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ELLE Edit: 21 Winter Perfumes To Spritz This Season
From attention-grabbing gourmands to spicy, smoky woods, these fragrances are the perfect way to lean into the cold winter months.
In the same way that winter calls for heavier knits and cocooning cashmeres to keep us feeling warm, perfume too can create that enveloping, cosy feeling that's much needed as the temperatures drop.
'Our biology naturally goes into a sort of hibernation mode in winter; we sleep more, tend to eat more and want to feel warm. We are guided by our senses, including smell so most of us are drawn towards warmer scents varying from sweet and ambery to woody and leathery,' says ultra-cool perfumer and founder of Experimental Perfume Club, Emmanuelle Moeglin.
Moeglin is a fan of sandalwood, which has 'both ambery and woody accents' and patchouli, which she describes as 'tobacco-like and chocolatey'. Our current favourites featuring those notes? London-based perfumer Maya Njie's newest launch Liquid Amber, a warm, spicy fragrance with a hint of smoke, and Parfum de Marly's Oajan which combines patchouli with delicious, gourmand notes that make your mouth water. Unexpected spices such as saffron, sesame and turmeric are also popular this season for its energising qualities, adding a much-needed zing to blustery winter mornings.
The cooler, longer evenings are also a great time to experiment with more opulent, come-hither perfumes that can often feel stifling in the summer heat. Ouds have never been more modern thanks to complex compositions by clever perfumers (Byredo Rouge Chaotique, par example), while vanilla is having a grown-up renaissance with refined concoctions from the likes of Maison Margiela and Malin + Goetz. 'Warm and deep scents tend to contain more base notes which are by nature less volatile and therefore longer lasting,' explains Moeglin. 'Look for a scent that contains woody notes such as sandalwood, leathers, ambers and notes such as vanilla, myrrh, labdanum.'
If you prefer lighter, airier fragrances, Diptyque's L'Eau Papier and Glossier You are both winners for the winter months. Think floaty, easy-to-wear linear scents that sit gently on the skin, warmed ever so slightly by a musky base. Meanwhile, citrusy notes such as bergamot and lemon lend a shimmering filter to floral or woody fragrances — such as Phlur's Somebody Wood or Chanel Coco Mademoiselle — to keep things fresh and clean.
Not all winter fragrances have to be especially warm and spicy, however. A few of our favourites this year actually lean into the winter elements. Crisp, bright with a touch of zest, these perfumes are inspired by the icy cool air, powdery snow and aromatic evergreens prevalent during the season. Tom Ford's Soleil Neige is meant to mimic the dazzling shimmer of sun on freshly-laid snow, while Ellis Brooklyn's Après evokes an icy day on the slopes (followed by a hot tipple at the resort afterwards).
There's truly something here for every taste, so go forth and spritz with abandon this winter.
Shop The Best Winter Perfumes To Try Now
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