5 Fragrance Trends That Will Take Over This Winter

Audrey Noble
·8 min read

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When it comes to setting your winter fragrance lineup, there’s a pool of usual players to choose from: a musk here, an oud there. Throw in some leather and gourmands (lots of gourmands) and you’ve got yourself a nice, albeit predictable, selection for your winter scent wardrobe. But should you dare to venture outside your comfort zone—at least fragrance-wise—this winter is the time to do so.

This season’s biggest fragrance trends include carnal cresylics, unexpected takes on rose, and more scents that will make you do a double take. Perfumers are also predicting different ways to spritz on your favorites, like gamified scent sets. Below are the winter fragrance trends of 2024 that will dominate the upcoming season, straight from the people who would know best.

Meet the experts:

Modern rose

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As Allure has recently reported, rose is making a strong comeback in fine fragrance, transitioning from the traditional powdery aroma into something a bit more multifaceted and modern. In the past, this classic floral note was typically paired with fresh powdery scents or warm gourmands. In these new fragrances, you’re more likely to find rose alongside edgy notes like black pepper, caramel, oud, and leather, explains Christina Christie, a senior perfumer at Givaudan. “Rose’s versatility allows perfumers to craft dynamic compositions that appeal to a wide range of preferences from soft and delicate to bold and intense,” she says.

She loves the newly launched Balmain Paris Carbone Eau de Parfum and Tory Burch Sublime Eau de Parfum’s takes on rose. Carbone mixes the note with patchouli for a scent that starts powder-fresh before revealing a moodier musk with leather undertones. Sublime is an airy rose with a hint of mandarin and leather—a mix that sounds like it wouldn't work, but absolutely does.

For a sensual take on rose, try the Best of Beauty Award-winning Parfums de Marly Delina, which warms sweet rose with musk and incense. For something more classic, turn to Diptyque Rose Roche, which opens with familiar rose notes before energizing you with citrus and patchouli. For a fuller-bodied fragrance, try Bulgari Le Gemme Sahare, a deep mix of rose, lemon, bergamot, and myrrh notes. “As consumers seek scents that evoke both nostalgia and freshness, rose is emerging as the perfect bridge between the familiar and the innovative,” Christie says.

Carbone Eau de Parfum

$260.00, Neiman Marcus

Parfums de Marly Delina

$375.00, Amazon

Rose Roche Eau de Parfum

$330.00, Nordstrom

Le Gemme Sahare Eau de Parfum

$460.00, Nordstrom

Sublime Eau de Parfum

$155.00, Nordstrom

Animalic blends

Animalic fragrances usually combine notes that give them extra depth and warmth, like oud, amber, cedarwood, and musk. This winter, Christie suggests looking for perfumes that include cresylic notes—which she says can smell like deep florals or wild horses—for the same carnal effect. “They’re intoxicating and can stir intrigue in a fragrance,” she says.

Christie recommends Maison d’Etto’s latest launch, Verdades, which mixes cresylic floral scents of jasmine, neroli, and orange flower with vanilla. The result is an amber-like scent that’s deep and earthy.

You can also look to Cartier Panthere Elixir for a brighter and fresher musky floral or Guerlain Patchouli Paris, which has animalic notes of ambergris and patchouli mixed with vanilla. Perfumer H Saddle Eau de Parfum is a warm mix of bergamot, aldehydes, patchouli, and amber for a sexy floral that’s not overwhelmingly sweet.

Verdades Eau de Parfum

$375.00, Maison d'Etto

La Panthère Elixir

$176.00, Nordstrom

Patchouli Paris Eau de Parfum

$395.00, Saks Fifth Avenue

Saddle Eau de Parfum

$740.00, Perfumer H

Spicy leather

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Adobe Stock

Today’s spicy and leather fragrances “pay homage to ancient ingredients while incorporating elements that radiate contemporary sophistication,” Christie says. While dark and woody fragrances have always been a staple in the season, she says you can expect them to be a bit more approachable this winter.

Take her picks, Hermès Barénia Eau de Parfum and Tom Ford Black Lacquer, for example. Barénia has a spicy pepper kick at the initial spritz and dries down to a smoky base that doesn’t overwhelm you. Black Lacquer is especially luxe with notes of rum, ebony wood, and peony for an incense-like scent that balances the floral notes quite nicely.

