It's my absolute favorite season of the year, and I love everything about it. I also find my social calendar busier than ever during fall, which means so many more opportunities to wear perfume. Fall is also when I hit my optimal peak as a very bitchy but hot gothish femme, so naturally I want good fragrances to accompany that. I tend to reach for sensual warm, boozy, woody, or resinous scents this time of year, though lately I've found myself really drawn to gourmands. In editing this, I didn't quite realize how many of the picks on this list were totally sexy.
This is by no means a list of the best fragrances of fall, but rather what I'm into this year. If you're looking for the things I loved in years past, check [here]. Or perhaps you want some style inspo for the season, or my fav home scents for fall 2026. And with that, happy smelling. I hope this fall is hot, abundant, and everything you dream of!
*This list features some affiliate links. I may earn a commission.
Ain't That Sweet by D.S. & Durga
Notes: Myrrh, Sri Lankan cinnamon, date, praline, lily, condensed milk, bourbon vanilla, nutmeg / Sample here
This is D.S. & Durga's newest release, and it's meant to be a gourmand for the gourmand haters. It's inspired by date cake, since dates are so often the sweet that isn't cloyingly sweet.
I have to admit, it's quickly shot into my top five fragrances from the brand, and it's the one I'm most excited to wear this season. It's versatile. In certain situations it feels dark and alluring, like the witty banter at the end of an evening with a potential lover. In others it feels warm and homey, like you've spent the day perfecting a recipe, probably one that's baked.
On the first spritz there's a sharp spice, nutmeg and myrrh punching through right away. A few minutes in, the condensed milk and date come forward and make things a little frothier, and by the end it settles somewhere much earthier, where the sweetness feels grounded. Whatever mood you find yourself in, it's exceptional: sweet, but definitely not overpowering or a sugar bomb. Wear time for me is around eight to nine hours with moderate projection, which tracks with most D.S. & Durga fragrances.
Disclosure: I was sent this with no obligation to post.
Tabac Noir by Persons of Interest
Notes: Tobacco, vanilla, honey, citrus
Horny babes, lock in. This one is a good one. It genuinely reminds me of Beyoncé's Renaissance, and when I smell it I get this vivid image of her beautiful mirrored horse. It's a fully realized version of sexy that feels empowered, creative, and playful.
I fell in love with Persons of Interest by chance. I was shopping at Merz Apothecary in Chicago and wanted to get myself something for my birthday, and I bought this mostly because another very hot femme, Justine, mentioned she enjoyed it. And thus, love.
The notes are simple, but they're executed and balanced so perfectly. It starts tobacco forward, deep and hearty, but on the dry down the honey comes through and it turns much more lighthearted. It feels like you should be standing in the middle of Studio 54. The citrus threads through the entire wear, just enough to keep things from going too heavy or too one note. Another sweet but not too sweet option, with moderate projection and about five hours of wear.
Heresy by Chapel Factory
Notes: Pepper, incense, cedar, sandalwood, violet, vetiver, patchouli, guaiac wood / Sample here
It's the season of all types of moody goth moments, and this perfume is no exception. It feels like the inside of an old gothic chapel: the wood of the pews, leftover incense still smoldering, the pages of bibles, all of it collecting under stone and marble.
The layering is what makes it interesting. The violet and patchouli keep things cool and almost like a green spice, and then the incense brings in a warm smokiness that makes it far more complicated, much like your own eroticized Catholicism, I imagine.
Joking aside, this is a pretty safe office fragrance for any corporate goths out there. The projection isn't too strong, and it's balanced enough not to overwhelm a room. The wear time does come in at about four hours, overall, a great gothy option.
Ode de New York by Qhue
Notes: Red apple, French lavender, rose, aged whiskey, papyrus, citrus, sativa, frankincense, amber, musk, benzoin, oud, exotic woods
If you're looking for an elevated perfume that feels current but still fresh, this is the pick. Specifically, it's Charlotte York getting taken in by the power lesbians in season two, a room full of women with better art, better money, and better haircuts than hers. Overall it's a juicy, seductive perfume with a level of sophistication that feels so cool—and appropriately intimidating.
It opens with a really strong apple note, cool and crisp, and that lingers for quite a while before an ambery citrus comes to the surface. The balance is what keeps it from tipping too citrusy or too heavy and sweet. In moments there's some serious oud and frankincense coming through, but the lightness of the citrus and apple holds it steady. Wear time hits about eight hours, and projection is on the stronger side.
I got to wear test these for a couple of days after picking up a discovery set, and I was very impressed. I tried several from the brand, and they're all elevated in their own ways.
The Afters by IDA
Notes: Tobacco, black cherry, frankincense, saffron, patchouli, dried Bulgarian rose petal, manuka honey, sandalwood, labdanum, Madagascar vanilla absolute, musk / Sample here
I think this fragrance is incredible across a variety of seasons, a real chameleon. At its core it's a rose perfume for people who don't really like roses, perverse and sexy in all the best ways. The sexy here is going out in a stunning dress, some patent heels, a heavy trench, and of course a buttery leather bag. It's about being a social butterfly over martinis in a velvet booth under dim lights.
