2022 Best Autumn/Fall Perfumes

We’ve reached that magical time of the year where my favorite genre of fragrances really shine! I’m an autumn girl through and through and even my favorite perfumes are the cozy kind that are chock full of vanilla and amber and are just perfect for right now.

You’ll notice a theme of similar cozy notes in this list: amber/resins, vanilla/honey, woods, and spices. All of these notes blend perfectly to bring to mind the cozy feel of autumn days with leaves crunching underfoot and comfort food sizzling in the oven. These are the fragrances I’ll be reaching for all autumn long!

Maison Margiela Replica Autumn Vibes

• Top Notes: pink pepper CO2 essence, cardamom essence
• Middle Notes: carrot seeds essence, nutmeg essence, olibanum essence
• Base Notes: cedarwood heart essence, moss accord, fir balsam absolute
• Other Note Perceived: maple, sandalwood

I’ve got to start out with this perfectly-named fragrance, of course! Autumn Vibes opens with beautiful woodsy and spicy impressions. There’s a vibe of crunchy, dried leaves but it’s not dirty or overly earthy; it has a very clean feel. Fall spices are well-represented here with touches of pepper, cardamom, and nutmeg. I also get a slightly creamy suede or cashmere impression. There’s just a small kiss of maple sweetness that matches so well with everything else here. This reminds me of wearing a soft, thick sweater while sitting in a cozy café and munching on a maple-pumpkin scone.

This seems perfectly unisex to me. Projection is on the lighter side so this is definitely office and close quarters safe. I get a good two and half hours before it noticeably fades to a pretty light skin scent but I love this one so much that I don’t mind keeping my travel-spray on hand for touch-ups. Read my review of some of Maison Margiela’s other Replica fragrances here.

Find it here:

Autumn Vibes 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml full bottles (at Scent Split)

Autumn Vibes 30ml, 100ml (at Nordstrom)

Etat Libre d’Orange Like This

• Notes: ginger from Indonesia, pumpkin, tangerine, immortal flower, Moroccan neroli, rose, spicy notes, vetiver, woody notes, musk, heliotrope

This is a really beautiful offering from avant-garde fragrance house Etat Libre d’Orange (say that five times fast!) It was actually created for actress Tilda Swinton and her inspiration for the fragrance is quite charming. She wanted a fragrance that simply reminded her of the comforts of home and she based the name of the fragrance on a sweet Rumi poem (you can read more about all of this on Fragrantica, if interested).

This fragrance opens with tons of lovely heliotrope, clean vetiver, and brown sugary immortelle. I definitely get the ginger here and light touches of pumpkin and neroli. There’s a cozy maple-y vibe that brings just the right hint of sweetness to the composition. It reminds me of cooking up cozy fall goodies, perhaps a spiced pumpkin bread, with a vase full of fuzzy yellow flowers nearby. Projection is great for this unisex fragrance and I get a good two hours wear before it lightens to a more intimate skin scent that lasts a long time. This fragrance is basically autumn captured in a bottle and I absolutely adore it!

Find it here:

Like This 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 50ml, 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

Like this 1ml decants, 50ml, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

BDK Parfums Gris Charnel

• Top Notes: fig, black tea, cardamom essence
• Middle Notes: absolute of iris, bourbon vetiver
• Base Notes: sandalwood from India, absolute of tonka bean

This fragrance has been really hyped up in the fragrance community over the years but it took a few tries for it to grow on me. The opening is a touch masculine-leaning on my skin, as I really get lots of aftershavey vetiver vibes, along with the cardamom. I also get the tea, which has never been a super favorite note of mine. But the magic is in the dry down for me. The cardamom warms up on my skin and gets really spicy. It matches well with the touch of smoky woods. I get a lot of soft iris and I can sense the beautiful but subtle fig, it’s creamy and soft and gives the fragrance a slight sweetness.

