I don’t know what winter means to you, but for me, winter is synonymous with low spirits. No wonder I cannot do without epic battle music on YouTube and comforting swirls of incense sticks.
But some perfumes do a better job of lifting my spirits too. Certain notes, like silent companions to winter’s chill, seem tailor-made for this time of year — they embrace the frosty air of winter days as if they exist solely for this season.
What Are The Top Winter Notes In Perfumery?
Here are some of my top favourite winter notes in perfumery.
- Vanilla
I like the sweet smell of vanilla. It’s not overwhelming – but more comforting, and this makes a beautiful note for the winter. That cosy blanket type of feeling everyone talks about? Yeah, vanilla gives you exactly that feeling. Especially when done well with other notes.
There’s some softness, sweetness and richness around you whenever you wear vanilla.
- Tonka
Tonka, also known as tonka bean, is derived from the seeds of the Dipteryx odorata tree, native to South America. The seeds, which resemble small wrinkled beans, are rich in compounds that contribute to their distinctive and captivating fragrance. Tonka has been a prized ingredient in perfumery for centuries, valued for its warm, sweet, and complex scent.
Tonka isn’t much different from vanilla when it comes to its warm richness. But its almond-like scent adds a vibe of sophistication.
- Cardamon
Cardamom is considered an exotic and complex scent in perfumery. It has a sweet, citrusy, and slightly peppery taste but interestingly also has some floral undertones. The aroma is fresh, aromatic, and highly fragrant, making it a highly valued spice in both culinary and perfumery applications.
- Cinnamon
Woody and crispy, the scent of cinnamon adds a very safe and comforting vibe to the surroundings when you wear it. A whiff of cinnamon can bring you such warmth as if a gloomy evening in the snow can be as beautiful as a night sky with sky lanterns.
- Oudh
Remember how I said winter makes me dispirited? Thankfully oudh exists!
Oudh is the scent of sacredness and spirituality – in the sense that it is not just relaxing, but also mysteriously plants good feelings inside you.
- Sandalwood
Sandalwood, with its creamy and woody notes, adds a touch of serenity to the winter fragrance ensemble. Its calming presence evokes images of crackling fires and cosy evenings, making it an ideal choice for those seeking solace in the colder months.
- Cocoa
Cocoa in perfumery offers a rich, warm, and sweet scent, that almost makes you want to think of chocolate on your tongue. Its aroma is often described as creamy, comforting, and slightly powdery, evoking feelings of indulgence and luxury.
- Tuberose
Tuberose is a timeless fragrance for Indian noses especially. This is a highly fragrant flower. While it isn’t necessarily a winter note, I promise you that this might make your winter dreamy and refreshing. This floral note gives off a very sensual and romantic vibe.
- Balsam
Balsam adds a tone of warmth, the same smell as when your clothes smell that is dried under the sun outside. But it also smells like the sun-baked twigs and leaves in the woods. It’s the scent of the outdoors definitely, but can be the scent for the indoors too.
Its resinous and pine-like notes transport you to a winter wonderland, where the air is crisp, and nature is adorned in frost.
Top Recommended Perfumes For Winter
Note: My recommendations for each perfume on where and when to wear it are just a fun addition to this post, and don’t consider it as an expert’s opinion.- By the Fireplace by Maison Martin Margiela
The most apt name for a perfume I ever come across.
By the Fireplace by Maison Martin Margiela takes me back to a time during winter mornings of sitting by the fireplace and of the creamy white inner surface of the wood burning in the fireplace. These are not just any wood that has been cut and then fed to the fire, but to me, it smells like those exact wooden logs which had been sitting on in the sun for at least a month before it’s fed to the fire – in short, the smell is crisp, smokey, warm and sensational.
And it feels as if it’s putting me to sleep – either because the sun in the winter morning is finally starting to get better, the right temperature, or because the fire is relaxing me and making me drowsy.
Now imagine this: when you finally wake up from this sleep, you have a nice vanilla-flavoured cake on your plate, and there are some dried jungle plants in your clothes smelling like the dry woods – and that comes from the balsam note, which maybe you are not necessarily a fan of. But you take it since I was sitting by the fireplace for so long.
Best places/time to wear it: At home, alone, by the fireplace, watching The Chronicles of Narnia.
- Grand Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
First of all, I would like to say sorry to Grand Soir for not understanding its worth sooner, and wearing it and then forgetting about it. Despite the price point, I thought that since it’s not that interesting, I would wear it mindlessly. Because all it smelt to me was just this beautiful, yet only resinous amber and that’s it. I expected a little more character if not a twist.
But I just didn’t know how to wear it. I sprayed one time each on my pulse points, and that’s it. Except one day I sprayed twice on a single pulse point, and by the end of the day, there’s this smooth, silky and powerful beautiful scent that won’t leave my body and I keep wondering where is it coming from.
Then I smelled my pulse points, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is magic. It’s so beautiful vanilla.’
Best places/time to wear it: When you have a long boring day ahead. So when you first spray it, it doesn’t do much. But later on the day — Voilà! you have now orchestrated a surprise vanilla visit for yourself.
- Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDT
My signature scent. My absolute favourite of everything that I have tried so far.
I always have this belief that Narciso Rodriguez knows how to do musk fragrances and none has disappointed me yet. But Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDT has a different kind of effect on me.
Right after I spray, this perfume makes me think of April, when orchids bloom, something very exotic. But it also reminds me of my school days when we went out in the sun to play in the grassy and dusty field, and the sun made my skin dry. I am sure it’s the musk that makes me smell dust, but there’s also some beautiful sweetness to it. The dusty scent evolves and gets so strong that it makes me think of a sandstorm in a sophisticated world.
