As the nights start to draw in, it’s time to turn warmer, woodier fragrances, guaranteed to see you through this autumn and the crisp winter days ahead. Whether it’s Louis Vuitton’s showstopping new collection, with its Frank Gehry-designed bottle, Frédéric Malle’s first foray into vegetal scents or Jo Malone’s Keats-inspired cologne, these are the best new fragrances to wear this season.
Best New Fragrances
Eau de Parfum, 100ml, £400 each
The French fashion house has collaborated with architect Frank Gehry to design the sculptural bottles for this new collection of fragrances. Master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud has crafted five editions, each one a different olfactive family: Cosmic Cloud, a powdery and fruity musk with notes of bergamot; Dancing Blossom, a fusion of jasmine sambac, rose, and Indian tuberose; Rhapsody, a fresh combination of yerba maté and lily of the valley; Stellar Times, a woody perfume with a hint of orange blossom; and Symphony, a spicy blend of ginger zest, bergamot and grapefruit. The bottle is a continuation, in miniature, of Gehry’s iconic design of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, with the showstopping silver topper, made from aluminium sheets, swaying like fabric in the wind.
Eau de Parfum, 100ml, £199
A sunny, joyful fragrance, Acqua Di Parma’s latest addition to the Signatures of the Sun collection combines the lively, floral notes of lily of the valley with vibrant citrus. The scent of this delicate flower is enriched with grapefruit and petit grain, with a hint of blackcurrant and Italian bergamot, while the lily’s heart notes are mixed with jasmine and magnolia to enliven the floral bouquet, with musk and cedarwood at the base to give it an autumnal flourish.
Eau de Parfum, 125ml, £220
Inspired by Diorama Gourmand, one of Christian Dior’s favourite desserts that was created especially for him by famous Parisian restaurant Maxim’s, Vanilla Diorama is indulgent and opulent. Francois Demachy, Dior’s in-house perfumer, has dreamt up a sweet edible scent using the finest Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla at its heart, which sets a rich, enveloping tone, while accents of rum and patchouli give it warmth, and a denser cocoa note adds depth.
Eau de Parfum, 100ml, £178
Offering a modern take on the classic floral scent, Young Rose is an ode to the energy, spirit and experimentation of youth. Stripping the flower of its traditionally feminine connotations, fiery Sichuan pepper is layered over Damascus rose, a deliberately unconventional pairing to reflect the complexity of romance and love. An additional top note of ambrette seeds enhances the spiciness, while base notes of musk and ambroxan give the fragrance its depth and woodsy richness.
Eau de Parfum, 100ml, £195
For its first green, vegetal fragrance, Frédéric Malle commissioned renowned master perfumer Anne Flipo. Inspired by heady cult perfumes from the 70s, Flipo’s creation reimagines a natural world through a modern lens. Earthy notes of basil, moss and patchouli oil as the opulent base are blended with recomposed bouquets of hyacinth, lily of the valley and ylang ylang oil, and rounded off with blackcurrant and patchouli for a bright, lush finish.
Eau de Parfum, 100ml, £195
Part of Diptyque’s ‘Le Grand Tour’ collection, Kyoto takes inspiration from ikebana, a traditional Japanese art based on floral composition according to ancestral codes. Blended by legendary perfumer Alexandra Carlin, notes of smoky incense, Turkish rose and woody vetiver represent the discipline’s three pillars of sky, heart and earth. In keeping with the furoshiki tradition, the purple bottle comes wrapped in fabric printed with a Sarayi pattern created by the label’s founders.
Eau de Parfum, 50ml, £95
This new scent from the socially conscious fragrance brand, is a seductive blend of vanilla spice, jasmine absolute and rich sandalwood, grounded by an earthy base of vetiver and patchouli. Inspired by Sana Jardin’s founder Amy’s travels through the North African desert, where vanilla incense was burned as an evening ritual, the fragrance was designed to evoke feelings of gratitude, while also highlighting the lesser-known aphrodisiac qualities of vanilla.
Eau de Parfum, 50ml, £90
Swedish-born, London-based perfumer Maya Njie creates high quality artisanal fragrances from her East London studio, hand-crafting genderless scents inspired by childhood memories and her Swedish and West African heritage. Her latest fragrance draws on the image of an abandoned car in the sleepy Spanish town of Pedramala, now overgrown with lush foliage. Top notes of bergamot and cypress evoke the surrounding trees, while base notes of leather and patchouli lend the scent an earthy richness.Â
Cologne, 100ml, £102
Inspired by the John Keats poem To Autumn, Jo Malone’s English Pear & Freesia Cologne transports wearers to a fragrant British orchard bathed in golden sunlight. First launched in 2010, the fruity chypre has been re-issued as a limited-edition fluted glass bottle. Sensual and ambrosial, just-ripe King William pears are wrapped in a bouquet of delicate white freesias, while a base of amber and patchouli mellows out the sweetness.
Eau de Parfum, 50ml, £99
Echoing the wilderness of the Adirondack mountains in upstate New York, Aerin’s latest launch combines the woody earthiness of the outdoors with fresh floral notes. Virginia cedarwood, amber and sandalwood provide a sensuous base, while the heart of golden gardenia and jasmine is both uplifting and playful. Through the finish of lush green violet leaf and sweet muguet, the invigorating scent calls to mind a golden-hued forest on a crisp, autumn day.
Eau de Toilette, 100ml, £99
Inspired by the smell of walking through woods on an autumnal afternoon, surrounded by towering trees bathed in golden sunlight. Base notes of cedar, fir balsam and earthy moss combine to instantly evoke the great forested outdoors. Tempered with the freshness of cardamom, pink peppercorn and red berry to arouse the sensation of crisp leaves underfoot, the woody fragrance strikes a warm, amber chord that’s both rich and comforting.
Eau de Parfum, 100ml, £170
The Parisian perfume house’s latest offering is a tribute to Morocco, a country to which founder David Benedek has deep ties. The tonka bean, a complex and multifaceted ingredient, is at the heart of this perfume, with its varying notes of vanilla, leather, almonds, and hints of chocolate. Orange blossom and almond add a sweet finish, drawing out the blend’s hint of tobacco and velvety rose for a long-lasting, sensual result.
Eau de Parfum, 100ml, £130
Estée Lauder has introduced a new collection of eight distinctive perfumes designed to evoke a specific mood or emotion, and all feature the brand’s new and exclusive ScentCapture Fragrance ExtenderTM technology, a formulation that means each scent lasts up to 12 hours. Sensuous Stars was created to conjure a feeling of happiness and is inspired by moonlit walks, combining notes of Chinese plum with rich Orris from Italy, and a veil of soothing French lavender.
Eau de Parfum, 75ml, £155
This floral chypre is the latest launch from Yves Saint Laurent Beauté’s Le Vestiaire des Parfums Signature Collection, a series of fragrances that each interpret a centrepiece of the couturier’s wardrobe. Inspired by red velvet, a fabric which Saint Laurent has heavily featured from boleros in his ‘Ballets Russes’ collection to today’s tuxedos, Rouge Velours combines rose and jasmine over a base of earthy and woody patchouli, vetiver and musk for a complex and heady scent.
