From food and drink to our bathtime rituals, we use these scents to romanticise even mundane events, turning autumn itself into a special occasion. After the year we’ve had, there’s no underestimating the power of fragrance on our mood: an invigorating spritz on the wrist as you’re getting ready for work in the dark or leaning in for a hug and catching a familiar scent on a friend’s scarf.
Practically speaking, too, just as we pack away our sandals and sundresses it’s time to switch summer’s fresher and sweeter scents for something more attuned to autumn’s darker days and icy nights. Deep, musky and hard to pin down, sweet and spicy or earthy and green, we’ve covered them all in our autumn perfume roundup.
Get ready to journey into the very best scents of the season and discover your new signature autumn fragrance.
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Narciso Rodriguez Music Noir Rose Eau de Parfum, £78
The newest scent from Narciso Rodriguez, Music Noir Rose is more sensual than the OG Music Noir. This is all thanks to the fresh, spicy-sweet top and middle notes of bergamot oil, pink peppercorn and plum, which sit on a creamy base of vanilla. Perfect for date night, it’s warm and inviting but never feels overly heady or overpowering.
Narciso Rodriguez Musc Noir Rose Eau de Parfum 50ml, $, available at Boots
Phlur Missing Person Eau de Parfum, £96
The most anticipated fragrance release this season? Perhaps. Already a viral favourite in the US, it’s now finally available in the UK and we cannot get enough. Why? It’s a floral-musk scent that just feels so comforting, like — as the brand described — “the lingering scent of your lover’s skin”. It’s the fragrance equivalent to pulling on your softest, cosiest jumper or listening to your favourite song. Perfect for autumn.
Phlur Missing Person Eau De Parfum 50ml, $, available at Selfridges
Maison Francis Kurkdjian 724 Eau de Parfum, £180
This is the other most anticipated fragrance release this season, most notably because Maison Francis Kurkdjian has already had cult-like success with Baccarat Rouge and Amyris Femme. 724 stands out from the rest though. While Baccarat Rouge is syrupy and intoxicating and Amyris Femme is light and delicately floral, 724 — with its notes of Italian bergamot, white flower accord and musk — is vibrant and sparkling; evocative of the energy of a cityscape at sunrise. This is the perfect fragrance choice for someone who isn’t a fan of spicy, woody scents and isn’t quite ready to give up their lighter summer perfumes.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian 724 Eau De Parfum 70ml, $, available at Selfridges
Boy Smells Hinoki Fantôme Eau de Parfum, £105
Boy Smells are known for creating truly one-of-a-kind, genderless scents and their newest offering is no different. Hinoki Fantôme is rich and earthy, opening with notes of cypress, black pepper and tobacco leaves and then hitting a middle of hinoki wood (a cypress native to Japan), fir balsam and cedarwood atlas. A base that includes sweet patchouli, smoked leather and spicy, floral cistus stops this from being one note though. Rather its woodiness is warmed up with a fresh, almost fruit resin tang. It smells so much better than we could ever describe though.
Boy Smells Hinoki Fantôme 65ml, $, available at Cult Beauty
Aesop Eidesis Eau de Parfum, £140
With key ingredients of black pepper, frankincense and sandalwood, Aesop’s Eidesis quickly settles down into a rich, woody scent. It’s warm, inviting and musty, but in a good way — like old books or crunching through dried leaves.
Aesop Eidesis Eau de Parfum, $, available at Aesop
Gabar No. II Ground Eau de Parfum, £120
Ground No. II is not for the faint of heart. No, rather it’s a punchy, rich, earthy, smokey mix that has you coming back again and again to take another whiff. Notably, because it’s the first scent we’ve come across that uses unique scents like coriander, saffron, ginger, orris, fig, oud, vetiver and guaiac wood.
Gabar No. II Ground Eau De Parfum 50ml, $, available at Gabar
Loewe Aura Pink Magnolia Eau de Parfum, £82
Loewe’s Aura Pink Magnolia smells just as good as it looks, which is pretty damn good given its stunning gold-brushed bottle. The light, powdery-sweet floral notes of magnolia are the hero of this fragrance — unsurprisingly — but, notes of sandalwood, musk and red berries stop it from straying into cloying territory. Rather, it’s a delicate, feminine scent that would work well as an every day, early autumn perfume.
