If I'm Feeling Frazzled, These Comfort-Blanket Perfumes Provide a Cloak of Reassurance

Key notes: Sweet violet, palo santo, frankincense, myrrh, ambrette, ambrox

An understated but elegant scent, to me Glossier You Doux captures both that clean freshness of tumble-dried linen, along with a subtle smokiness like the autumn air on bonfire night. I love the way that it has the familiarity of a skin scent, but with an added smoothness. It’s warm, musky and creamy and has a pleasing familiarity. Perhaps because it has some of the same base notes as one of my all-time favourites, the original Glossier You, but also because it wears like a modern classic. If you love woody scents that smell different on everyone, then step right up.

Key notes: Bergamot, nutmeg, pink pepper, black tea, saffron, peony, patchouli, papyrus, black amber, vanilla beans

Straight off the bat, if you don’t like vanilla scents then unsurprisingly this one won’t be for you. However, if you find comfort in sweet perfumes, then this is happiness in a bottle. It’s a somewhat perfect blend of buttery vanilla, spicy saffron and comforting black tea. However, don’t be fooled, while you do get that childhood giddiness from the gourmand notes to start with, once it dries down, there’s an undercurrent of smoky spices, decadent patchouli and warming black amber which lend this a sophisticated twist. Consider this the perfect comfort blanket for a night out.

Key notes: Pink pepper, almond milk, French vanilla, iris, cypriol, musk, amber woods, tonka bean, cashmere woods

While I adore the entire Nostalgia collection from The Nue Co., it’s First Milk that has my heart. Made to be layered, it makes sense that this perfume is inspired by our earliest scent memory, and Miller explains that she reached for this one when “my mind is racing and I need a hug”. I can totally relate. To me, this musky, milky, creamy scent is comfort in a bottle. There’s a softness to it that makes me feel instantly calm and soothed, and I adore how closely it wears on the skin. It’s not a power player of a perfume, yet that’s the point. It feels almost like spritzing on a private layer of protection on days when you need a little hand-holding.

Key notes: Ambrette, coconut water, patchouli leaves, cocoa absolu, wild musk

I’ve gone through bottles of this Byredo perfume over the years and would go as far as to claim it as my signature scent. The reason it’s a fragrance that I come back to time and time again is because it works perfectly for occasions when I want to feel put together but still comfortable—so basically all of the time. I’d describe it as smelling like a designer sweater. It’s rich with ambrette, cocoa absolu and musk, yet still polished thanks to the lightness of cocoa water. It works particularly well in autumn too, if you want a fragrance that feels cosy and warm without being overly heady.

Key notes: Skin musk, bergamot nectar, sheer jasmine, fresh cyclamen, neroli blossom, orange flower, sandalwood australia oil, blonde wood, white musk

In a world where buzzy perfumes tend to be bold and brash, Missing Person is the antithesis—quietly earning its viral status due to the way it cleverly bottles a feeling of sentimentality. To me, this smells like warm skin after a nap; it’s slightly sweet, softly musky and the slightest bit floral. Yes, like the name suggests, it really does smell like someone you might be longing for. I love wearing it alone when I want quiet comfort, but the beauty of it also lies in its versatility, as it makes for a really sheer and soft layering scent too.

Key notes: Tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine, amberwood

This might feel like an unexpected choice in a list of the best comfort blanket perfumes, when many will associate Diptyque’s iconic white floral and orange blossom scent more with summer holidays and tropical getaways. And, I will admit, there is a personal element to this as I wore this perfume exclusively in the early few months of each of my children’s lives. I’m not sure what caused me to gravitate towards it both times (one’s a winter baby and the other summer), but I can only assume it was because I was craving emotional stability and comfort during those chaotic early weeks—and this blend of creamy florals and cosy woods fit the bill perfectly. It’s grounding yet uplifting and, even better, lingers for hours and hours.

Key notes: Tonka bean, orange flower, patchouli, cedar leaf

Trust M&S to be able to blend a pleasingly luxurious-smelling scent specifically created as a comforting mood booster for just £12. Yes, M&S perfumes are some of the most affordable scents around, and this one is easily the most comforting. Described as “self-care in a bottle,” this is a rather unexpected blend of sweet and sticky tonka bean with the lightness of orange flower and the warm woodiness of patchouli and cedar leaf. It has an almost expensive bubble bath quality—like the kind you’d find in a 5-star hotel, not like a bottle of Radox—and has the same easing effect. Imagine wrapping yourself in a warm, fuzzy towel after a decadent soak and taking a deep breath, but in fragrance form.

Key notes: Amber, vanilla orchid, Virginia cedarwood, musk

I’ve previously described this Ellis Brooklyn perfume as being like a skin scent on steroids, which might sound like a rather audacious description in a lineup of fragrances that I’m recommending for their ability to calm and ground. However, it’s exactly because of how bold and big the warming heart of this perfume is that it delivers an almost dialed-up level of comfort. A weighted blanket, perhaps? Either way, it’s a glowing blend of amber, vanilla, musk and cedarwood that almost melts into the skin and hugs it with scent. If you’re feeling even the slightest bit uptight, then this joyful fragrance will instantly soften any worries.

Key notes: Bergamot, juniper, jasmine, tuberose, ylang-ylang, coumarin, tobacco, vanilla

Despite being a new perfume launch, this fragrance smells so instantly nostalgic that you’d be forgiven for thinking it really did exist 150 years ago when the iconic London department store first opened. If you find comfort in the familiar, then this smells a bit like stepping inside a second-hand bookshop on a rainy day. Imagine wood-pannelled walls, furniture dusted with floral polish, and a subtle smokiness creeping in from the busy roads outside. It’s elegant and refined and smells like heritage.

Key notes: Egyptian jasmine, saffron, almond, amberwood, Bulgarian rose, ambergris, fir resin, cedar, moss, dry amber, musk

Although the name of this Who Is Elijah perfume might conjure up ideas of adventure, this is a scent that I spritz on when I want to feel grounded, even if everything around me is in flux. It's warm and woody, yet somehow soft at the edges in the same way that a well-worn leather jacket might smell in the sunshine. I love the way that it blends creamy sweetness with delicate florals and that comforting amber base, so you feel enveloped in warmth without being weighed down. To me, it's a fragrance to reach for when you want to feel like you're at home, even if you're far away.

Key notes: Peach nectar, marshmallow, sweet rice milk, vanilla bean, sandalwood, amber and white musk

The notes might read like a dessert menu, and this perfume definitely does capture some of that giddiness of being a kid in a sweet shop, but this scent from DedCool cleverly takes the same musky scent as the iconic minimalist Xtra Milk scent and just dials up the creaminess. While it does have a gourmand edge (how couldn't it with top notes of marshmallow?!), it's the milky softness that really comes through—leaning into that nostalgic element that the very first fragrance pick on my list did so well too. A minimalist take on a comfort blanket, but with no less impact.