I find it interesting how this fragrance has a ‘cool’ feeling from the iris yet there’s a coziness to it, too. Many people have compared this fragrance to the scent of a chai tea latte and I can definitely agree with that assessment. Projection is moderate and this fragrance has incredible longevity. I get at least 5 hours wear at regular strength before it fades to a skin scent that lasts several hours more. Definitely unisex and there is also an extrait version available that leans a bit more masculine and packs a stronger punch.

Find it here:

Gris Charnel 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml brand new bottle (at Scent Split)

Gris Charnel Extrait 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml brand new bottle (at Scent Split)

Phaedon Tabac Rouge

• Notes: ginger, cinnamon, honey, Turkish tobacco absolute, Siam benzoin, incense, musks
• Other Note Perceived: powdery notes

Yum! I get lots of sweet, honeyed cinnamon in the opening. This really has vibes of a sweet, spicy apple pie baking in the oven. I also get the ginger as well, it’s so yummy. There’s a light bubblegummy vibe here, too, which I totally love. This is almost as if an apple pie and bubblegum had a love child, lol, which I know sounds bizarre but it works! Though this is supposed to be a tobacco scent, as the name implies, tobacco is not the star of the show for me. It’s more of a background player, along with the incense, and I think they both give this a bit of a dusty vibe. It’s a sweet gourmandish scent that I might also liken to a cozy fall drink made with cinnamon, ginger, and honey. Warm, cozy, and makes a wonderful autumnal fragrance.

A very unisex fragrance, as long as you’re ok with a sweeter fragrance. Projection starts out light but picks up steam as it dries down. It’s not a ‘screamer’ but it’s noticeable. The longevity is very good. If you like BDK’s Rouge Smoking, this will definitely be in your wheelhouse. Shout out to this house’s beautiful art deco inspired bottles and labels, they are absolutely gorgeous!

Find it here:

Tabac Rouge 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants (at Scent Split)

Tabac Rouge 1ml decants and 50ml, 100ml brand new full bottles (at LuckyScent)

Zoologist Bee

• Top Notes: orange, ginger syrup, royal jelly accord
• Middle Notes: broom, heliotrope, mimosa, orange flower
• Base Notes: benzoin, labdanum, musks, sandalwood, tonka, vanilla

My favorite fragrance from this creative house! It’s no surprise that thick, rich honey is the star of the show here. The honey is incredibly realistic, you can just picture it thickly dripping off of a honeycomb. I get lots of the royal jelly and cinnamon, as well. This is SO cozy, warm, ambery, and yummy. It reminds me of those fancy honeys sold locally at Pike Place Market – especially a cinnamon-flavored one. I have also seen some compare this to burnt caramel and I can agree with that.

Projection is STRONG so be sure to go easy on the sprays with this one. It is also quite long-lasting. Zoologist fragrances in general tend to GO BIG. Something also worth mentioning: animalic touches are part of the Zoologist experience (no surprise, given the overall theme of the house) and there definitely is something just a tiny touch animalic here. It’s very tolerable for me but I do definitely detect it so something to be aware of if you’re sensitive to animalic notes in perfume.

Find it here:

Bee 1.5ml sample (at Zoologist)

Bee 10ml travel-spray (at Zoologist)

Bee 60ml (at Zoologist)

Bee 1ml decant, 60ml (at Lucky Scent)

Jo Malone Vetiver & Golden Vanilla

• Top Note: cardamom
• Middle Note: vetiver bourbon
• Base Note: vanilla bourbon
• Other Notes Perceived: tea, grapefruit, almond

Another cozy scent that offers delicious spiced latte/chai vibes. I get tons of the vanilla, of course, and spicy cardamom. I’m not usually big on vetiver but it’s perfect in this fragrance – very clean, slightly green, and not ‘aftershavey’ at all. Lovers of cardamom/vanillic/autumnal spice fragrances should definitely check this one out.

