Best autumn and winter fragrances of 2021 for women

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While the warmer weather is always synonymous with brighter, lighter fragrances, autumn and winter offer the chance to discover darker, heady and sensual aromas.

Just as we swap our floral dresses for winter coats, so too we change our scent wardrobe to longer nights and cosy indoors with comforting fragrances that have us welcoming in the cooler temperatures.

This season, there’s new launches from some of the biggest fragrances houses in the world so there’s no better time to explore an unchartered scent experience and find your new signature.

Here are the new aromas to know this autumn and winter.

Aesop Othertopias

Aesop has launched not one but three new fragrances – Miraceti, Karst and EreÌmia – with transportative powers ready to take you to new worlds – “real and imagined” according to the label.

Miraceti represents ‘The Boat’ and was designed in homage to the “serenity and savagery of the sea”. Made for thrill seekers and harking back to mythological journeys, it has a heady aroma reminiscent of the musk of a whisky cellar, incense and a cool winter’s breeze. The notes are spicy with balsamic warmth and resinous amber. Labdanum, Ambrette and Styrax make up the heart of the aroma that is categorised as a warm, woody scent.

Karst or ‘The Shore’ plays with the balance between land and sea. There’s a spice element to the scent no doubt from the inclusion of cumin as well as a metallic quality from the sandalwood. This interplays with an herbaceous freshness to represent the loop of the tide from the juniper note.

Last but not least, EreÌmia or ‘The Wasteland’ is the olfactory experience of nature reclaiming its place in urban landscapes. It is made up of notes of Galbanum, Iris and Yuzu that results in an aroma that opens as bright, citrusy and green but has powerful earthy undertones.

£140 | Aesop

Byredo Blanche

“I wanted to capture the idea of texture and fabric and skin—and to translate a level of intimacy which is very human” explains Ben Gorham, Founder & Creative Director of Byredo on the now cult Blanche fragrance. While this is not technically a new launch, the fragrance has been rehoused in a collector’s edition bottle. For those unfamiliar with the scent, it is one of the house’s lighter aromas, replicating that feeling of when you, freshly showered, slip between clean sheets – in olfactory form, natch. This is achieved through a combination of aldehyde, rose centifolia at the top, peony and violet at the heart and a seductive base of sandalwood and musk. It’s a powdery combination that feels clean, fresh and feminine.

£188 | Cult Beauty

Diptyque Le Grand Tour Kyoto Eau de Toilette

Over the last month, Diptyque has taken up residence in London’s Selfridges showcasing a limited-edition collection of scents to transport you around the world – no vaccine passport necessary. In honour of the brand’s 60^th anniversary, the range included a candle for Paris, three travel sized vials of a fresh basil eau de toilette for Venice, a perfumed oval inspired by a field of fig tree and cypresses for the Greek village of Milies, and a coffee-scented candle for the Lebanese city Byblos. Last but not least, a Kyoto-inspired eau de toilette rounds off the collection. The floral fragrance takes inspiration from Ikebana the art of floral composition and it comes in a beautiful Sarayi-patterned wrap. The fragrance has incense, rose and vetiver at the centre with a truly addictive aroma. It’s housed in an attractive pink glass bottle.

£135 | Liberty

Tiffany & Co. Rose Gold Eau de Parfum

For the latest addition to Tiffany & Co’s scent line-up, the Rose Gold takes inspiration from the glittering diamond cuts and luminous metals often found in the brand’s jewellery pieces. This is made immediately obvious by the shelfie-worthy glass flacon with its blush hue and metallic rose gold detailing that glistens in the light. The scent itself is fruity with blackcurrant, pink pepper, and lychee notes. At the heart you’ll find blue rose accord – a hybrid of a Japanese rose that adds a floral element.

From £56 | House of Fraser

Miller Harris Oud Éclat EDP

A classic oud is given a fresh update at Miller Harris in the most literal sense of the word. While it is usually a woody aroma, the perfume house has reformed agarwood. Traditionally a rich, resinous musty ingredient, Miller Harris has placed it as the top of the scent instead of becoming a heavy base. In this spot, it becomes aerated and lighter. It is combined with balsam, sugar and a herbaceous tagete that combine to create a sweet, bright aroma.

£160 | Miller Harris

Narciso Rodriguez 2 x 20ml Layering Duos

Narciso Rodriguez is simplifying the art of fragrance layering with this two-pack scent. The fragrance house, beloved for its For Her, Pure Musc and Musc Noir aromas, is offering travel-sized vials of the scents in packs so that you craft a customised mix of your favourite fragrances and discover a unique way of sporting the scents – solo or layered.

The Musc Noir scent is a timeless musky aroma with a chameleonic quality to adapt to the wearer’s skin, whereas Pure Musc is floral with jasmine and orange blossom and a base of cashmeran to bring warmth. For Her is a fruity-floral fragrance with notes of peach, rose and a base of amber and musk. Mix and matched, the three scents take on an enveloping new form. PURE MUSC and For Her is a heady, seductive combination, while PURE MUSC and MUSC NOIR is an after dark-ready mix that is rich and bold.

£55 | Debenhams

Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia

Picture this: you are in a blossoming orchard surrounded by rows upon rows of ripe pear ready for the harvest. This juicy aroma is intermingled with blooming flowers growing in the verdant landscape around you. That’s English Pear & Freesia. Pears and white freesias combine to create a delicate aroma that’s beautifully fresh, elegant and with warm undertones thanks to the base of amber, patchouli and wood. The fragrance is now housed in a limited-edition flacon with a fluted glass design.

£102 | lookfantastic

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Gentle Fluidity fragrance duo

Luxury fragrance brand Maison Francis Kurkdjian has crafted two new fragrances disrupting everything you may think you knew about male and female fragrances. Whether you opt for the Silver edition or the Gold, there is no predestined gender assigned to the scents. The two Gentle Fluidity eaux de parfum have the same name and same 49 ingredients and yet they are characterised by two very opposing scent families due to the varying dosages. Silver is woody and aromatic, while Gold is musky and oriental.

£165 for Gold | Harvey Nichols

£165 for Silver | Harvey Nichols

Mugler Alien Goddess EDP Refillable Spray

Top notes of Italian Bergamot Essence opens up this floral and feminine aroma from Mugler. The Alien Goddess is the latest in the brand’s scent family with a heart of Jasmine Grandilforum Superinfusion and a base of Bourbon Vanilla Premium Infusion. It also boasts eco-credentials with the use of sustainable vanilla and a refillable bottle.

£57 | The Perfume Shop

Loubiworld Eau De Parfum Intense 2021

When the fashion house launched fragrances in 2020, it begun with a collection of seven unisex formulations that took inspiration from the travels of founder Christian Louboutin. New for 2021, there’s an additional three aromas – all eaux de parfum intenses that are some of the most attractive bottles to date and of course, a lacquered with the brand’s signature red hue. Atop each flacon is a symbol in an eye-catching orange gold design.

Loubicharme is affixed with a royal beetle for good luck and combines geranium and rose for a fresh scent underscored by incense and patchouli. Loubiprince – an amber oriental – has heady notes of cistus, sandalwood and tonka bean elixir and is instantly recognisable by the serpent, a common print in the brand’s footwear. Finally, the Loubiluna show-stopping falcon opens to reveal notes of fig milk, cedar wood and papyrus for an oriental, woody scent.