What makes a ‘winter perfume’?
Our sensory experiences are inextricably seasonal: through the materials we wear, the food we consume and subsequently, our relationship with taste and smell. In the same way that savouring a rich mug of hot chocolate during the height of August has little appeal, dousing oneself with crisp and ozonic fragrance notes can be somewhat jarring when it’s bitterly cold outside.
Temperature also dictates a perfume’s sillage (the scent trail left by the wearer), projection (the distance it travels from the wearer) and also the way in which scent molecules interact with the skin. Heat decreases longevity; cold increases it. But the opposite is true with sillage and projection, meaning that gourmand, spicy, or resinous notes (often used in the base of a perfume) can become cloying in summer, but infuse the air with a much-needed sense of warmth during winter.
I have compiled a list of thirteen winter perfumes which do just that, including scents from Bottega Veneta’s first fragrance collection under the direction of Matthieu Blazy and independent brands Bleu Nour and Marissa Zappas, to contemporary classics by the likes of Maison Francis Kurkdijan and Frederic Malle.
Winter perfume: the Wallpaper* guide to fragrances that linger on the skin and in the air
Dior
Francis Kurkdijan, who was appointed creative director of Parfums Dior in 2021, created the recently launched ‘Esprit de Parfum’ collection to push the notes of iconic fragrances in the house’s ‘La Collection Privée’ portfolio – ‘Lucky’, ‘Rouge Trafalgar’, ‘Oud Isaphan’, ‘Ambre Nuit’ and ‘Gris Dior’ – to the extreme of their expression’. Subsequently, ‘Gris Dior Esprit de Parfum’ has a heighted floral accord but is also sweeter and woodier.
Bottega Veneta
The first Bottega Veneta perfume collection under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy launched last month (October 2024). Amongst the five fragrances (all housed in artisanal glass bottles crafted in Venice) is ‘Come With Me’, which has top notes of artichoke, carrot and bergamot, whilst vetiver, bourbon vanilla and a ‘leather like skin accord’ form its base.
Connolly
‘Cuir de Connolly’ is the newest fragrance from British heritage brand Connolly, created by its long-time collaborator Lyn Harris with set of 200 limited-edition bottles. This perfume is smoky and full-bodied; a collision of vetiver and leather to evoke the ambience of Paris in the 1970s. ‘Cuir de Connolly’ has an intense opening, that soon makes way for an inviting softness.
connollyengland.com
Acqua di Parma
Acqua di Parma is synonymous with Italian sunshine and its signature fresh and citrussy colognes. But ‘Luce di Rosa’, with rich floral notes of Bulgarian Rose and verdant geranium has a darker facet to its character: a grounding of vetiver, guaiac wood and cedarwood, finishing with the embrace of musk.
Bleu Nour
‘Grounded’ by independent London perfumer Bleu Nour is creamy, earthy and musky with heart notes of Earl Grey tea and base notes of Tonka, cedarwood and ‘rain on concrete’. ‘Grounded’ is also available in a perfume oil to be dabbed behind the ears or on the collarbones for those looking to amp up its allure.
Frederic Malle
‘L’Eau d’Hiver’, created in 2003 by nose Jean Claude Ellena for Frederic Malle, translates to ‘winter water’. The perfume has been rather accurately described by the brand as ‘fluffy’ and ‘like a perfect scarf, warm and light at the same time, inviting you to curl up with it’. Weightless enough to be worn all year round with top notes of bergamot, the heliotrope in its base notes provides a gourmand and powdery base.
Loewe
‘Earth Elixir’ by Núria Cruelles is a new, intensified version of Loewe’s ‘Earth’ eau de parfum. The fragrance is underlined by the Loewe Accord (a bespoke note based on the resinous Spanish rockrose flower) and also includes truffle, pear, oud, mimosa and violet.
Marissa Zappas
Joining the roster of fragrances created by Marissa Zappas for her namesake brand is ‘Carnival of Souls’, inspired by the 1962 B-movie of the same name. (It was fittingly released on 31 October, to mark Halloween). With notes of mimosa cream, violet, saffron and vanilla, plus incense and musk, Zappas has described it as a ‘melancholic celebration of life (and death), and the radiant psychedelia of survival’.
Ffern
Every fragrance made by the Somerset-based perfume house Ffern is seasonally crafted from sustainable and natural ingredients in small batches. Each is released at the equinoxes and solstices over the course of a year to its membership ledger and at its flagship store in Soho, London. ‘Winter 25’ will arrive on 21 December (2024) to mark the winter solstice and is described as a ‘frosted saffron’, calling to mind ‘a moonlit landscape of frozen ice and wild forests’ through Rose de Mai, blue gum eucalyptus, jasmine sambac, red cedar and brown-eyed rock rose.
Diptyque
‘Bois Corsé’ arrived to Diptyque’s roster earlier this year as part of its ‘Les Essences de Diptyque’ collection. Created by nose Nathalie Cetto, it combines cedarwood with roasted Arabica coffee, creamy sandalwood and Tonka bean. As Cetto told Wallpaper*: ‘[With ‘Bois Corsé’] I wanted to capture the duality of the tree bark – its rough exterior and its tender, protected core’.
Horace
‘Oud Rose’ by Parisian grooming brand Horace opens with rose geranium and blackcurrant buds, followed by a heart of Damascus rose and patchouli. The perfume has a smoky close with an oud accord, cypriol essence and yellow sandalwood for an fragrance that is ‘extravagant and unforgettable’.
Maison Francis Kurkdijan
Maison Francis Kurkdijan’s ‘Oud Satin Mood’ was created in 2015 with Bulgarian rose, violet and strawberry, Turkish rose and gourmand notes such vanilla and caramel meeting with resinous oud and benzoin at the base. Kurkdijan has said that he designed this fragrance for the wearer to ‘wrap’ themselves in, like being swathed in a rich fabric.
Unifrom
Stockholm-based independent brand Unifrom is a fragrance house inspired by Swedish high-rise architecture. But, all its perfumes are developed in Paris and made in Grasse. This includes perfume oil ‘Winter Saga’, which blends fresh and warm notes together such as sweet ginger, cinnamon and clove, fir tree and white musk.
