# The 19 Best Smells in the World

> Kitchen aromas go head to head with gardens, forests and a few smells nobody admits to loving.

*By YPB Team · Published September 28, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-19-best-smells-in-the-world*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Freshly baked bread** — score 1000/1000
   A warm loaf just out of the oven, the smell supermarkets pipe into their aisles.
2. **Sizzling bacon** — score 952/1000
   Smoky, salty and impossible to ignore from the next room.
3. **Rain (petrichor)** — score 952/1000
   The earthy scent of rain hitting dry ground, named petrichor by two Australian scientists in 1964.
4. **Clean laundry** — score 659/1000
   Sheets fresh off the washing line, drying in the sun.
5. **Fresh oranges** — score 659/1000
   The bright citrus burst the moment you peel an orange.
6. **Vanilla** — score 659/1000
   Sweet and warm, from cured orchid pods, the base of countless perfumes and cakes.
7. **Old books** — score 571/1000
   The papery, slightly sweet smell of an old library, caused by paper slowly breaking down.
8. **Freshly brewed coffee** — score 571/1000
   The roasted, slightly bitter aroma that fills a kitchen before the first sip.
9. **Popcorn** — score 467/1000
   Butter and hot corn, the smell of every cinema lobby.
10. **Freshly cut grass** — score 467/1000
   The green, sharp smell of a lawn right after mowing.
11. **Pine forest** — score 467/1000
   Resin and needles on a walk through the woods, or a fresh Christmas tree indoors.
12. **Cinnamon** — score 467/1000
   Warm bark spice behind cinnamon rolls, mulled wine and holiday candles.
13. **Roses** — score 467/1000
   The classic flower scent, distilled into perfume since ancient Persia.
14. **Campfire smoke** — score 343/1000
   Wood smoke that clings to your jumper long after the fire is out.
15. **Lavender** — score 343/1000
   The calming purple herb that covers Provence in summer and scents soaps and pillows.
16. **Jasmine** — score 343/1000
   A heady night-blooming flower used in perfume and jasmine tea.
17. **New car smell** — score 343/1000
   The plastic-and-leather scent of a car that has never been driven.
18. **Baking cookies** — score 0/1000
   Butter, sugar and chocolate warming in the oven.
19. **Sea air** — score 0/1000
   Salt, seaweed and wind: the smell that means you have reached the coast.

Tags: nature, coffee, food, smells