Loewe Aura Pink Magnolia Eau De Parfum 100ml, $, available at Selfridges
Byredo Vanille Antique Eau de Parfum, £240
Vanilla perfumes can easily go wrong, straying too far into cloying, sweet shop territory. Byredo’s Vanille Antique, as ever, is a masterclass in when they go right. Don’t worry if you’re not a sweet fan — they’ve based the scent around richer, almost woody Madagascar vanilla beans. Fruity, fresh notes of black plum and freesia balance out with warm amber and cashmere woods, while zesty cistus oil undercuts any chance of the sweetness going too far. It’s rich, intoxicating and feels very sophisticated a scent.
Byredo Vanille Antique Eau De Parfum 50ml, $, available at Space NK
Guerlain Cherry Oud Eau de Parfum, £280
What starts with the rich, inviting sweetness of ripe cherries swiftly develops into something more subtle and complex: a wood and leather-based, rose scent that lingers on the skin. Cherry Oud is a sexy, grown-up fruity and floral scent we would wear for date night.
Guerlain Cherry Oud Eau de Parfum 100ml, $, available at Guerlain
Costa Brazil Aroma Eau de Parfum, £195
Yes, this is yet another woody fragrance, but it definitely sits on the lighter, more delicate side of the spectrum. There’s nothing green, bitter or earthy here, only sandalwood warmed by patchouli and amber accord.
Costa Brazil Aroma Eau De Parfum 30ml, $, available at Harrods
By Far Daydream of Hopscotch, £115
Did you ever think you would consider a new perfume with actual notes of playdough accord? We certainly didn’t! Daydream of Hopscotch, one of accessories brand By Far’s first forays into fragrance, is inspired by the freedom of childlike imagination. It’s fitting then that the combination of sweet, creamy tonka bean, vanilla absolute, playdough and Galbanum absolute (a spicy-green plant that is often used in medicines) sounds like child play. Altogether though it creates a velvety sweet and intriguing scent that isn’t too overpowering.
By Far Daydream of Hopscotch, $, available at By Far
Ruth Mastenbroek Firedance Eau de Parfum, £130
Firedance is nothing like you might expect. It opens with notes of apple and lemon but this fresh, fruity top is undercut with a rich, complex heart of damask rose, leather and cashmere; all sitting on a base of oud and patchouli. This is another scent that is sure to split opinions — its heady, complex and demands attention. Definitely one for those who like to stand out.
Ruth Mastenbroek Firedance Eau De Parfum 100ml, $, available at Ruth Mastenbroek
Thin Wild Mercury Laurel Canyon, 1966 Eau de Parfum, £123
If you’re someone who loves fresh, green, aromatic, woody scents with a touch of citrus — the kind often associated with spring and summer — then you’ll love Thin Wild Mercury’s Laurel Canyon, 1966. Upon first spritz you’re hit with the honeyed scent of sweet orange and grapefruit but this soon eases into warm, comforting heart notes of woody petitgrain, Italian cannabis and clove, and a spicy, musky base of patchouli and ambergris. Inspired by the heady atmosphere of Laurel Canyon in the ’60s (think LA sunshine, music in the air and folk goddesses like Joni Mitchell) it’s a grown-up scent for hippies at heart. It’s not cheap but as part of the LA Collection you can buy a set of samples for just £23. This includes four distinct fragrances, each capturing and romanticising a nostalgic moment from the history of the City of Angels.
Thin Wild Mercury Laurel Canyon, 1966 Eau De Parfum, $, available at Thin Wild Mercury
Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia Cologne, £102
Darker, spicy scents tend to take centre stage come autumn, which is why Jo Malone’s English Pear & Freesia Cologne is such a refreshing alternative. Smelling this is like a September walk through an orchard, the early autumn sunshine casting the trees in gold, holding tight to the last remnants of summer. The sticky, sweet scent of ripe pears bursting with freshness is mellowed by delicate freesia, warm, powdery amber, patchouli spice and green wood.
Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia Cologne 100ml, $, available at Selfridges
Diptyque Orphéon Eau de Parfum, £125
Orphéon is inspired by a bar of the same name located in the Saint-Germain quarter of Paris in the 1960s: a vibrant, warm, smoky atmosphere where people spent all-nighters sharing stories to the strains of jazz music. Upon first spray, it smells exactly like the kind of woman I want to grow up to be: elegant, sophisticated and French (a girl can dream). She’s kicked off her heels at the end of the night, and has a glass of red wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It’s a sensual mix of tonka bean, deep cedar wood, rich jasmine flower and spicy juniper berries, making it the perfect autumn evening scent.
Diptyque Orphéon Eau De Parfum 75ml, $, available at SpaceNK
Sunspel Oak Wood Eau de Parfum, £90
Established in 1860, English heritage fashion brand Sunspel is all about timeless design, craftsmanship and quality. The brand’s first ever fragrance, unisex Oak Wood Eau de Parfum, is the same. Designed by leading London perfumer Lyn Harris, it starts with bright green top notes of sweet yet tart bergamot and neroli, slowly building to the calm heart notes of English chamomile and musky angelica seed. It finishes with a woody base (cedar wood, sandalwood) and wet, earthy oak moss. I liken this to a woodland walk, watching the sunset and listening to Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver on repeat.
Sunspel Oakwood Eau De Parfum, $, available at Sunspel
Tom Ford Ombré Leather Eau de Parfum, £102
Fans of Tom Ford might be a little confused here. Ombré Leather isn’t a new scent (it was released in 2016, then refreshed and relaunched in 2018 for the brand’s Signature Series) but it’s back as a parfum for 2021. Not quite as punchy as its predecessors, but it’s nonetheless impactful. A unisex scent, Ombré Leather is inspired by Ford’s childhood in Austin, Texas and the ‘untethered sensuality’ of the American West. Sensual it may be, but Ombré Leather doesn’t play into the typical narrative. It’s quite a masculine scent, as the clean, black leather notes are warmed by cardamom, patchouli, amber and jasmine sambac.
Tom Ford Ombré Leather Eau de Parfum (50ml), $, available at FeelUnique
Maison Margiela Replica Autumn Vibes Eau de Toilette, £49
As evocative of autumn as rainy days, spiced apples and Bonfire Night, Taylor Swift’s RED album and Gilmore Girls – there’s no way I could write an autumn perfume roundup and not mention this by Maison Margiela. It masterfully captures a woodland trail at golden hour. Cardamom and pink peppercorn evoke the crunch of fallen leaves underfoot, while carrot seed, nutmeg and frankincense pick at the bitter greenness in the air. Cedarwood, moss and fir base notes build the forest around you.
Maison Margiela Replica Autumn Vibes Eau de Toilette (30ml), $, available at FeelUnique
Floral Street x Van Gogh Museum® Sunflower Pop Eau de Parfum, £60
If you’re not quite ready to give up on summer, Sunflower Pop is a light, sun-soaked, citrus scent that will brighten even the dullest autumn day. Inspired by the beauty and optimism of Van Gogh’s iconic sunflowers, the blend of fresh mandarin, Calabrian bergamot, vegan honey and bellini accords is truly uplifting and refreshing. It had me smiling every time I caught a whiff throughout the day. Plus, it’s vegan.
Floral Street x Van Gogh Museum® Sunflower Pop Eau de Parfum (50ml), $, available at Floral Street
Aerin, Cedar Violet, £99
A homage to the Adirondacks (upstate New York, pine forests, wide open valleys and crisp mountain air) Aerin’s latest fragrance is an invigorating combination of florals and woody notes. At its top, it’s light and almost zesty – a mix of sweet lily of the valley and lush green violet leaf. This breaks down into something richer and more sensuous; a sweet, spicy heart of gardenia and jasmine, which leaves you with the earthy richness of sandalwood and cedar wood. I can only describe it as smelling expensive, like a Big Little Liars moment: a cashmere cardigan wrapped around on a cold night, a large glass of red and a private balcony.
