As the winter sets in, the mornings grow blue and sharp with cold and the wetness of the air crystallizes in frosted scales on the blades of grass. Inside, many of us sit by our domesticated fires, which bring us echoes of the warmth that the turning of our planet’s axis has robbed us of, leaving us only with shorter days and longer nights.
We fight the cold with any weapons we can get our hands on from warm coats to warm soups. In that arsenal as well is warm fragrances.
Winter fragrances, unbound by the threat of becoming cloying in hot weather, take the warm and heavy features of fall perfumery, and turn them up to eleven. Fragrances need warm skin to project, and when you’re sweating from the summer heat, notes like leather, oud and tobacco may give everyone within a city block of you a migraine, but in the winter, these heavy notes are the only ones that will survive. As we hunker down for winter, consider the cold as an opportunity to sample some of these great winter fragrances from a list informed by myself and Mark Liebman, a self-described scent therapist of Portland’s Perfume House.
Spicebomb Extreme (Viktor and Rolf)
Top Notes: black pepper and cumin
Mid Notes: saffron and cinnamon
Base Notes: vanilla, bourbon and tobacco
If you can get past the tackiness of the bottle — which is shaped like a hand grenade and will only spray after you pull the pin — Spicebomb Extreme is actually quite good. Released in 2015 as a flanker to Viktor and Rolf’s original Spicebomb, Spicebomb Extreme takes its name very literally, and does all the things Spicebomb did with more gusto.
It’s hard to capture the concept of winter coziness any better than perfumers Carlos Benaïm and Jean-Christophe Hérault have in this fragrance with its thematic warmth. The cinnamon, pepper and cumin add a high pitched zing of spice that catches the nose with just enough strength to be exciting rather than annoying. If these spices are the sopranos of this choir of scent, the bass singers come in the form of the tobacco, bourbon and vanilla to balance the whole thing out. The blend is smooth, and the effect is comforting. Spicebomb Extreme lets you smell like a winter candle and not in a bad way.
Frustration (Etat Libre d’Orange)
Top Notes: rum, cinnamon and cumin
Mid Notes: vanilla and labdanum (a leathery and amber-like note)
Base Notes: chestnut, vetiver and guaiacol (a synthetic imitation of the dry, woody and tar-like scent of guaiacwood)
Etat Libre d’Orange is known for their avant garde creations, and Frustration is no exception. Frustration is strange, but not to a negative extent. Liebman said that Frustration’s different take on winter perfumery is part of what makes it so good, which is true, because there’s really not much else like it. Where most winter fragrances go the dark and heavy route, Frustration keeps it relatively light and almost airy.
The combination of the chestnut and vanilla makes for a smooth olfactory texture that’s reminiscent of some kind of warm latte. It’s evenly spiced by the cinnamon and cumin, and the rum serves to bring an aromatic molasses-like accord which helps deepen the fragrance. Frustration might not be what you’d expect from a winter fragrance, but it certainly might be what you want.
Guerlain L’Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum (Guerlain)
Top Notes: almond, lavender, rosemary, bergamot and thyme
Mid Notes: cherry, vanilla, incense and bulgarian rose
Base Notes: leather, tonka bean and sandalwood
Guerlain has long held the banner of favor for perfume enthusiasts, Liebman explained. Since the 1925 release of their champion, Shalimar, Guerlain has been held to the highest standards, and that seems to be working out for them because L’Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum is fantastic.
Slightly similar to the previous entry, Frustration, L’Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum is sweet and slightly nutty from its almond note. Where it differs though, is through its defining note: cherry. This isn’t the cherry you know from the drinkable kids Tylenol or a Dum Dum lollipop. This is an amaretto cherry. It’s dark and syrupy and heavy and it gives the scent a magnetic allure of mature sweetness. The blend is smooth and even, as is to be expected from any Guerlain, and it projects off the skin with a healthy vigor for hours. The cherry certainly dictates its personality, but exercising the sophisticated etiquette this scent exudes, it doesn’t overstay its welcome and in its final hours the leather, tonka bean and sandalwood step forward for a pleasant conclusion.
Haltane (Parfums de Marly) & Oud for Greatness (Initio Parfums)
Haltane:
Top Notes: sage, lavender and bergamot
Mid Notes: saffron and praline
Base Notes: oud and cedar
Oud for Greatness:
Top Notes: saffron, nutmeg and lavender
Mid Notes: oud
Base Notes: patchouli and musk
Parfums de Marly’s Haltane and Initio Parfums’ Oud for Greatness come in as a joint entry for a couple of reasons. While they come from different brands, both Initio and Parfums de Marly are owned by the same parent company, Advent International, and because of this, both brand’s perfumers work from the same palette of raw materials. They smell incredibly similar, and both Liebman and I chose Oud for Greatness and Haltane as the ultimate winter fragrances, respectively.
Both scent profiles are very much two sides of the same oud and saffron dipped coin, so it comes down to personal preference for which is the superior sibling. For both fragrances though, a confidence so certain in strength and finality presents as their fraternal feature.
Without any hesitation, Liebman said, “it has to be Oud for Greatness” as he identified the best winter fragrance, which should testify to both of these fragrances’ undeniable charisma. Haltane and Oud for Greatness ooze a decadence (courtesy of their high quality ingredients) that feels like it deserves applause, specifically a standing ovation.
These fragrances are loud, and where Oud for Greatness takes the oud in a more harsh and animalic direction, Haltane’s blend smooths out all the rough edges and adds the sweetness of praline to soothe the beast of oud. Haltane smells like the most expensive christmas tree you can imagine. Green and woody and rich from the oud and cedar, but also inviting and soft and glimmering from the praline, saffron and sage. Both are examples of winter perfumery at the highest level.
Honorable Mention: Dior Homme Parfum (Dior)
Top Notes: tuscan iris and Italian orange
Mid Notes: leather and rose
Base Notes: sandalwood, ambrette (a perfume oil extracted from the seeds of the abelmoschus moschatus flower: sweet, musky and earthy), oud and cedar
Imagine Batman. Now imagine a version of Batman that exists somewhere between the suave philanthropist version we see played by Christian Bale and the damaged, brooding Robert Pattinson version. Without a doubt, his signature scent is Dior Homme Parfum. Part of that may be because Dior Homme Parfum is only sold in Europe and prices for imported bottles get quite lofty when buying in America, but the point stands.
Dior Homme Parfum is mystery incarnate. The iris is the star of the show here for its austere but seductive quality. Liebman described the iris in Dior Homme Parfum as similar to the scent of a dark lipstick, which sums it up succinctly. The iris is accented with a leather that leans more towards polished boots than it does a cracked and beaten saddle, and a rose that is unmistakably formal. It is dark, intriguing, and sure of itself. I still believe Haltane is the best fragrance on this list, but Dior Homme Parfum is my favorite.
