair cuticles intact, so your color doesn’t leach out as quickly. Add to that protective UV filters and it’s exactly what we need to bide time between salon appointments. And we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you of that signature Oribe scent—a blend of bright Italian bergamot, white peach, and cedarwood—that makes your hair smell like a million bucks.

Best for 4C Hair

8. 4C Only Too Soft Leave-in Conditioner

  • Why We Love It: helps with detangling, provides good slip, has a fruity scent

For 4C hair, our associate editor Nakeisha Campbell recommends this leave-in conditioner from 4C Only. “I love that a little goes a long way and that it doesn't weigh my hair down. It also provides decent slip (which helps me detangle), and the scent is sweet and fruity. It honestly smells good enough to eat,” she raves. Formulated with slippery elm and squalene, not only does it hydrate your curls, but it also adds softness and shine.

Best Drugstore

9. Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate + Shea Butter Conditioner

  • Why We Love It: infused with coconut water to moisturize dry hair, smells like vacation

Yearning for a tropical escape these days? Us too. And though it’s not quite the same as actually being on a remote island somewhere, the dreamy scent of this conditioner allows us to pretend—if even for a few minutes. Made with a blend of aloe vera juice and infused with pure coconut water, the creamy formula quenches dry strands, while filling our showers with that sweet, sweet scent of paradise.

Best For the Ingredient-Conscious

10. Innersense Organic Beauty Hydrating Cream Conditioner

  • Why We Love It: has a rich formula for thick, coarse hair, smells like vanilla

Innersense Organic Beauty's Hydrating Cream Conditioner is a richly emollient conditioner that’s best suited for thicker, coarser hair. Loaded with certified organic rice, quinoa and flax seed to strengthen strands and shea butter and coconut to tackle dryness and frizz, it also has a mild vanilla scent that’s owed entirely to essential oils (and no synthetic ingredients).

The Revamped Classic

11. Herbal Essences Bio Renew Coconut Milk Conditioner

  • Why We Love It: budget friendly, has a coconutty scent that lasts for days

Hands up if you have fond memories of using Herbal Essences as a teen. Well, this drugstore classic is back and better than ever with the same addictively fragrant formulas we know and love. This particular conditioner smells of coconut, vanilla and tropical flowers that make us feel like we’re on a faraway island (and not in our cluttered bathroom). Coconut milk is the star ingredient in the formula and it’s what makes our hair softer, shinier and easier to style altogether whenever we use this.