Aerin Cedar Violet Eau De Parfum 50ml, $, available at Selfridges
Maya Nije, Voyeur Verde, £90
Perfumer Maya Njie founded her eponymous brand in 2016. Her inspiration has always been personal exploration – taking her customers on vivid, immersive journeys through her own experiences. These are events deeply rooted in her own identity, her Swedish and Gambian heritage and memories captured in her family photo album. Think a sun-soaked, Scandinavian summer house in the ’70s (Les Fleurs), her Uncle Lars and Aunt Erene’s wedding (sweet and boozy Vanilj), or a hot, tropical holiday with vegetation flourishing in the humid air (Tropica). For autumn 2021, her latest fragrance, Voyeur Verde, is inspired by a memory from the South of Spain. A sharp, fresh punch of spicy bergamot and zesty mandarin and cypress ease into a rich, aromatic, green, woody heart (rosewood, fennel, iris and ylang ylang) before resting in the heady interior of an abandoned car. Aged leather, sticky, sweet patchouli, frankincense and cedar wood grounding it all. It may seem strange to be thinking about rolling, sun-drenched hillsides and Spanish siestas in autumn, but this is truly a perfect scent for those of us who haven’t seen the inside of an aeroplane for over a year. I’ll be spraying this on my scarf when I need an extra push out into the icy air.
Maya Njie Voyeur Verde Eau De Parfum (50ml), $, available at Maya Njie
Sana Jardin Celestial Patchouli Eau de Parfum, £95
At first, Celestial Patchouli is an intense punch of sweet, spiciness. Wait a few moments though and it swiftly simmers down into a rich, heady and smokey scent. Its unique combination of leather, patchouli, sandalwood and cedar, Moroccan orris and coriander seed will have you obsessively sniffing your own wrists all day and night. Even better, Sana Jardin is not just a luxury perfumery, but is also socially conscious. Their vision is to use clean and sustainable perfume for the economic empowerment of women. Namely through The Beyond Sustainability Movement; supporting female entrepreneurs through fair commerce and a circular economy, rather than less sustainable charity. This, and all their other perfumes, start life as the brand helps female flower harvesters in Morocco upcycle their floral waste.
Sana Jardin Celestial Patchouli Eau de Parfum (50ml), $, available at Cult Beauty
Le Labo Santal 33 Eau de Parfum, £141
This isn’t a new fragrance but Le Labo’s Santal 33 has been one of my favourite autumn scents ever since it launched in 2011. Designed to seduce anyone who catches a waft of it, spicy notes of cardamom, iris and ambrox crackle against soft, powdery violet, warmed by a rich base of Australian sandalwood, cedar wood, leather and musk notes. You’ll find yourself sniffing your own wrist sporadically throughout the day (and being stopped with compliments).
Le Labo Santal 33 Eau De Parfum (50ml), $, available at Cult Beauty
Givenchy L’Interdit Rouge Eau de Parfum, £75.50
Looking for a sweet, floral and feminine fragrance with a slight edge? Givenchy’s L’Interdit Rouge is a bouquet of white blooms (intense tuberose and potent jasmine), spicy pimento leaf (a sweet and dry combination of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, the likes of which you’ll find in your pumpkin spice latte), warm and tangy blood orange and a shot of peppery ginger. If you wear Gucci Bloom Eau de Parfum during the day, then L’Interdit Rouge is a natural evening alternative, especially for romantic autumn dates.
Givenchy L’Interdit Rouge Eau De Parfum (50ml), $, available at The Perfume Shop
SHIRO, Bon Wood Perfume, £135
For those looking for a spicy perfume that isn’t too dark and brooding, I would recommend SHIRO’s Bon Wood. Considering the ingredients, it’s surprisingly light, making it perfect for daytime wear. Top notes of bergamot and mandarin are an inviting and fruity introduction to rich, sweet jasmine and a mellow, honeyed base of vanilla, amber, patchouli and cedar wood.
