originally published Nov. 10, 2017
The perfect accessory to a warm sweater is a warm fragrance. I've made a list of my 12 favorite fragrances to make you feel cozy during these unbearable winter months.
1. Replica by Maison Margiela - By the Fireplace
Margiela's By the Fireplace is my go-to fragrance as soon as September comes around. It is the warm and inviting olfactory equivalent of sipping a hot toddy while curled up under a cozy blanket in front of a blazing fireplace. Notes of chestnut and clove mix seamlessly with Gaïac wood and vanilla to create a deep and comforting scent similar to the smell of your hair after a nap in front of a wood fire. The fragrance has a calming effect on me every time I put it on and I feel prepared to take on the cold day ahead.
Composition:
Top Notes:
Pink Pepper
Orange Flower Petals
Clove Oil
Middle Notes:
Chestnut Accord
Gaïac Wood Oil
Cade Oil
Base Notes:
Vanilla Accord
Peru Balsam
Cashmeran
Buy it:
UK: Selfridges
US: Sephora
2. Nasomatto – Duro
The word “duro” means hard. According to Nasomatto, this gender-neutral fragrance was designed to “enhance all the manifestations of male strength". I would infer, based on this description, that the fragrance company is suggesting that male strength is supposed to manifest itself in hardness. But I don’t get a sense of hardness from this scent at all. Instead I read a strength in softness and warmth. I am obsessed with this fragrance because it has a unique beauty and complexity in the sea of woody/smoky/warm fragrances that are so popular at the moment.
Composition:
Notes reminiscent of smoky, woody essences
Buy it:
UK: Liberty
US: Barneys
3. Roads – End Game
This wonderful new fragrance was created to embody “the halls of power and the corporate chess game of position and influence. A calm and strategic mind frame.” It is another dark, woody fragrance but I would also describe it as powerful, beautifully simple and solid. A no-frills fragrance to make the wearer feel strong and calm.
Composition:
Top notes:
Bergamot
Clary Sage
Middle notes:
Blonde Woods
Cashmere Wood
Base notes:
Vetiver
Musk
Buy it:
US: Barneys
4. Agonist Parfums – Isis
This is another unique fragrance that I absolutely love. It is slightly sweet and fruity with notes peach and green tangerine and slightly spicy with notes of ginger, anise, nutmeg and black pepper. It also has gourmand notes of caramel and vanilla as well as deep, rich base notes of amber and musk. The fragrance's eccentric combination of warmth and freshness make it a great scent to wear year-round and, though I'm not a doctor, I'm sure it can be used during the winter months as an olfactory supplement to vitamin D.
Composition:
Top notes:
Cistus
Green Tangerine
Ylang Ylang
Black Pepper
Ginger
Middle Notes:
Anise
Peach
Caramel
Heliotrope
Nutmeg
Base Notes:
Amber
Musk
Benzoin
Vanilla Absolute
Labdanum
Lorenox TM
Buy it:
UK: Liberty
US: Neiman Marcus
5. Le Galion – 222
Le Galion 222 is a reinvention of the lost formula of a fragrance recovered from the Le Galion archives of the early 1930s. It is meant to be an olfactory bridge between the past and the future. The fragrance smells of leather, paper, and in my opinion, oil, which for me conjures imagined scenes of a perfumer scribbling notes while testing new fragrance formulas late at night by the light of an oil lamp. The fragrance is not dark and overbearing, as the notes of leather, paper, and oil might suggest, but instead it is soft and inviting with a hint of vanilla.
Composition:
Top notes:
Violet flowers
Kasmhir Wood
Middle notes:
Myrrh
Styrax
Lavander
White Musk
Base notes:
Oak Moss
Sandalwood
Vanilla
Leather Notes
Buy it:
UK: Liberty
US: Le Galion Parfumes (not available in stores, online purchase only)
6. D.S. & Durga – Burning Barbershop
“A fire broke out in the Curling Bros. barbershop in
Westlake, N.Y. in 1891. All the shaving tonics with their spearmint, lime, vanilla & lavender burned. A charred bottle was found half-full. It smelled like this.” -D.S. & Durga
I never could have imagined that I would want to smell like shaving cream and smoke but thanks to the creative genius of D.S. & Durga, I do. I love the unique stories that D.S. & Durga fragrances tell and Burning Barbershop is perfect for a cold blustery day. Another warm and smoky scent, this full-bodied and rich fragrance definitely sends the imagination wandering towards old-time barbershops, leather chairs, and cigars with every whiff.
Composition:
Top notes:
Spearmint
Lime
Hemlock Spruce
Middle notes:
Lavender
Absolute
Turkish Rose
Base Notes:
Burnt Oil
Vanilla
Hay
Buy it:
7. Laboratorio Olfattivo – Nun
Laboratorio Olfattivo's Nun is a little sweeter than I typically go for in the winter months but it is also warm and a bit woody so, in my opinion, it is still a good choice for a cold-weather fragrance. The palindromic word, “nun”, is an ancient Egyptian reference to the primordial water from which the lotus flower emerges and blossoms in response to the sun. This beautiful fragrance gives homage to the blossoming process as it’s sweet notes of lotus, jasmine, and bergamot represent the lotus blossoming in the sun. Revealed later in the fragrance, the deep notes of woods, amber and musk represent the submergence of the lotus back into the water during the nighttime. An elegant day-to-night fragrance perfect for winter days and summer nights alike.