I call this the scent of adventure. NR For Her makes me want to run across a hillock and sleep under the sun until the air goes dryer in the winter days, and the sun sets in the wet. The scent can definitely be a companion to your lazy adventure days.
I think the amber and vanilla here is done very well. But this is not a musk that is for everyone – it’s dirty, sensual and sexy. And I like it.
Best places/times to wear: On winter or spring, on daytime dates, wearing floral dresses, in the open air. Or when you are chasing sandstorms.
- Narciso Rouge by Narciso Rodriguez
There’s something very creamy about Narciso Rouge. I don’t see many people talk about Rogue from Narciso Rodriguez, but it’s one of the most unique fragrances I have come across. The iris note in Rouge reminds me of Guerlain’s Shalimar.
This perfume makes me think of coconut tusks in fire, with some aromatic oil in the background. The colour of the bottle definitely does justice – I smell spice somewhere too. Not cardamom or cinnamon spice, but it must be the tonka, and it’s incredible.
If you like the smell of tuberose but don’t want it as a standout note, then Narciso Rouge may be the scent for you. Extremely unique – in the sense that, if you wear it, your scent will stand out from the rest unless they are wearing the same scent.
Best places/time to wear it: Outdoors, beach walk.
- Lune Feline by Atelier des Ors
I don’t like to wear Lune Feline on my pulse points because what if I give into my desires and bite on my wrist? Because it’s so spicy and delicious!
Jokes aside, Lune Feline by Atelier Des Ors is a scent I would have loved to keep hidden from the world. It’s niche-r than niche – at least as of yet. I want to tell all the people to try it yet I don’t want people to find it. But I can settle only on one of those desires, and I have made the choice.
The moment I spray it, the first whiff is of cardamom – as if I’m opening the pod slowly, and the very moment you smell it.
I feel the taste of Lune Feline both in my nose and my mouth, something very rich, silky and warm. If you are wondering, think of thick milk ice cream with cardamon. The scent has a little sweetness but not sugary sweetness, but more like the sweetness from the milk and the vanilla with a hint of bitterness from the cardamon. If you are Indian, I’ll say just think of kulfi but instead of frozen, it’s warm and suitable for the winter.
Lune Feline has been a love at first sniff, and it will remain as that. It’s a fragrance that screams true sophistication and richness. You can tell the high-quality ingredients just by smelling it even if you are a beginner-fragrance lover.
Best places/time to wear it: Dinner parties on gloomy days.
- Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford
Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille wasn’t a love at first sniff for me. It’s not a grown-on-me scent for me either. It’s an out-of-my-league scent. It’s a scent I can appreciate but I cannot pull off.
The tobacco notes here are unmistakable; even if you smell it without knowing the name, you will know it’s a tobacco fragrance as it stays for a long time. There’s some spice with tobacco notes when I first smell it.
If you want to wear Tobacco Vanille, you have to mean it. You have to clean up nicely. You cannot be a random pullover-wearing guy, with slippers on your feet, or a regular tom-boy girl with a nerdy vibe.
This scent screams Hollywood-level action to me, but not so dark and low-key to be real action with assassins or spies. The action here is meant to be seen. Tobacco Vanille won’t get you a personality, but it’s a flop if you wear it and don’t have a personality.
After 7 hours, the tobacco is gone and becomes a sweet, vanilla-flavoured mysterious fresh scent. It reminds me of Crystal Noir by Versace. And if you wear Tobacco Vanille in the afternoon, by evening, you will smell exactly how you should.
Best places to wear: Not on a morning walk.
- Epice By Nykaa
Epice by Nykaa is from Nykaa’s Moi range perfumes, and I have all of them. However, Epice stands out from the rest as an interesting perfume.
When I first smelt it, the notes of pink peppercorn hit my nostrils so hard that I was coughing. The exact way finely grounded dried chillies would affect your nostrils.
Although this gets smoother with time, and I smell juicy green mango, something very beautiful, and premium. There’s also some sweetness to it like a sherbet. This gives such a refreshing vibe, and it makes me realise winter can use some uplifting vibe too.
It smells so tasty and tangy like a green mango, but then suddenly there is this hint of sweetness, and voila! there comes a hint of spice, and again a hint of sweetness, spice, and then the mango thingy. For me, it is a very interesting perfume but could be a bit strong.
In short, it can be your spicy and boozy fragrance.
Best places to wear: Winter morning when the sun is shining, birds are singing and you need a boost as you wait for the arrival of spring. Especially when you have to go to work or classes.
- Ani by Nishane
Nishane’s Ani, at first, was a disappointment – but a rational one. See, I had just started exploring niche perfumes then, and when I smelled Nishane Ani, I thought maybe I didn’t have the nose for a complicated niche fragrance.
It first smelled like sweet and sophisticated dirt. As if wet dirt that had been sitting in a moist place, finally got out in the harsh sun. And someone sprayed aromatic oil onto it. And despite resembling dirt, it wasn’t a smell that you can put down. But I detected no hint of vanilla, yet. There’s definitely some citrus right after you spray it, it’s also refreshing.
But dry down is super sweet and intoxicating vanilla — vanilla that doesn’t leave. And there’s the musk, which I smell lightly even the next day in the morning.
Ani by Nishane is an interesting fragrance in the way it unfolds. You might not love it whole, but some parts may embrace you. Again, Ani by Nishane is not a scent for all(hence niche), but I think it’s a scent that you build familiarity with over time, and let it grow on you. But if you want to buy this for vanilla, you gotta wait and have faith. Try different number of sprays and there will be the promised vanilla for sure.
Best places to wear: When you are trying hard for people to notice you
