Relevant disclaimer that I'm in niche, but I will have sampled 100 2023 releases by the end of the year. I'm on 97 at the moment. I rank inclusive of value, performance & uniqueness.
1. Favorite for women: I have Guidance at #1, but I feel like Pas Ce Soir Extrait was right there. It merely lacked originality and the performance was kinda meh.
2. Favorite for men: I haven't actually finalized the top of my ranks, but it's either Astaral, Aquila Absolute or Oud Maracujá.
3. Favorite unisex: I looked at the votes people have given and it appears to be Astaral which is around 60-40 male (based on the votes). It's a sweet-jammy rose scent done mildly oriental.
4. Best surprise: This one's hard, because I'd say Florian was unexpectedly neat and I enjoyed AM lots too, BUT I think Boyish was the one. I haven't smelled that many Floraikus, but I feel like it earned a top 20 place this year for a fairly unique product. Smells a bit like a honeyed lemon tea when you're ill.
5. Most disappointing: Keeping it real, niche in 2023 was trash. But the scent that disappointed the most... I can give you 2 different answers here. Based on where I ranked it vs. what I expected, I'd say it was Groove Xcape because it's not Xerjoff... that's not the product that Xerjoff should be releasing, especially for those anticipating a Tony Iommi Monkey Special follow-up by a collaborator. The other answer would be based on high expectations and that one is Hacivat Oud - that scent lacks any & all complexity to justify it being added to Nishane's Prestige collection with actual great/elite scents like Nefs.
6. Favorite oud: See question 2 - all of those three fragrances have oud. But I would also add Crop Edition 2023.
7. Favorite vanilla: most 2023 niche vanillas sucked ass (Althair, Mr. Thompson, Vanilla Powder, Vanille Leather). I'd have Ani X as the top one, but that also was very uninspiring - it's just original Ani Extrait de Parfum without the spices and a short-lived fruity melon opening.
8. Favorite gourmand: Very surprising this one, it's going to Bonbon Pop. Smells a bit like raspberries & cream, a standard fruitchouli scent that just happens to be blended very well. Clearly feminine.
9. Favorite floral: I'd say Solaris was the best one, well-blended solar floral with great longevity.
10. Favorite citrus: Ingenious Ginger, a product inspired by Le Gemme - Tygar that has good blending & a smooth velvety vanilla base.
11. Favorite for a beachy vibe: either Ani X or Ingenious Ginger in ranking terms; but for personal enjoyment, I think the best summer scent in just scent terms was Aeternum which is a musky-aquatic ambergris scent with melon.
12. Favorite for the Holidays: Again, either Ani X or Ingenious Ginger in ranking terms and Aeternum from a personal perspective.
13. Most interesting/creative: Most creative was Faces of Francis, but it lacked blending to support it. I think Florian also had uniqueness/creativity, but it's still a rose-oud play at the end of the day.
14. Favorite/Most - category of your choice: [Most overhyped by the community] - definitely Althaïr which is just another basic designer-tier vanilla & white floral combo. Will never forget how that scent was a 9.0/10 on Parfumo after 200 votes.
15. Favorite/Most- category of your choice: [Most overhyped by influencers] - Althair was there, but I'd say Lovers was worse. It was truly embarrassing the amount of ass-kissing we saw for FDB in 2023 from PR-gifted influencers.