Best Autumn Fragrances – Top Picks
Just like clothing, we choose different perfumes depending on the season and occasion – some types of fragrances are simply better suited to certain times of year. Autumn fragrances tend to be a little richer and warmer, ranging from green notes to spicy and smoky compositions. Here are our top picks.
Summary
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Autumn fragrances are characterised by deeper notes of woods, spices, amber and smoky accords that create warmth and character.
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In a hands-on test, our testing panel evaluated the fragrances based on their balance, longevity and how they develop in cooler weather.
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The result is a selection of favourites that combine elegance, presence and a distinctive autumnal character.
#1 New Notes Magico Safrano Extrait de Parfum
We're starting strong by crowning what may well be one of the world's finest saffron fragrances as our winner. With Magico Safrano, the exclusive Italian niche house New Notes has created a masterpiece that allows the precious spice of saffron to shine in all its elegance – without becoming overly sharp or harsh, but instead remaining soft, warm and sophisticated.
Despite incorporating smoky tobacco, pink pepper, precious woods and leather, the addition of warm, creamy amber, cinnamon and musk makes the fragrance settle over the skin like a luxurious, enveloping blanket. A perfect choice for anyone who appreciates warm, rounded spices combined with tobacco and woods, whether worn for an elegant occasion or simply to add a touch of luxury to the daytime. It fits both men and women like a warm glove. Congratulations, New Notes!
#2 QOT Kingmaker
We're bold enough to place Kingmaker – a dark, coffee-based gourmand from QOT – in second place, for the simple reason that it's a deep, rich and warming composition that brings genuine comfort to a chilly, grey autumn day. Yet this isn't an overly experimental gourmand in the edible, dessert-like style often associated with the category. There's also a considerable degree of elegance beneath those dark notes.
Finding a good coffee fragrance isn't always easy. They're either too milky and sweet or too bitter and oriental. But with Kingmaker, QOT has managed to create a fragrance built around dark-roasted coffee, admittedly with a slightly liquorice-like bitterness, yet perfectly balanced by a cookie note and a little hint of chocolate. In other words: black coffee and biscuits in bottled form. They've even managed to sneak in accords of butter, sugar and hazelnut without drowning the composition in sweetness. Quite the opposite – these notes soften the coffee's bitterness. That kind of creativity deserves a place high on the podium!
#3 Brunello Cucinelli Silenzio
Silenzio is a magnificent, dark and aromatic fragrance from Italian designer house Brunello Cucinelli's more niche-oriented Incanti Poetici collection, originally exclusive to Harrods and also available through selected boutiques of the brand.
Despite its name, this is – unlike the house's usual fragrance DNA – anything but a quiet, restrained affair. We're talking serious character and rich, complex accords with a distinctly masculine leaning. The perfume occupies the intriguing territory between an oriental fragrance and a gourmand. It blends fresh Italian touches of bergamot with complex, luxurious niche ingredients such as saffron, salted caramel, cinnamon and ylang-ylang, resting on a base of oud, vanilla and amber. An incredibly exciting and sensual creation that provides plenty of warmth in the autumn darkness, while retaining the refined, beautifully tailored elegance that only the Italians seem to master. A genuine surprise!
#4 LENGLING Sekushi No 7 Supreme Extrait de Parfum
German fragrance house LENGLING is a genuine rising star that deserves a much wider audience, and its Sekushi No 7 Supreme Extrait de Parfum, from the more expensive and exclusive high-end collection, is probably its crowning achievement.
German perfumery has been making an increasingly strong impression on the niche fragrance scene with modern interpretations of fresh vintage and designer styles, and few do it better. In Sekushi Supreme, we discover a creamy, deep and extraordinarily sophisticated composition that manages to surprise. With its sweet, fruity notes of orange, raspberry and candyfloss, it's a shot of vitamins that ought to chase away even the worst autumn blues. Add deep, dark accords of leather, patchouli and sensual musk.
The elegance and dressed-up character are qualities it shares with the broader German fragrance aesthetic, but here we also find something luxurious and gourmand-inspired that brings warmth to the autumn darkness – although it would work just as beautifully at a party during the darker hours of a summer evening.
#5 J-Scent Profound Ume Amaretto Oath EdP
In fifth place comes Ume Amaretto from Japanese fragrance house J-Scent's exclusive Profound collection. And this is no ordinary gourmand, because it delivers liqueur and bitter almond with spectacular intensity! If this composition on your skin doesn't wake you from your autumn slumber, then something is seriously wrong.
Admittedly, its unique interpretation of Amaretto may divide opinion, but on the right person and for the right occasion, it becomes a creative masterpiece that will make you stand out at any party! An incredibly warming and festive fragrance that is also exceptionally elegant. Like enjoying a drink beneath crystal chandeliers while the autumn rain pours down outside. What could possibly go wrong?