This unisex fragrance is a cologne intense concentration so has a little more oomph to it than a traditional Jo Malone cologne. That said, it’s still a fairly quiet, intimate fragrance and definitely safe for close quarters. Lasting power is decent. Read my review of more Jo Malone fragrances here.

Find it here:

Vetiver & Golden Vanilla 50ml, 100ml (at Jo Malone)

Vetiver & Golden Vanilla 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants (at Scent Split)

Reminiscence Vanille Santal

• Top Notes: spices, caramel
• Middle Notes: sandalwood, cashmere wood
• Base Notes: Madagascar vanilla, musk

This affordable fragrance is perfect for the vanilla/sandalwood fans. There’s lots of sparkling amber and powdery vanilla. It also features a beautiful, creamy sandalwood and cozy, autumnal spices. The overall feeling is very dusty, it actually reminds me a lot of this Honey Dust incense I used to light back in my high school days. It dries down to be mostly all sandalwood, with everything else hanging lightly in the background.

Another unisex fragrance, though I’d definitely say this one leans feminine. Decent projection, not a screamer but not invisible, either. It’s also very long-lasting, it easily lasts all day and sometimes even into the next morning. This fragrance is extremely affordable and always seems to be available for a low price at the discounters, which I’ve linked to below.

Find it here:

Vanille Santal 100ml & lotion gift set (at Amazon)

Vanille Santal 100ml (at FragranceNet)

The 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods

• Top Note: Pear
• Middle Note: Rose
• Base Notes: vanilla, amber, caramel, benzoin

The star of this show is a thick, cozy, sparkling, ambery vanilla. The woods here are deep, dark, and beautiful. The overall feeling is quite resinous and kind of smoky. I would not call this a sweet or gourmand vanilla. I do not get any pear, which is kind of a bummer because I love that note, but I think it gets lost amongst all of the heavier, deeper things going on here. The rose is there but pretty light for me, I would never call this a rosy fragrance. This is lightly caramelized but it’s not a heavy, sweet, syrupy caramel, it’s more like a burnt, smoky caramel.

Definitely unisex, maybe a teeny-tiny feminine lean. I get about 2 hours wear before it fades to a lighter skin scent that lasts several more hours. This fragrance is in the same ambery-vanilla family as Diptyque’s Eau Duelle and Kayali’s Vanilla 28 but more smoky. I would call this the perfect blend of boozy, bourbon vanilla and woods. Read my review of most of The 7 Virtues’ fragrances here.

Find it here:

Vanilla Woods 11ml travel rollerball, 50ml (at The 7 Virtues)

Goldfield & Banks Desert Rosewood

• Notes: desert rosewood from Australia, mandarin from Sicily, cardamom from India, benzoin from Laos, vanilla from Comoros Islands, patchouli from Indonesia

Desert Rosewood is immediately warm, resinous, and lightly powdery. I definitely get the orange along with the ambery benzoin and the woodsy vibes. It’s clean and the vanilla is beautiful. There is a lovely spicy touch from the cardamom. The powdery vibes continue as it dries down, and there’s an almost licorice-y feel as well. This is a really refined and beautiful fragrance.

The projection for this unisex fragrance is moderate. It’s quite long-lasting, I get a full day’s wear that will sometimes last into the next morning. This is in a very similar wheelhouse with Ellis Brooklyn Raven, I definitely think if you like one, that most likely you’ll also like the other. Read my review of most of Goldfield & Banks’ fragrances here.

