Trust Me—These 17 Perfumes Do the Most Come Autumn

Who What Wear UK beauty editor Eleanor Vousden says that she returns to this fragrance religiously every autumn. "I adore musk scents as the days shorten, and this is my favourite perfume for the autumn months," she says. "The pairing of osmanthus blossom, musk, patchouli and amberlyn make this and addictive scent that will cling to your scarf all season long—I'll never not wear this iconic scent."

Dior's latest fragrance line sees its iconic La Collection Privée fragrances in highly concentrated intensities, which make for seriously long-wearing fragrances. Our favourite is Ambre Nuit, the ultimate warm and cosy autumn fragrance that makes you feel like you're bundled in a cashmere blanket next to a roaring fire. It's a little spicy with cinnamon and cardamon, with a golden amber accord that wraps you in glowing warmth. The musky dry-down will linger for hours on end on your skin.

Another of Vousden's favourites is Vanilla Powder by Matiere Premiere. "Autumn is when I return back to cosy vanilla scents, and Vanilla Powder is one of my all-time favourites. I love it because it centres around smooth dark vanilla bean without being cloying or sickly sweet. The addition of coconut powder and Palo Santo wood make this such an interesting and expensive-smelling scent."

"When I first smelled this on a friend, I had to immediately ask her what she was wearing—she smelt that good," says Vousden. "It lives up to its name, conjuring the feeling of basking in the warm glow of a fireplace on an chilly autumnal day. You get the crackle of burning wood mingling with clove, cashmeran and chestnuts, which makes it a cosy and warming perfume lingers on your knitwear during the day, but is easily just as wearable as an evening scent."

If you want something cosy but not overbearing, Mojave Ghost is a great woody, skin-like fragrance that works just as well for day as it does for night. Creamy ambrette become one with the skin, while glowing amber and musk unfurl into a sandalwood and cedarwood base. It's one of our all-time favourite autumn perfumes that is guaranteed to get you compliments.

When a perfume is created with Jo Malone CBE, you know it's going to be a winner. Case in point with this Zara fragrance, which smells six times the price tag. Pink pepper, clove and ebony wood make this woody scent totally captivating, a little bit sweet and a touch spicy. It also has impressive staying powder given it's very affordable price tag.

Like the smooth and crisps pages of a book, this scent is both clean while giving a nod to grand libraries, academia and curling up with a good book. But it's surprisingly fresh, with earthy eucalyptus, citrussy bergamot that is grounded in sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver and amber. It comes in three scent intensities (Personal, Expressive and Bold) depending on how far you want your perfume to project to others around you.

Prefer something fresher among your autumn perfumes? "I've been wearing Phlur's latest launch, Father Figure, a green, refreshing scent of waterlily, fig and creamy sandalwood which gives a fruity twist to the traditional woody scents that launch around autumn," says Vousden.

Like warm bread and just-baked pain au raisins, Honoré Delights embodies all of the chic luxury of stepping foot into a Parisian boulangerie or pâtisserie without any of the sickly sweetness. It’s sophisticated, mature and unarguably crowd-pleasing. I’m yet to find a soul who doesn’t go back to this one for second sniff.

While the zingy fruitiness of pear might traditionally be considered a lightweight note fit for spring, Jo Malone’s classic English Pear  Freesia has a way of calling out to you on crisp autumn days. It’s fresh, yes, but the woody base gives it a quintessential Englishness that makes it fit for cold October mornings.

If you are yet to experience the joy of smelling iris, I urge you to give it a go. It’s renowned as one of the most expensive notes in perfumery and is incredibly hard to extract and formulate with. However, when you find a perfume that gets it right, it’s impossible to ignore. It’s soapy but comforting, crisp but deep and leaves the nose asking a multitude of questions. This EDT combines the distinctive joys of iris with the iconic velvety notes of Molecule 01—like a garden full of blooms experiencing the first morning dew of the year.

If you find yourself gravitating towards super-sweet, warming scents, Prada's latest fragrance launch is for you. For starters, the bottle is the very definition of chic—it's a dressing-table ornament for sure. Beyond the exterior, though, this perfume is a warming, gourmand delight. With neroli, it's zingy and citrussy at first but soon dries down into a deep, warming amber musk. If you don't like sweet perfumes, this one won't be for you, but if you do? It's a sure-fire hit that will have everyone ask after it. 

If you haven't had the total joy of smelling this perfume yet, get down to your local department store and try it immediately. It is, quite possibly, the most iconic fragrance of the past couple of years (despite actually launching many moons ago) thanks to a few viral TikToks. The reason it's so popular? It's stunning. Warming, sweet, and expensive smelling, it's the sort of perfume that makes you want to nuzzle your face into it and get totally lost. I don't like talking about notes when it comes to Baccarat Rouge 540, because none of them really come through individually—just know it's warming, creamy, sweet, and totally captivating. The downside? It's just as expensive as it smells, so I recommend going in for a smaller bottle before investing the big bucks.

Like autumn walks in a bottle, this stuff is undoubtedly earthy and fresh and works to de-stress the mind with every spritz. Think vetiver, cedarwood and pine that mingle together to open up the senses and the mind.

No one does autumnal scents quite like Diptyque, and this particular fragrance has become my favourite perfume of all time. Blended as an ode to the Parisian bar, Orphéon is powdery, smoky and totally unique. The only way I can describe it is it's as if you're wandering the beauty aisles of Harrods and you walk past a counter full of makeup powders and perfume. It's that level of rich and inviting.

Close your eyes and imagine walking the rolling hills of Scotland on a crisp, sunny, autumn day, and you've got Paris-Édimbourg. It was blended as an ode to the Scottish highlands (a favourite destination for Gabrielle Chanel). It's woody, mossy, fresh and head-clearing in the most delightful way. Layer up your knits, throw on a coat and scarf, and finish off with a spritz of this before you head out for an autumnal walk for the best feeling ever—just trust me.

This isn't your nana's lavander soap by any stretch. Instead, Le Labo's Lavande 31 turns the dated flower on its head and creates something totally modern and cool. It's aromatic with lavendar, but given a modern twist with neroli and bergamot before drying down into a mysterious woody and cosy base of amber, musk and sweet tonka bean. Imagine ordering a zesty lavender cocktail in a smoky, dimly lit bar and you have this scent.