Perfumes for autumn - what does the autumn season smell like?

Have you already changed your wardrobe with warm clothes? When the temperature drops, we feel like wearing thicker clothes, changing routines and also varying the perfumes we have been using during the summer months. It's time to explore compositions that we associate with warmth, richer, more complex and intense, that connect with our mood.

The shorter days, the falling leaves, the cold wind… Autumn invites us to feel more melancholic and nostalgic. We feel like comforting ourselves in a cosy atmosphere, between blankets, with a hot coffee by candlelight. Or perhaps a walk in the countryside, enjoying the reddish colours of the vegetation and listening to the rustle of the leaves under our shoes. Without a doubt, autumn is a time for introspection, reconnecting with ourselves and with the beauty that nature gives us.


For fragrance lovers, the new season is synonymous with the discovery of new perfumes for autumn: woody and earthy, spicy and sweet notes are imposing themselves in olfactory scores ideal for autumn days.

Nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for perfumers. Thus, a walk through the forest in autumn gives rise to woody fragrances that convey the sensations of breathing the damp, earthy, woody air created by earth, trees and moss. From moments of meditation and relaxation come other compositions that connect with our olfactory memory through familiar smells, often gustatory. Hence the sweet and spicy notes that enliven the memory of a cup of hot chocolate or a sweet dessert.


Woody notes

Woody notes are a staple of autumn perfumes, conveying a warmth that evokes nature and feelings of relaxation and well-being. Cedar, oak, sandalwood and even dark oud invite us to enjoy this season's fragrances.


Earthy notes

The scent of damp earth and fallen leaves comes alive in autumnal perfumes, thanks to notes of vetiver, oakmoss and patchouli.


Spicy notes

Spices give the fragrance a warmth full of nuances: nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon, cloves…


Sweet notes (gourmand)

A touch of sweetness to comfort us on cold days with vanilla, caramel, honey, liquorice…

Feminine or masculine? The fragrances of Serge Lutens don't cater to gender classifications; they simply excite you or not. This perfume was an olfactory revolution in the 1990s, presenting a woody scent, with cedar as the absolute protagonist, but with a feminine soul.


"Putting the masculine in the feminine or the masculine in the feminine. Cedar, cedar and cedar. 60% wood. They couldn't believe it! A revolution, they said", says the perfumer.


Féminité du Bois is part of the Collection Noire, and is considered to be the first woody perfume for women. It boasts a 60% concentration of wood, which is combined with floral notes and plum.

Composed of rare and precious ingredients in intense concentrations, Gucci Guilty Elixir de Parfum pour Femme is an ambery floral fragrance that exudes powerful energy.


Perfumers Natalie Gracia-Cetto and Quentin Bisch masterfully orchestrate a sophisticated accord of wisteria with fruity Mandora and a seductive absolute of vanilla and tonka bean. Rose and violet accords elevate the seductive feminine character with radiant luminosity.

Can a woody fragrance be fresh? Lady Million Royal is the perfect example of a fresh woody composition.


"It was important to maintain the olfactory DNA of Lady Million with an intense bouquet of white flowers and addictive woods. In Royal, the floral bouquet is composed of jasmine sambac, tuberose and orange blossom for an enveloping and intoxicating effect. To reinterpret the emblematic woody aspect of the fragrance, we use a unique molecule, created by IFF's R&D department, called Cashmeran. It evokes the velvety feel of cashmere and is woody, ambery and musky to offer a sophisticated and sensual facet that blends perfectly with patchouli and musk", explains perfumer Anne Flipo, who was involved in the project with Domitille Michalon-Bertier.

The Autumn Vibes fragrance couldn't be more explicit, as it transports us to a sunny autumn day. Are you coming for a walk on a bed of dry leaves? Once again, this is a genderless fragrance, perfect for both women and men. Discover what autumn smells like for Margiela…


"From the beginning, I had the image of a walk in the forest in the middle of autumn. Especially those moments when you feel the leaves crunching under your feet. The trunks are covered in moss, the damp notes of undergrowth float in the air. All you can see are red, brown and yellow leaves, slowly sinking into the ground", explains perfumer Fanny Bal.


The scent combines pink pepper, coriander, carrot, nutmeg, cedarwood, oak moss and balsam.

Baptiste Boygues and Marie-Lise Jonak are the alma mater of Ormaie, a French high perfumery firm with a philosophy of creating 100% natural and handcrafted perfumes.
Art is also very present in the firm's creations. In this case, Toï Toï Toï Toï Toï refers to a German expression that wishes dancers good luck. So it will come as no surprise that its fragrance evokes the theatre stage and the moment of concentration before the performance begins.


What does the perfume smell like? The woods are very present through cedar, sandalwood and patchouli that vibrate with notes of black pepper, incense, vetiver and vanilla.

Woody and fresh, Voyage d'Hermès blends the vigour of juniper berry with the strength of cedar. The house perfumer at the time (2010), Jean-Claude Ellena, invites us to feel the thrill of the journey.


This is another perfume that is difficult to classify. Hermès points out that it is a unisex scent that is equally at home on both men and women. It combines notes of Amalfi lemon (Amalfi lime), spices, cardamom, tea, floral notes and green notes that culminate in a woody and musky trail.

"The Polo Black man is wrapped in a halo of sensuality. He is a man of his time, self-confident and sexy like the fragrance he wears". With this brushstroke, the designer Ralph Lauren himself presents the Polo Black fragrance, a fusion of aromatic woody essences that surprises at the beginning with a chord of iced mango.


The perfumer Pierre Negrin signed in 2005 this perfume of the Polo family, a sexy, mysterious variation, which plays with contrasting notes creating sensations of cold and heat to end up creating a cozy and warm wake based on black patchouli, sandalwood, Timberol and Tonka berries.

To surpass and intensify everything, from the olfactory to the design. This is how the new perfume Pasha Noir Absolu presents itself. Mathilde Laurent, Cartier's perfumer, has infused the maison's historic fern with a bold blend of charcoal and spicy burnt sugars that freely diffuse its addictive notes.


Another interesting detail about this perfume: it can be refilled. In order to reduce its environmental footprint, Cartier has reduced the weight of the glass - 20% lighter - reduced the use of plastic - 65% less - and used 80% recyclable aluminium for the cap.

Kilian Henessy, founder of the march, has entrusted Mathieu Nardin with the creation of this fragrance that transports us to European nightclubs, oriental shisha lounges and other spaces… where rules do not exist.


Smoking Hot opens with forbidden fruit: a note of Apple Hookah mingles with the warm scent of Cinnamon Bark, which feels like a slow burn, where fiery Kentucky tobacco notes emerge. Harmonised with oak moss, this tobacco absolute gives way to a Bourbon vanilla, with balsamic overtones. Also known as Pure Jungle Bourbon Vanilla essence, the highest quality vanilla available, especially intense and textured, crossing it with Orcanox, a powerful sensuality.

Fresh, woody, energising, 1 Million Royal is a four-handed work by Quentin Bisch and Christopher Raynaud, who have catalysed the essence of the original fragrance into a vibrant and magnetic new version celebrating the 15th anniversary of 1 Million.


"1 Million Royal contains an overdose of Orpur Lavandin Abrialis Orpur French lavender oil and Orpur clary sage oil. This aromatic facet infuses a powerful naturalness, which is enhanced by a violet and patchouli previously absent in 1 Million. The spicy note has also evolved from nutmeg to a trio of exceptional natural black peppers. Finally, we rewrote the iconic woody ambery fragrance of 1 Million with more modern woods and sustainable Ambrofix made from sugar cane", explain the perfumers.