Many scent traditions come with the holiday season, from myrrh and frankincense to candy and cinnamon. They intermingle with our own scent memories, so powerful that a hint of vanilla might take you back to eating Christmas cookies in your gran’s kitchen as a child.
These memories make us exclaim, “This smells like Christmas!” when smelling a perfume for what could be the first time. Scents can be so evocative that they tell a story only imagined in our dreams or favorite films.
Ready to tap into those magical scent memories? Here are 12 perfumes (one for each day of Christmas!) that smell like festive magic.
Tom Ford: Tobacco Vanille
Unisex Fragrance
Tobacco Vanille has all of Tom Ford’s signature understated elegance mixed with sticky vanilla pods, tonka bean, and tobacco leaves. Warm and spicy, it’s the fragrance version of wrapping yourself in a soft, luxurious blanket under twinkle lights. Rumor has it that Harry Styles wears it, though whether it’s his Christmas scent is yet to be confirmed.
Viktor & Rolf: Spicebomb
Men’s Fragrance
If the leading male character from 50 Shades of Grey, Christian, wore a scent over Christmas, Viktor & Rolf’s Spicebomb would be it. It’s pure, sexy sophistication, with a heart of warming spices—including cinnamon, saffron, and paprika—that play with bergamot, vetiver, leather, and tobacco. It will have you dreaming of a handsome man in a cashmere cable-knit chopping wood for the fire.
Memo: Winter Palace
Unisex Fragrance
Inspired by the imperial palaces of China, Memo’s Winter Palace smells like a sleigh ride. Clove essence dances with fresh bergamot, boozy bourbon, and benzoin resin, all coming together around red tea.
Maison Margiela Replica: By The Fireplace
Unisex Fragrance
You either love or hate it, but there’s no doubt this fragrance smells like what it says on the bottle—By The Fireplace. Smoky and unique, you can smell chestnuts roasting on an open fire, juniper nipping at your nose, and perhaps even caroling cashmeran and cloves.
KAYALI: Invite Only Amber | 23
Women’s Fragrance
You can have yourself a sensual little Christmas with Invite Only Amber | 23—it’ll seduce admirers, but it’s delicious to wear just for yourself, too. It has the full Christmas lineup, with amber resin, honey, voluptuous vanilla, chocolate, and citrus leaf all invited.
Etat Libre D’Orange: Noel Au Balcon
Women’s Fragrance
Etat Libre D’Orange claims this scent will land you on Santa’s naughty list. It’s easy to see why—it’s deliciously seductive with an intoxicating blend of cinnamon, red pepper, honey, apricot, and musk. Noel Au Balcon translates to “Christmas on the Balcony,” and just like its mysterious name, the scent keeps you coming back for more, inviting you to decipher what makes it so magnetic.
Dolce & Gabbana: Devotion
Women’s Fragrance
Almost good enough to eat, this creamy, sweet perfume by Dolce & Gabbana will remind you of the vanilla Christmas cookies your grandma used to bake. The notes of caramelized hazelnut, candied citrus, and orange blossom give Devotion a sophisticated Italian twist.
Serge Lutens: Fille en Aiguilles
Unisex Fragrance
Crushed pine needles mingle with spicy stewed fruit in this woodsy scent. Its appeal is quite divisive. People often either love its outdoorsy resinous notes or feel Fille en Aiguilles is too wild and earthy. Either way, it always makes an appearance at Christmas.
Burberry: London (For Men)
Men’s Fragrance
Burberry’s London is the Marc Darcy (from Bridget Jones) of scents—classic, British, reserved, yet warm when it settles down. A favorite for Christmas, It draws you in cinnamon and English lavender, balancing out with mimosa, leather, and oakmoss.
LUSH: Snow Fairy
Unisex Fragrance
Like all LUSH’s creations, you wonder if it’s edible. Snow Fairy body spray smells like the Christmas candy you delighted in chewing as a child, even when it resulted in the tooth fairy visiting (maybe she’s a relation?). Think bubble gum, candy cane, and sparkles delivered from a black spray bottle that looks like a cleaning product. Snow Fairy visits once a year—the range is only available over the festive season.
Jo Malone: Fir & Artemisia
Unisex Fragrance
Jo Malone’s clean and light limited edition Christmas cologne, Fir & Artemisia, proves that Christmas fragrances don’t have to be sweet or heady. It smells like Christmas trees (fir) with hints of peppermint and sage from the Artemisia. Leather and oakmoss round it out neatly.
Yves Saint Laurent: Opium
Women’s Fragrance
A scent that’s been around for 47 Christmases (including this one), Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium is an eternal favorite for the holidays. Plum and mandarin open with middle notes of myrrh, carnation, and unabashed jasmine grounded in opoponax and vanilla.
I Smell Snow!
With perfumes smelling like sugar and spice and all things nice, cold snow, and roaring fires—you might have trouble choosing your favorite!
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