Winter Perfume Recommendations: Scents To Keep You Warm
Written by Sima Keijzers-Puodziute, Kristina Kybartaite-Damule, Eveline Nagajeva
Winter is coming, and now is the time to wear the heaviest, sweetest, and most comforting perfumes. Here are some recommendations if you are on the hunt for the scent you’ll be enjoying this season – from mouthwatering gourmands to cozy, enveloping fragrances that’ll keep you warm.
Photo credit: Aaron Burden / Unsplash
Sima’s Picks
Heeley Eau Sacree
When I was a child/teenager, an inseparable part of Christmas Eve/Day celebration was visiting a church. The very first time I sniffed Heeley’s Eau Sacrée Extrait de Parfum, I was instantly transported 25 years back to a small, icy village church—feeling my frozen feet, my nose tingling from the cold, listening to the powerful organ, and inhaling the scent of burning myrrh, frankincense, and other incense. For many years, I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at my grandparents’ farm, and attending church was an absolute must for them. Eau Sacree is so beautifully blended. It is a bit dark, mysterious, quite powerful, but it still gives me that cozy, warm feeling and it is not overwhelming. It leans a bit on the masculine side, but hey, a little women’s power never hurt anyone. I wear it with pleasure! Tip: 2–3 sprays are plenty, and even fewer in scent-sensitive spaces.
Jo Malone Orange Bitters
As we approach Advent season, I cannot think of a better fragrance to get into the Christmas mood than Orange Bitters. I first discovered this scent over 7 years ago in the famous Jo Malone Advent Calendar, and I just had to get a full bottle. I still use my 30 ml bottle to this day – mainly because I reserve it for just 1 month per year!
It is a true winter, Christmas-vibe scent with a bright, tangy, slightly sweet citrus opening that gradually settles into creamy, warm sandalwood base with a subtle resinous touch. Usually citrus based scents are used in warmer weather, but this one is so beautifully blended, that it is a perfect one for cooler months and, of course, festive days!
Diptyque Benjoin Boheme
I think Benjoin Bohème is one of the most treasured perfumes in my entire collection. Partly because Diptyque no longer sells it in that gorgeous bottle, and partly because it has remained in my top five fragrances ever created — out of more than 80 bottles collection. I also really adore how it makes me feel when I wear it. Imagine taking a long walk through a snowy forest, then coming back to a warm home and curling up under a blanket on the couch with a delicious cup of tea. If I had to describe this scent in one word, it would undoubtedly be calmness. A gorgeous, benzoin-driven masterpiece created by the one and only Olivier Pescheux.
Kristina’s Picks
Xerjoff Italica
For me, winter is the time when I tend to lean toward the sweetest, most mouthwatering gourmand perfumes. One of my all-time favorites is Italica from the Casamorati line – a luxurious take on sweetness. It envelops you like velvet, with milky almond combined with caramel and vanilla, and a hint of saffron on top. It smells so delicious you could just bite into it! Like warm almond biscuits or maybe a cake. Yet the fragrance is never too sweet – rather a well-balanced, refined dessert in an expensive restaurant.
When it comes to Xerjoff, their gourmands are unmatched, and I could probably write a separate article only about them. Right next to Italica stands another fragrance from the Casamorati collection, Lira, with its citrusy caramel blend, and Symphonium – a masterpiece of orange and chocolate. Each of them has its own character and personality, and they all stand out for their rich, exquisite compositions. If you’re looking for your next favorite gourmand, you won’t miss with any of them.
Antonio Alessandria Dies Auroræ
Imagine a Sicilian dessert of caramel, pistachio, almond, hazelnut, and honey – this is how the perfume opens. It’s sweet and delicious, yet it has a very unexpected twist: a facet of dark frankincense. The smoky bitterness interacts in a unique way with the sweetness, creating an unforgettable perfume. In a way, it smells festive to me, which makes it a perfect choice for the holiday season. It has a dramatic flair and feels like something worn in a candlelit room on a cold winter night, filled with warmth and mystery.
PerRoy GoldFawn
If you are not into caramel but are more of a vanilla person – this might be a perfect choice. It is a warm and sweet perfume built around creamy vanilla and milky sandalwood. It’s smooth, a little refreshingly spicy, and lingers on my skin the entire day. Somehow, it feels very positive – it instantly puts a smile on my face. It’s not pretentious, yet it doesn’t smell boring. GoldFawn has a comforting simplicity that makes it an easy everyday winter scent, especially for those who want coziness without heavy density.
