Be it a warm, citrus signature or a spiced wood blend, these festive perfumes are the perfect pick for those seeking to immerse themselves in the season...
When the calendar hits the 'ber' months, many of us will gravitate towards cosier scents among our long-lasting perfumes, never more so than when the month begins with a 'D' and comes with its own musical genre. Though a winter perfume, by its definition, will carry you perfectly through the holiday period, sometimes you're in the mood for something even more - for lack of a better word - festive. The sort of scent that encapsulates the smells and flavours that are so intrinsically linked with the occasion - like warm gingerbread, a spicy mug of mulled cider or the smoky, rich scent of a crackling log fire.
Thus, to help spread the cheer (and not just because this writer is already very much in the festive spirit), I've rounded up six perfumes that smell like Christmas - or at least, mirror the season in their notes...
6 cosy perfumes that smell like Christmas and the festive season
From Jo Malone's limited edition scents to perfumes that evoke images of snowy fields - the sort Cameron Diaz might run through (a reference to The Holiday, but we're sure you already knew that) and those that bottle up the boozy warmth of your favourite Christmas cocktails, these are the festive perfumes to wear this season.
RRP: from £58 for 30ml | Notes: Sweet orange, bitter orange and sandalwood
A festive orange cocktail in fragrance form, this Jo Malone scent marries sweet and bitter orange with warm sandalwood, for a blend that is deliciously warm and a tad boozy. For a fruity perfume, it's so sophisticated and envelopes in its orangey and alluring liqueur-like base - which also makes it ideal as a dinner party perfume.
RRP: from £60 for 30ml | Notes: Clove oil, pink pepper, orange flower, chestnut accord, gaiic wood oil, vanilla accord and cashmeran.
Touted as one of the best Replica perfumes and a personal favourite of Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson, Maison Margiela's By The Fireplace truly bottles up the scent of 'chestnuts roasting on an open fire.' It's warm and irresistibly smoky, but not overpowering or heady as you might expect from a fragrance that smells like a crackling hearth. Instead, its rich notes of Gaiic Wood and cashmeran meld with a sweet hint of vanilla on the skin - wrapping you up in a wintery and perfectly festive embrace.
RRP: £129 for 100ml | Notes: Geranium, clove, cinnamon and ginger
While many of the best Diptyque perfumes lend themselves easily to a chic, wintery scent, L'Eau houses a blend of particularly festive notes. Created in 1968, this is the brand's first-ever fragrance and marries hints of clove with cinnamon and ginger (all very traditional, Christmas flavours). It is a gender-neutral scent that is spicy, slightly floral and irresistibly warm - ideal for December spritzing.
RRP: from £68 for 10ml | Notes: Tonka bean, vanilla, tobacco flower, wood sap, cocoa and dry fruit accords
If you're a lover of vanilla perfumes, Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille is the perfect wintertime iteration. It's warm and smoky, with a spiciness and indulgent sweetness that is just perfect for the festive season. It's designed to be reminiscent of a fine 'private club,' which will give you some insight into its rich and heady impression.
RRP: from £58 for 30ml | Notes: Artemisia, fir and leather
This limited edition scent from Jo Malone bottles up the aromatic freshness of fir trees and marries it with warm hints of leather and slightly zesty artemisia. Those green fir notes sparkle to the surface of this scent, before giving way to that rich and cosier leather base. It's a very unique signature, that is so reminiscent of a chilly winter morning and wreaths and garlands made from festive foliage.
RRP: £210 for 50ml | Notes: cinnamon essence, tonka bean, cognac, hazelnut and oak wood
A popular pick on social media for a festive scent, Kilian's Angel's Share blends spicy hints of cinnamon with warm cognac and oak wood. It's sweet and boozy (ideal if you're looking for or already love a boozy perfume), offering a cosiness and decadence that is perfect for party season.
What makes a festive perfume?
Now, this question is a tad subjective as we all have slightly different interpretations of a festive scent. To us, they're grounded in nostalgia and will feature and play on the most quintessential of 'Christmassy' aromas. Orange, for example, is synonymous with December, as is cinnamon, pine, star anise and other warming and aromatic spices. Boozy notes, like whiskey, rum and cognac, can also lend themselves to a yuletide-inspired fragrance.
For a more generalised wintery aroma, hints of warm, smoky woods and cashmere evoke a festive feel. That said, perfumes can create memories depending on when they're worn - hence why many opt to have a specific wedding perfume, for instance. Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson notes that Diptyque's L'eau Papier smells distinctly festive to her, not because it features any classically Christmassy notes but because she added it to her collection last winter and wore it exclusively over the festive period. "Now whenever I smell it, I can't help but picture tinsel and golden twinkly lights, so much so that I now reserve it for winter wear only - or whenever I want to feel cosy and nostalgic."
Then, of course, there are perfumes that have been brought out and packaged specifically for festive wear to consider - like Jo Malone's Christmas perfumes, which feature a bow and gold-embellished labels. All of these would constitute a 'festive' scent.