Composition:
Top notes:
Bergamot
Lemon
Pear
Neroli
Middle notes:
White Lotus
Jasmine
Ylang-Ylang
Base notes:
White Woods
Amber
Musk
Buy it:
UK: Liberty
US: MiN New York
8. Bella Freud – Psychoanalysis
“It’s quite a moody scent with various layers. I wanted
it to conjure up the feeling that one would imagine being
in a room with a psychoanalyst, being analysed and the
thoughtfulness and the smell of the room” – Bella Freud
Bella Freud's Psychoanalysis is based on the smells of a leather couch and cigars, reminiscent of a psychoanalyst's office, mixed with the scent of orange blossoms, which is meant to open the mind and heart. This fragrance is warm and familiar, meant to lull the wearer into the state of comfort necessary to be completely honest and open. It is also light and fresh, suggesting the insight and hope that psychoanalysis can offer.
Composition:
Top notes:
Neroli
Petitgrain
Middle notes:
Tobacco Flower
Resin
Base Notes:
Cedarwood
Dry Amber
Musks
Buy it:
UK: Liberty
US: Net-A-Porter (online only)
9. Byredo – 1996
Byredo's 1996 wass inspired by a photograph of a young girl entitled “Kirsten 1996” that was taken by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin in that year. To me, it smells like a warm room with wood paneling and worn leather chairs. A hint of vanilla, adds a bit of sweetness while the combination of black pepper, juniper berries, orris, patchouli, and black amber create a deep, woody, slightly spicy fragrance perfect for curling up on dark, chilly evenings.
Composition:
Top notes:
Juniper berries
Black Pepper
Middle notes:
Violet
Leather Accord
Orris
Base notes:
Patchouli
Black Amber
Vanilla
Buy it:
UK: Liberty
US: Barneys
10. Elizabeth and James – Nirvana Bourbon
Elizabeth and James’ Nirvana Bourbon captures the comfort and warmth of a glass of bourbon on a cold, snowy night. Slightly seductive, this deep, dark scent, feels timeless and classic. The strong lines of the bottle reflect the vague masculinity of the scent, while the amber of the bottle suggests the colour of vintage bourbon. It is a perfect fragrance to wear on a night out when you feel like dancing the winter blues away.
Composition:
Top notes:
Tuberose
Middle notes:
Oakwood
Base notes:
Bourbon Vanilla
Buy it:
UK: Harrods
US: Sephora
11. Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella's – Tabacco Toscano
I was honored and humbled to visit Florence’s 600-year old perfume store and pharmacy, Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. It still uses ancient recipes and plants from the pharmacy’s own garden to make the products. I got myself a little souvenir when I was there, the Tabacco Toscano Acqua di Colonia. The tobacco scent is fresh and light while simultaneously warm and woody. It is a great year-round fragrance but provides a little extra warmth and sunshine on a cold winter’s day.
Composition:
Woody, oriental notes
Buy it:
12. Commodity – Winter in England (Tonka, Leather, Whiskey, optional: Rain)
I love Commodity’s Scent Wardrobes because they allow you to mix and match fragrances to create your own scent. I combined Tonka, Leather, and Whiskey to create a warm winter fragrance that is slightly sweet and gourmand on account of the Tonka. I like to call it Winter in England because, for me, it is the olfactory equivalent of hanging out with good friends in a warm, cozy pub on a particularly cold and rainy evening.To brighten the fragrance up a bit I sometimes add Rain, which, in my opinion, is more like a cozy pub on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Composition:
Tonka:
Top notes:
Almond Oil
Indian Davana Oil
Cardamom Oil
Middle notes:
Lotus
Magnolia Oil
Base notes:
Venezuelan Roasted Tonka Absolute
Peru Balsam Absolute
Australian Sandalwood Oil
Laos Benzoin Resinoid
Whiskey:
Top notes:
Jammy Plums
Blackcurrent
Violet
Middle notes:
Davana
Patchouli
Saffron
Lavender
Base notes:
Vanilla
Vetiver
Cedarwood
Ambergris
American Oak
Mahogany
Leather:
Top notes:
Black Leather
Oregano Essence
Juniper Wood Essence
Middle notes:
Cacao Bean Absolute
Myrrh Resinoid
Cade Essence
Akigalawood®
Base notes:
Styrax Resinoid
Cedarwood Essence
Haitian Vetiver Essence
Cistus Labdanum Essence from Concrete
Rain:
Top notes:
Dewy Green Accord
Bergamot
Lemon Verbena
Rain
Middle notes:
Jasmine
Freesia
Lotus Blossom
Base notes:
White Amber
Water Musk
Sheer Woods
Buy it:
UK: Commodity
US: Sephora