Parfums Dusita Tonka Latte
Returning to the sweet gourmands of caramel, Tonka Latte smells like a warm glass of milk with honey next to a marzipan dessert. It’s very sweet and instantly energizing. However, it doesn’t feel sticky – the scent is airy and beautifully balanced. I imagine that Parisian cafés smell just like this in early mornings, sweet and cozy. It has that dreamy, intimate feeling of reading a book in a café window as snow falls outside.
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Fragrance Du Bois Voyage À Paris
To me, it’s one of the most wintery perfumes I know. Despite the honey note, it is less of a gourmand and more about spicy, boozy sweetness. It offers a floral facet with orange blossom and davana and has a beautiful vanilla base. Oud is also mentioned in the notes, but it’s not very prominent, and it never goes in a dark or animalic direction. It’s just a perfect warming choice when the weather is nothing but freezing. Voyage À Paris feels like a holiday night out in a beautiful city – dressed up, glowing, and sophisticated.
Eveline’s Picks
Chanel N°5 L’Eau and N°5 Eau Première
Winter is the perfect time of year to bathe in crisp aldehydes. These scents sparkle like snowflakes in the sun during colder days. The classic aldehydic icon, of course, is Chanel N°5. Many people find it too mature and tend to avoid the N°5 corner altogether, but it deserves a closer look. There are modern, more wearable versions that preserve the magic without the weight.
Chanel N°5 L’Eau and N°5 Eau Première are two such gems. N°5 L’Eau is the lightest, it feels airy and translucent with delicate aldehydes, sparkling citrus, and a sunny blend of ylang-ylang and jasmine.
Eau Première is the most festive to me. It also features aldehydes, citruses, and jasmine but feels like a modern take on N°5. It carries the celebratory spirit of N°5 while feeling luminous and contemporary.
Other aldehydic masterpieces worth attention: Amouage Dia with its refined elegance, and Thomas de Monaco Fleur Danger, an artistic, metallic take on aldehydes with raspberries.
Sultan Pasha Perfumes Quintessentially Amber
When the temperature drops, nothing feels as comforting as warm resins. One of the best resinous fragrances I’ve tried recently is Sultan Pasha Perfumes Quintessentially Amber. The fragrance reveals multiple facets of amber. It smells so rich and rounded that it feels as if the fragrance melts like caramel on the skin, wrapping you in a warm embrace of spicy, sweet, slightly boozy, balsamic, and dusty notes.
Ella K Musc K and Puredistance White
For snowy days I often reach for scents that feel like white fur — soft, clean musks that give a comforting feeling. Some of the fluffiest, snow-like musks for me are Ella K Musc K and Puredistance White.
Musc K evokes the purity of freshly laundered linens with its clean fur like white musk, while the addition of earthy, powdery iris adds a sensual, corporeal touch to the composition.
Puredistance White is like wrapping yourself in your softest white winter sweater. The fragrance is cocooning and serene. Fluffy white musk intertwined with powdery, citrusy rose, yet it remains incredibly versatile.
Robert Piguet Fracas
When the soul craves flowers but nature is frozen and silent, I turn to white florals—especially tuberose. Winter is the ideal season for tuberose fragrances, especially if the note feels too heady during warmer months.
Let’s start with the origins, the legendary first tuberose soliflore, Robert Piguet Fracas. An iconic, creamy, sensual, and bold tuberose scent that serves as the benchmark for most modern tuberose soliflore fragrances.
Another favorite is Amouage Love Tuberose. It’s gentler, creamy, and less heady than many classic tuberoses. It combines the lushness of white florals with a soft, whipped-cream-like gourmand edge, making it especially comforting in cold weather.
Floraïku One Umbrella For Two
To sweeten winter days, I often reach for a good gourmand. One of my all-time favorites is Floraïku One Umbrella for Two. It features the now-trendy rice note, though Floraïku used it long before it became fashionable.
The scent doesn’t smell directly like cake, yet it evokes the impression of sponge pastry filled with blackcurrant jam, paired with a cup of genmaicha, the Japanese green tea blended with roasted brown rice. Subtly sweet, soothing, and grounding, with the tea nuance adding a calm, almost meditative warmth to the composition.