Find it here:

Desert Rosewood 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

Desert Rosewood 100ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Zoologist Chipmunk

• Top Notes: quince, pink pepper, red mandarin, cardamom, nutmeg
• Middle Notes: chamomile, hazelnut, fir balsam absolute, oak absolute, earthy notes
• Base Notes: cedarwood, amyris, patchouli, vetiver, benzoin resin, opoponax, guaiacwood, ‘animal notes’ (synthetic)

I had to add a second Zoologist to the list because this woodsy fragrance is absolutely perfect for the cooler months. It perfectly recreates the woodsy forest home of the sweet little chipmunk, who’s just gathered up all of his tasty acorns and nuts and is readying to settle in for the cold months. It’s very earthy with hints of crunched-up, dried leaves, balsamic fir trees, and a touch of autumnal spices. There’s ambery resinous vibes and some vetiver, which also contributes to the earthy vibe. This did not present as animalic on my skin.

This is an overall light and mellow fragrance for a Zoologist, the projection is quite light and I get about 3 hours wear before it noticeably fades. Definitely unisex with maybe just the teeniest masculine lean. It’s quite pleasant on its own but the gourmand lover in me would love to experiment layering this non-sweet fragrance with a simple vanilla.

Find it here:

Chipmunk 1.5ml sample (at Zoologist)

Chipmunk 10ml travel-spray (at Zoologist)

Chipmunk 60ml (at Zoologist)

Chipmunk 1ml decant, 60ml (at Lucky Scent)

Bentley for Men Intense

• Top Notes: African geranium, black pepper, incense
• Middle Notes: leather, labdanum resin, clary sage
• Base Notes: cedarwood, patchouli, sandalwood
• Other Notes Perceived: bay leaf, bergamot, rum, cinnamon, benzoin

This affordable offering from Bentley is well-loved in the fragrance community and it’s very easy to see why. It just oozes coziness with tons of warm, boozy, resinous vibes. There’s also a hint of leathery petrol/gasoline/oil that gives this (otherwise quite unisex) fragrance its masculine lean. This smells absolutely fabulous on my husband and is an easy no-brainer fall purchase for the extremely reasonable (well under $50) price point.

The projection and longevity are above average. I can easily see my husband wearing this when we go out for dinner/drinks/a show/a fun fall gathering with friends. The perfect cozy fragrance to wear fall into winter, this is absolutely tailor-made for cooler weather.

Find it here:

Bentley for Men Intense 100ml (at Amazon)

Bentley for Men Intense (at FragranceNet)

HONORABLE MENTION: Skylar Gilded Woods

• Top Notes: honey, red apple and marshmallow
• Middle Notes: Clearwood (synthetic molecule with the creamy warmth of amber and a dark woody character reminiscent of patchouli), sandalwood and cistus incanus (labdanum, i.e. ambery resin)
• Base Notes: birch, musk and benzoin

Oh guys, this one is SO good! But sadly, I’m pretty sure it’s discontinued, hence the honorable mention. I have been sporadically able to find it on Amazon (link below) and it’s also worth checking places like Mercari and eBay. As far as the fragrance goes, it’s chock full of sandalwood, amber, and sweetness. I definitely get the marshmallow and honeyed apple impressions along with lots of cozy, warm, ambery vibes. It’s super warm and cozy but also has a freshness. The beautiful, clean, fresh feel pairs so beautifully with the cozy, ambery woods.

Projection is fairly light and intimate. Unisex with a slight feminine lean. If you can find it, this is a great pick for gourmand lovers who want something autumnal & woodsy. If you can’t track this particular fragrance down, another great choice from this house with a similar vibe would be Fall Cashmere, with notes of almond, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, sandalwood, vanilla, and amber. Read my review of many of Skylar’s other fragrances here.

Find it here (maybe?):

Gilded Woods 10ml travel rollerball (at Skylar’s Amazon store)

Alternative choice: Fall Cashmere 10ml travel rollerball, 50ml, 8oz candle (at Skylar)

So there you have my round-up of the best autumnal fragrances for 2022! What are your picks? Do you have favorite go-tos that you wear every year? Are you currently searching for a new scent or two? I hope this list will help!

P.S. Check out my lists of Bath & Body works autumn shower gels that will go perfectly with all of these fragrances! Find pumpkin scents here and the non-pumpkin ones here.

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