Even though I know I shouldn’t wash my hair every day, it can be difficult to resist the allure of some of my shampoos. I also asked PureWow editors to identify the most fragrant hair cleaners they currently use in their showers because aromatherapy is essentially a self-care practice. Here are the top-rated shampoos of 2025, selected by PureWow editors, ranging from floral-scented formulas (like Kristin Ess Signature One) to fresh and fruity scents (like the surprisingly fantastic Briogeo Superfoods Mango + Cherry Oil Shampoo) to the best overall choice that suits all hair types.
How I Chose the Best-Smelling Shampoos
I invited PureWow editors to offer their top-smelling shampoos—no gatekeeping here—as well as the reasons behind their selections, aside from my own favorites. To make sure these choices were reliable, I also conducted more research and read through a ton of reviews from stores like Ulta Beauty, Dermstore, and Sephora. I concentrated on highlighting the best-reviewed aroma among a variety of scents (fruity, floral, woody, herbaceous, etc.), but I also took into account the ingredients list and the way each shampoo worked on various hair types. (Yes, you want it to smell nice, but you also want the shampoo to work, don’t you?)
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1. Kristin Ess One Signature Shampoo
Customers love the delightful scent of this shampoo every time wash day arrives, as evidenced by its more than 2,000 five-star ratings on Ulta. The recipe, which contains castor oil and avocado, gives life to dry hair without making finer hair feel heavy. Additionally, the firm offers the aroma as a perfume if you can’t get enough of it. Win-win. “The shampoo has a sophisticated aroma and isn’t overly thick for my thin hair. Candace Davison, VP of Editorial at PureWow, says, “It’s floral and slightly fruity, more like a fragrance than your average shampoo, but it doesn’t linger once your hair has dried.”
Fast Facts
- Scent Notes: fruity
- Best for: fine, brittle and/or damaged hair
- Benefits: moisturizing, lightweight
- Key Ingredients: avocado, castor oil
- Sizes: 10 oz to 33.8 oz
2. Vegamour GRO Revitalizing Shampoo
If you’re looking for a protein-based shampoo that also smells like calming aromatherapy, look no further than this shampoo. The formula features B-silk protein, which aims to improve shine and protect strands. It also includes phytoactives that enhance thickness and reduce shedding—plus, karmatin, which has been proven to strengthen and restore damaged cuticles. “OMG, the natural bergamot scent of the Vegamour GRO Shampoo is so light and botanical. It’s not at all the [typical] overwhelming (sometimes nauseating) scented shampoo experience. It’s so uplifting, clean-smelling and thickening, which is great, says PureWow Senior Editor Dana Dickey.
Fast Facts
- Scent Notes: bergamot
- Best for: thinning
- Benefits: strengthening, restoring
- Key Ingredients: karamatin, bioactives, biotin
- Sizes: 1.7 oz to 16.9 oz
Ranavat Regenerative Bond Repair Shampoo
Any hair type will appreciate having this shampoo in their rotation. The creamy formula includes hyaluronic acid and ashwagandha to hydrate and soothe the scalp—so no flakes, itchiness or dryness here. It also contains pink lotus, hibiscus and amla to soften, condition and strengthen strands. “The woodsy fragrance adds a nice touch,” notes Executive Managing Editor Catrina Yohay.
Fast Facts
- Scent Notes: warm, woodsy
- Best for: dryness, itchy scalp, flakes
- Benefits: hydrating, softening
- Key Ingredients: pink lotus, hibiscus, ashwagandha, amla
- Sizes 8 oz
4. Viori Shampoo Bar
Shampoo bars are a great sustainable option and this bar has rave reviews for cleansing and restoring the scalp and hair, including a stellar one from SEO Editor Marissa Wu. “It’s been roughly a month, and I haven’t even made my way through a quarter of the bar. It’s almost scandalous how little product I need for a good lather. And my hair feels just as clean and soft (if not softer),” she wrote in a review. The main ingredient, longsheng rice, has a history of renewing and repairing hair. The formula also features cocoa butter, shea butter and aloe vera that aims to condition and strengthen strands. Plus, customers enjoy having the fresh-smelling bar in their routine.
Fast Facts
- Scent Notes: grapefruit, orange, lemon, vanilla
- Best for: dryness, brittle strands, low density
- Benefits: restoring, conditioning
- Key Ingredients: longsheng rice water, cocoa butter, hydrolyzed rice protein
- Sizes: 2.8 oz
Lush Honey Shampoo
Lush is no stranger to wonderful scents, and this shampoo is no different. Made of 50 percent honey and 20 percent linseed mucilage, expect a boost of hydration and softer locks. As Associate Commerce Editor Natalie LaBarbera shares, “Since honey’s the first ingredient, it really does smell like it and lingers in my hair even after washing it out (which I love!). This shampoo is also so moisturizing and it’s available in a bunch of sizes, from travel to jumbo. I always follow it up with the Candy Rain conditioner, and my hair just smells amazing.”