Shiro Cosmetics Bon Wood Perfume (100ml), $, available at Shiro Cosmetics
Juliette Has A Gun Lili Fantasy Eau de Parfum, £110
Juliette’s latest fragrance is anything but subtle. Lili Fantasy is a sugary, amber, floral explosion finished with a strong woody twist. Wear this when you want a confidence boost. It’s a heady mix of whirlwind nights out, forgetting your deadlines and to-do lists, being the last on the dance floor and feeling like the main character. As Juliette’s tagline reads: too fab to give a damn.
Juliette Has A Gun Lili Fantasy Eau de Parfum (100ml), $, available at Juliette Has A Gun
Huda Beauty Kayali Invite Only Amber 23 Eau de Parfum Intense, £79
This one really is good enough to eat – a delicious, decadent feast of autumnal sweet treats (succulent black cherries, roasted hazelnuts, Madagascan vanilla and honey de Provence) served on a bed of fresh roses, earthy, smoky tobacco leaf and amber. A warm, sophisticated and sensual scent that’s truly addictive, this fragrance is designed to turn heads.
Huda Beauty Kayali Invite Only Amber | 23 Eau de Parfum (50ml), $, available at FeelUnique
Experimental Perfume Club Iris Carmin Autumn 2021 Blend Edition, £125
Iris Carmin is like walking through a sunlit forest changing its colours for the season under a canopy of dappled light. Start your journey with a fresh, soapy scent of orange blossom absolute, floral and citrussy neroli and the sharper green of fig leaves, basil and petitgrain. It dries down to earthy vetiver, cedar wood, warm iris and vanilla-like benzoin. It’s definitely one of the lighter, cleaner fragrances on this list.
Experimental Perfume Club Iris Carmin Autumn 2021 Blend Edition (50ml), $, available at Experimental Perfume Club
Aesop, Karst, £140
Aesop’s Karst is a rather rare find: it’s a perfume that is both fresh and salty, zingy and green, spicy and sweet all at the same time. It’s moody alright, which makes it perfect for autumn, but rather than an evening curled up by the fire, it’s a lungful of bracing seaside air, cliffside vegetation exploding under your feet and the metallic tang of a storm on the horizon. Creating this unique scent is a combination of sweet-tart bergamot, spicy pink pepper and juniper (a touch of bitterness) at its top. Its heart notes are a trip to your herb garden (rosemary, sage and cumin) and its base is a wooded meadow (grassy, earthy vetiver and woody sandalwood and cedar).
Aesop Karst Eau de Parfum, $, available at Aesop
Byredo, Young Rose, £178
Rose perfumes have a tendency to feel dated. It’s something about their sweet, powdery scent. Young Rose is different, though. It layers the sweetness of Damascus rose on fiery hints of Sichuan pepper, clean, soapy ambrette seeds, and a heady mix of musk and woody-earthy notes – an ode to youth, defying convention and switching up expectations. As someone who isn’t too much a fan of sweet evening scents, this has swiftly become my new favourite date night fragrance. It’s seductive without proving too obvious.
Byredo Young Rose Eau de Parfum (100ml), $, available at Byredo
Boy Smells, Violet Ends, £105
It’s no surprise that cult candle company Boy Smells are behind this season’s most hyped fragrance launch. Undeniably, the fragrance world at a large is starting to shake off its dated, gendered shackles including the history of directing certain perfumes to men or for women. Even the scents themselves to the bottle design, advertising and the words we use to divide them up (masculine-associated woody, leather, musky notes versus feminine-associated florals, fruits and sweet gourmands). Boy Smells are doing away with genderless fragrance altogether. Rather their Cologne de Parfum range – a six-part lineup – proudly bears the moniker ‘genderful fragrance’. It’s perfume that aims to embrace the entire gender spectrum, as complex and layered as the people who wear them. My favourite is Violet Ends, which gives its soft, powdery floral and fruity opening notes of violet and rhubarb a rich, dark and smokey makeover with a deep, spicy, bitter base of black tea, tobacco leaves, incense, smoked papyrus and orris. It’s a sophisticated scent I just can’t get enough of – I might just be tempted to save up and buy myself another full bottle for Christmas.
Boy Smells Violet Ends EDP (65ml), $, available at SpaceNK
Loewe Earth Eau De Parfum 50ml, $, available at Selfridges
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