Decadent Gourmands, Deep Florals and 3 Other Fall Fragrance Trends to Try Out This Season

“The gourmand trend, in particular, remains in high demand,” says Lekach. Like vanilla, warm and cozy saccharine notes are always a win for fall. In September, Beauty & Cultures Editor Chelsea Candelario named caramel as one of the hottest scents for fall 2025. But I’m also noticing an uptick in scents devoted to another decadent note: chocolate. Kayali’s recent drop, Oudgasam Chocolate Oud—with notes of caramel apple, chocolate oud and spiced rum—has happy shoppers calling it a “gourmand fantasy” and “autumn in a bottle.” Brown Girl Jane’s latest, Chalet, which sold out quickly after hitting Sephora shelves last month, has notes of white chocolate truffle, dark cacao and champagne accord. The sweeter, the spicier, the better, I always say when it comes to fall perfumes—and it appears I’m not the only one.

You can never go wrong with a vanilla scent for fall, whether it be a standalone fragrance or coupled together with complementary notes. “[It] seems to be the common denominator popping up in nearly every composition. It’s an incredibly versatile note that we find many gravitating towards, especially as we enter into the holiday season,” Lekach shares. We've already had some notable vanilla releases from brands this year. Rare Beauty’s first ever fragrance (which earned Candelario’s stamp of approval) has notes of both vanilla *and* caramel, Sol de Janeiro’s latest addition to their body mist lineup is vanilla-forward with a pepper-y undertone and NOYZ’s skin-hugging Only Human EDP is rounded out with a fluffy vanilla bean note.

Former PureWow Editor Delia Curtis clocked the cyclical vanilla trend not too long ago, but also noted more complex and unexpected variations of the classic are making their ways to the forefront. For example, DedCool’s Mochi Milk—and currently my favorite vanilla at the moment—is a soft blend of sweet rice milk, vanilla bean, marshmallow and white musk. Not only is it making waves for its delish scent trail, but it’s also one of the main contributors to the your-skin-but-better craze also happening in fragrance. Brands are beginning to lean into vanilla’s versatility rather than sticking to the boring variations we’re used to and I, for one, love to see it.

There’s nothing like sipping on a rich and spicy cocktail to keep you warm. But instead of heading out to the buzziest speakeasy for a swig this fall, folks are headed to Sephora for a spritz (pun intended). In a recent breakdown of boozy fragrances, neuropsychologist Dr. Sanam Hafeez explained to Cosmopolitan why some may gravitate to cocktail-inspired perfumes: “Scents tied to past experiences, especially ones like boozy fragrances, can become a way of reconnecting with a version of yourself that felt powerful, free, or socially connected. Reaching for those scents could be the brain’s way of satisfying a craving in a safer, more abstract form.” But despite the current interest in a scented mood booster and attempting to get your fix sans the alcohol, brands have been heeding the call for liqueur-centered scents for a while. Kilian Paris’s ‘The Liquors’ collection holds several fan favorites, including the Beyoncé-approved Angel Share.

In recent fragrance releases, a heady mezcal note—paired with passionfruit and cedarwood—can be found in Disfruta by LORE, a fresh new fragrance brand garnering attention on social media. YSL’s Libre got a boozy upgrade for fall in their latest Vanille Couture iteration, which lists rum absolute as a key scent note. Sober curious or not, if you’re looking for a bit of depth to your fragrance lineup this fall, boozy fragrances are the way to go.

Although darker fruits like cherry, apple and fig trend every year for fall, with several highly-rated scents from Phlur, Tom Ford and Boy Smells to prove it, vibrant and fruitier scent profiles are also gaining some headway alongside them. Jo Malone started the season with their now top-selling Raspberry Ripple, and around the same time there was a surprising creamsicle-inspired eau de parfum launch from NEST New York, which shoppers assure its fruity disposition still makes for a terrific fall staple. Remember those deeper fruit notes I mentioned? They’re still dominating fall fragrance trends, according to Lekach, who states, “The cherry trend has not yet disappeared. We’re seeing people moving more towards these dark fruit notes for a fresh, yet sophisticated scent.”

Don’t be afraid to spritz and spray florals this season. Even as a loyal gourmand lover, I find floral fragrances to be head turners even as the weather cools down. While the spring and summer bring along fresh and light fleurs, like orange blossom and gardenia, fall calls for deep and alluring floral notes, like jasmine and rose. Merit’s Retrospect was my go-to fragrance last winter and fall, and the notes of jasmine and violet really felt suited for the seasons. #PerfumeTok has already named a few star florals to pick up this year, like Tom Ford’s Rose Prick and Lancôme’s Idôle. In my own findings, Marc Jacob’s Perfect Absolut feels like fall in a bottle with notes of carmelized fig, jasmine absolu and rich amber. And even though it has a softer projection, Glossier’s more-woody-than-floral You Doux, with its note of sweet violet, also makes for a great everyday fall fragrance.