6 of the best scents to wear this winter, according to professional perfumers
As we settle into winter and the holiday season, professional perfumers expect to smell more sweet, woodsy, dark, and intense fragrances.
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- Business Insider spoke to two perfume experts about the most popular scents this winter.
- Gourmand — anything that smells like food — will still be in for the winter.
- Frankincense creates a cozy atmosphere and can have a nostalgic vibe.
Although fall and winter have some overlapping qualities, the seasonal shift can impact what scents people are reaching for as falling leaves turn to snow.
Business Insider spoke with two professional perfumers about the best fragrances to wear this winter.
Here's what they said.
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Kelsey Hodgson, a perfume salesperson who's been working in the industry for nearly nine years, told BI that gourmand scents — anything that smells like food or drinks — have been trending all year and will continue into the winter.
"There's a very dry vanilla scent that's very popular," they said. "It's very easy, wearable, and very close to the skin."
Hodgson also mentioned that many brands are pushing the envelope with edible scents by introducing bread, milk, and creamy notes instead of just sweet ones.
They recommend Fleur Éclair by Régime des Fleurs for a vanilla scent with cardamom and cocoa notes or Etat Libre d'Orange's Story of Your Life for a fragrance with brioche notes.
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Hodgson said frankincense becomes very popular in the winter. For some, it's reminiscent of the nostalgic scent of church incense used around the holidays.
The perfumer told BI that it's a more elevated take on a cozy scent, and it's much richer than a simple vanilla.
Because of this, frankincense-based perfumes are heavier and project more easily through layers of sweaters and coats.
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Wood aromas can come across as generic, but Hodgson said they always seem to be on-trend.
Hinoki is having a moment, offering a pine element with clean and fresh notes. Although it's not a heavy wood, its fragrance is almost like an elevated Christmas tree, perfect for the holiday season.
Hodgson likes Jo Malone's Hinoki & Cedarwood Cologne Intense, which combines frankincense and hinoki, and Hinoki Fantôme from Boy Smells.
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Agustine Zegers, an olfactory artist who founded Agar Olfactory, enjoys darker botanical scents, such as poisonous herbs and frozen peatland, that almost have a witchy quality.
The perfumer recommends Hemlock by Quartana Parfums, which mixes notes of pink pepper, vanilla, crushed leaves, cinnamon bark, and more to achieve a subtle yet unique olfactory experience.
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Hodgson told BI that tonka is a trending scent that lies somewhere between the gourmand and wood families.
The bean offers notes of cinnamon, warm cedar wood, and dark vanilla, creating a well-rounded unisex fragrance.
Le Labo's Tonka 25 almost smells like a cashmere sweater to Hodgson.
"It has a really cozy, indulging quality to it," they said.
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Although many associate the colder months with the aroma of Christmas cookies and toasty campfires, Zegers recommends looking for scents that harness the "raw experience of winter" with cold, industrial notes.
"Go that kind of unexpected angle and get a little bit of that frigidity," they said.
The perfumer likes Inexcusable Evil by Toskovat, which combines warmer woods with notes of cold rain on concrete.