There's a nice balance of honey in here that keeps things sweet without being cloying, and on the dry down a warm vanilla and sandalwood come through. That dirty rose stays present the whole time, which is what makes the wear so nuanced. Wear time is about six to seven hours, and the projection is lovely.
Adding to all of it is the packaging, in particular the travel size, a gorgeous refillable resin vessel that looks great in a purse, especially when that purse holds nothing but a lipstick and your house keys. Not like you buy your own drinks.
Ghost Pine by Lvnea
Notes: Sticky sweet pine needles, crisp alpine air, sap-spangled bark, boreal aromatics, fallen leaves, gnarled roots, creaking wood, damp soil strewn with moss / Sample here
Easily the gothiest pick in the roundup, and the coldest. It's haunting and beautiful, like the forest after a rainstorm: wandering the woods looking for some clue as to where the secrets of the town are hidden, until you find your way to a messy overgrown patch, come across the remains of stone and wood, and suddenly it all clicks into place. I can’t speak to the wear time as I’ve only smelt this one someone else….but all I can say is wow!
Rise by LEIƏR
Notes: Dewy pear, green tea, green mandarin, peach, mimosa flower, violet, rose, iris, neroli, marigold, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli, vanilla, tonka bean, oakmoss / Sample here
This is perhaps the cleanest pick on the list, a versatile woody floral that could do wonders on the most mundane of days. I like it for running light errands, or for lying around the house. I got a decant from a friend by chance and found it perfect for exactly that.
On the first spritz I get something distinctly green tea forward, like a fresh start to the day. But around the thirty minute mark it becomes much more lived in, and the cedarwood and oakmoss pop through and ground everything. Wear time isn't bad at around six hours, and it sits a bit closer to the skin.
Eu Vent de Vous by Sabé Masson
Notes: Bergamot, cardamom, iris, tolu balm, opoponax, benzoin, vanilla, patchouli, labdanum, amber
A majority of the fragrances I love tend to be very femme, including most of the ones on this list. This one is BUTCH. It comes in both solid and liquid options, though I find the solid to be much better bang for your buck.
The amber comes through most strongly for me, but there's an almost peppery balsamic note underneath that keeps everything rigid and structured. Projection stays close to the skin, which is part of what makes it work in close quarters. It creates this thing where suddenly you're making out with someone and they smell amazing. Charming, in other words, and a wonderful option for anything from date night to browsing records at a vintage store. There's also something a bit seventies vinyl retro about it.
Voyeur Verde by Maya Njie
Notes: Bergamot, mandarin, cypress, rosewood, fennel, iris, ylang ylang, patchouli, leather, cedarwood, frankincense / Sample here
There's something deeply nostalgic about this perfume, like a cool crisp evening in the nineties. It reminds me of when things first start to get cold and you pull out your leather jacket, when there's still excitement about the change in weather—a welcome reprieve from the smoldering summer. Add the feeling of changing leaves, vibrant hues of orange and red against a muted earthy brown.
This fragrance has personality. The leather, bergamot, and frankincense come through most prominently for me, and it never goes too heavy, in part because of the ylang ylang that keeps everything bright and new.
Aurner by Aesop
Notes: Roman chamomile, cardamom, pink pepper, magnolia leaf, geranium, sandalwood, cedar heart, cypriol heart / Sample here
Let's end with some sophisticated bliss. Lively and fresh, and lovely enough that I think it would be equally compelling in the early spring months.
The cardamom and chamomile come through right off the bat, which makes it feel instantly highbrow. On the dry down it goes almost woody and herbal, with the cedarwood and cypriol taking over. I can see this as a daytime perfume, though there's a case for the evening too.
In a way it reminds me of the sleeper cabins on the Orient Express, or any other five star train, one with plush velvet, impeccably polished silver, gleaming wood, and of course turndown service. It's the stuff of dreams, with a projection to match, creating a little bubble that doesn't announce itself so much as make itself felt. Wear time tracks at about seven to eight hours, longer on clothes.
Sampler: Dries Van Noten
I love a discovery set. I think it's the best way to get to know a brand, or to push your nose out of its comfort zone. There's an option for five or for ten, both lovely depending on your budget.
My favorites from the line are Rock the Myrrh (smoky, resinous, lightly incensed), Neon Garden (iris and mint, but very heavy on the iris, almost dreamlike), and Fleur du Mal (a floral peachy leather that's a bit elusive).
I have to admit I got this discovery set because I have my heart set on a Dries Van Noten bottle. They're stunning works of art. But I'd also like that art to be something I actually enjoy wearing.
Thanks for reading, happy smelling babes!
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