Fast Facts
- Scent Notes: honey
- Best for: dryness, dullness
- Benefits: moisturizing, soothing
- Key Ingredients: honey, rose, linseed
- Sizes: 1.8 oz to 33.8 oz
R+Co Television Perfect Hair Shampoo
Another favorite of Wu’s? The R+Co Television Perfect Hair Shampoo, which she says lives up to hype. It’s formulated with juniper berry extract that aims to balance oil production and add moisture without weighing down the hair. It also has glycerin to maintain moisture, babassu seed oil for deep conditioning and marigold flower extract to hydrate strands and remove flakes. But don’t take my word for it: “The formula is so decadent, but not heavy on my fine/thin hair. The fragrance has cardamom, pineapple, tangerine, lavender, bamboo and blonde woods. The pineapple and tangerine are the strongest without being nauseatingly tropical, and the lavender is a ghost note that comes after everything’s been washed away,” Wu says.
Fast Facts
- Scent Notes: cardamon, pineapple, tangerine, lavender, bamboo, blonde woods
- Best for: oiliness, dryness
- Benefits: detoxifying, balancing
- Key Ingredients: juniper berry extract, glycerin, babassu seed oil
- Sizes: 1.7 oz to 33.8 oz
7. Cecréd Hydrating Shampoo
I’ve tried hundreds of shampoos, and I still can’t stop thinking about Cecréd. With notes of oud, Australian sandalwood, warm musk, jasmine, violet leaves and Haitian vetiver, I have my very own spa right in my bathroom (and the scent comes in candle form, too!). Fragrance aside, it has done wonders for my curls since the formula has a signature mixture that features hydrolyzed keratin and honey to reduce breakage, repair strands and balance scalp. It also has hyaluronic acid and African oil blend (baobab, moringa and black seed oil) to improve shine and lock in moisture.
Fast Facts
- Scent Notes: oud, Australian sandalwood, warm musk, jasmine, violet leaves, Haitian vetiver
- Best for: breakage, dryness, oiliness
- Benefits: balancing, strengthening
- Key Ingredients: keratin, honey, hyaluronic acid, baobab oil
- Sizes: 8.0 oz
8. Pattern Hydration Shampoo
As a curly gal, I rely on shampoos that cleanses the scalp and locks in moisture. This hydration shampoo has been a staple in my routine for years. It’s formulated with aloe, honey and coconut oil to remove any build up and clear the scalp without stripping away my natural oils. The texture is so creamy and gentle on my hair, and I feel squeaky clean afterwards. As for the fragrance, it’s the right amount without being too overwhelming. You’ll find key notes of jasmine, sandalwood and bergamot that’s pleasing to all noses.
Fast Facts
- Scent Notes: jasmine, sandalwood, bergamot
- Best for: dryness, dullness
- Benefits: balancing, moisturizing
- Key Ingredients: aloe, honey, coconut oil
- Sizes: 9.8 oz to 25 oz
Flamingo Estate Rosemary & Ionian Bergamot Shampoo
This shampoo takes pleasure in providing the highest quality hair care products. Aloe, biotin, vitamin B5, barley seed extract, and nutritious oils (such as avocado, jojoba, and babassu) are all abundant in it. In addition to having an amazing recipe, it is regarded as one of the best-smelling shampoos available. “Do you recall the shampoo ads from the 1990s where the showers were turned into rainforests? It’s like that every time I wash my hair with the shampoo from Flamingo Estate, but instead of a tropical rainforest, I’m sent to a beautiful herb garden,” says Stephanie Maida, Senior Commerce Editor.The blend of botanicals like rosemary and bergamot in this formula result in an earthy and calming scent that I can’t help but take a deep sniff of whenever I use it. Plus, it’s super gentle on my hair and leaves it feeling light and clean.”
Fast Facts
- Scent Notes: clary sage, Australian eucalptus, rosemary, lavender
- Best for: dryness, flatness
- Benefits: balancing, moisturizing
- Key Ingredients: babassu seed oil, pracaxi seed oil, barley seed, olive oil
- Sizes: 16.9 oz
10. Fable & Mane Volumizing Shampoo
If you’re searching for a shampoo that adds fullness and smells wonderful, look no further than this editor-approved cleanser. Formulated with fenugreek seed, onion juice and amla extract, it encourages healthy hair growth, improves volume and conditions strands. “I love Fable & Mane’s products not just for their intensely nourishing formulas, but also for their rich, evocative aromas. This volumizing shampoo in particular fills my shower with a warm, smoky and somewhat spicy scent by way of Indian saffron, nutmeg, rose Damascena and jasmine sambac, with a touch of incense and sandalwood. It’s a fittingly luxurious fragrance for a product that feels just as fancy,” raves Maida.
Fast Facts
- Scent Notes: Indian saffron, nutmeg, rose Damascena, Indian jamine, sandalwood
- Best for: flat/limp hair, thinning, breakage
- Benefits: strengthening, volumizing
- Key Ingredients: fenugreek seed, onion juice, amla extract
- Sizes: 8.5 oz