Barénia Eau de Parfum

$170.00, Nordstrom

Black Lacquer Eau de Parfum

$405.00, Nordstrom

Hope Eau de Parfum

$636.00, Nordstrom

Fetiche Le Cuir Eau de Parfum

$245.00, Nordstrom

Then there’s Frederic Malle Hope, which has notes of oud, pink pepper, vetiver, and incense to get you a rich smokiness and spice, while amber rounds it out with a supersweet dry down. We also love Christian Louboutin Fetiche Le Cuir, a leather and suede scent brightened by vibrant osmanthus floral notes that give it a fruity flair.

Cozy layers

Layering fragrances has always been a fun and interactive way to experience our favorite scents, and experts predict many brands will start to lean into this practice more during the winter months. Levy says it will be one of the major holiday gift trends and we should keep an eye out for sets that have all your layering needs.

D.S. & Durga was already ahead of the curve when it launched its Murder Mystery Set in September 2024. In a twist to the classic whodunit, it makes fan-favorite fragrance "I Don't Know What” your base scent and gamifies layering. Each layering fragrance comes with a fun story that helps you put together a unique blend under the premise of solving a case. Levy points to discovery boxes from Fovr Mood and Clean Beauty as other options for you to use to mix and match for your unique signature.

But you don’t need to buy a completely new set if you don’t want to; using fragrances you already own works too. Layering is an art form and can take a few tries to get right, but Christie has some pointers: Start with a lighter scent as your base and build upon it with more intense notes. For example, apply fresh citrus or floral before adding deeper ambers, woods, and/or spices. “The key is to balance fragrances with similar undertones to avoid clashing,” she says. “Experiment by spraying on different pulse points and allowing each scent to develop and interact uniquely.” Arielle Weinberg, founder of Arielle Shoshana, a fragrance boutique located in Fairfax, Virginia, previously recommended “scent shadowing” to Allure, which means you apply one perfume on one shoulder and a second on the other. “With shadowing, the scents still interact, but the results are a little more predictable than when you’re physically combining multiple fragrances,” she explained.

Musks, with their skin-like scent, make for an ideal base when layering. The synthetic note has evolved into a smell that is often clean and fresh, which helps boost the scents you choose to layer it with. New launches such as Glossier You Doux and Glossier Reve, for example, are skin enhancers that utilize a musky base. While intriguing on their own as they mix with your body chemistry, they also pair nicely with one another for added customization. 27 87 Per Se, a lightweight scent with notes like orris butter, violet, pepper, and musk, is a fresh aquatic smell that can enhance a deeper scent and give it that elusive je ne sais quoi that we all strive for.

Murder Mystery Set

$275.00, Nordstrom

Fine Fragrance Discovery Set

$24.00, Sephora

Reserve Discovery Gift Set

$28.00, Sephora

Glossier You Doux Eau de Parfum

$78.00, Glossier

Glossier You Rêve Eau de Parfum

$78.00, Glossier

Per Sē Eau de Parfum

$310.00, 27 87

Juicy fruits

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Linda G. Levy, president of The Fragrance Foundation, says fruit-forward scents with notes of berries, cherries, citrus, and even coconut will bring brightness to the cold and gray days ahead. She points to fragrances like Valentino’s Anatomy of Dreams Club Couture, which smells of succulent mandarin and fig, Lake & Skye Citrus Blonde Eau de Parfum, which blends fresh peach with florals, and Brown Girl Jane Carousel, which smells decadent, like a caramel apple, to get your fruity fix.

We also love Abel's The Apartment. Meant to evoke the feeling of decompressing in your Parisian flat, this scent is made with notes of upcycled cherry, cacao, run, and myrrh, for a balanced mix of tart and warmth. As we imagine what it would be like to leave everything behind and move to Paris, this fruity scent is what we’d want our 19th-century pied-à-terre to smell like.

Anatomy of Dreams Club Couture Parfum

$330.00, Valentino

Citrus Blonde Eau De Parfum

$98.00, Nordstrom

Carousel Eau de Parfum

$102.00, Nordstrom

The Apartment Eau de Parfum

$130.00, Abel

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Originally Appeared on Allure

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