In the colder weather, people typically wear woodsy fragrances, smoky fragrances, incense fragrances, and amber fragrances. But there is also this sort of genre of spicy perfumes that is thoroughly enjoyed. So in this article, I’m going to write about 10 amazing warm and spicy perfumes to keep you warm and cozy this winter season. Make sure to stay tuned, thank you!
Now before I begin, and I tell you all about these 10 warm and spicy perfumes—and of course, I’m going to go over a bunch of different spices. I want to start things off by saying that if you’re a fan of fragrance-related content, please do consider supporting my scent stories, by sharing and subscribing to the newsletter, it would really mean a lot to me.
Best warm and spicy perfumes
So when you think of spices, especially spices that are predominantly found in fragrances, You have cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, pink pepper, and the list goes on. So I wanted to include a nice variety in here. You have some designers, mostly niche. I have to be honest, usually it’s the niche fragrances and the indie fragrances that tend to be a little bit on that experimental side of things, so you’re not going to see a lot of designers. So let’s start the list with warm and spicy perfumes.
Emblaze by Navitus Parfums
This was, um, two Septembers ago, and this one is Emblaze by Navitus Parfums. It’s probably the spiciest fragrance that the brand has to offer. This was a collaboration between Lucas Sieuzac and Olaf Larsen. Lucas Sieuzac did Reflection for Men by Amouage. He’s an incredibly talented perfumer—they both are. And this fragrance does have coffee and labdanum, so there’s a bit of a warmth in there already. But you have cardamom, cinnamon, pink pepper, and black pepper. It is a very, very spicy, dark yet warm expression.
Yves Saint Laurent – La Nuit de L’Homme
The next warm and spicy perfume I want to talk about is a very common and popular designer fragrance. You already know about this one, La Nuit de L’Hommes by Yves Saint Laurent. There’s any number of flankers that keep that cardamom note intact. If you go for, like, the Eau Electrique. That one has more of a tonka bean emphasis, but Bleu Electrique is a bit fresher in the opening. L’Intense definitely has that nice, present cardamom note in there. It’s a bit powdery, but it has a smoothness to it. That tonka bean dry down is really, really nice, and it’s a great fragrance. Easy to wear, compliment-worthy, and it’s popular for a reason.
Kajal Eau de Parfum
We also have the original Kajal Eau de Parfum by Kajal. Now, this was a collaboration between Rosendo Mateu and, of course, Christian Carbonnel, otherwise known as Chris Maurice. This one does have some citrusy notes in the opening. There’s, I think, a cassis note in here as well; I could be misremembering that. But it also definitely has the spicy nature to it, and I really appreciate this. It has a bit of an amber dry down as well, so there is a bit of this fresh yet exotic appeal to it. Definitely one that comes across as very professional-smelling.
Amouage Honour for Men
Of course, we have another spicy fragrance from a brand that I mentioned, but this is the first one on this list and the only one on this list for today, at least. This one by Amouage Honour for Men. Epic is spicy, Fate is spicy. I didn’t really put any cumin on this list. If you’re interested in cumin, check out Fate for Men, and check out Rose 31 by Le Labo.
Honour man is all about the pepper, but there’s pepper, geranium, and elemi resin. So there is this brightness to it, there’s also this exotic quality as well. But there’s a lot of pepper in here, and I’m talking specifically about black pepper. So if you’re looking for something on the darker side of things, something on the more mysterious side of things, Honour man is your man.
Matiere premiere crystal saffron
The next warm and spicy perfumes on this list is in the vein of saffron. So saffron is a wonderful spice—definitely conveys a lot of Middle Eastern sentiments, if you will, and I personally love the smell. It’s used in the synthesis of leather accords in perfume, so whenever you smell saffron, chances are you’re going to think you’re smelling leather. Sometimes it can be used for, like, a suede leather accord. But in any case, this one by Matiere premiere is called Crystal Saffron.
This is probably the strongest saffron fragrance you will find on the market, and I also love just how natural and organic it smells. It’s leathery, it’s smooth, and it has this really quirky, spicy quality to it. The other fragrance that it kind of reminds me of is Alpha by Mendittorosa. That one is also a beautiful, beautiful fragrance—it preceded it by a number of years. But Crystal Saffron is incredible.
PM (Producer Michael) Fragrance Du Bois
We also have another cardamom bomb, but this one with an amber backbone, and this one is PM or Producer Michael by Fragrance Du Bois. What an amazing fragrance this is. The strongest fragrance on this entire list, two sprays are going to last you 12-plus hours. A little goes such a long way—miles and miles with this fragrance. Absolutely amazing.
Jaipur Chai Ineke
Of course, we also have one of my personal favorites around this time of the year, and I like it because it kind of has this lactonic base, so it’s a little creamy and milky. And this one by Ineke Perfumes is called Jaipur Chai. This one is all about cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. It really does remind me of tea, which I do consume occasionally.
So it’s very warm, and it’s definitely the kind of vibe that I seek for when I’m looking for something that will really fulfill that ambiance that one wants in the cold. Because in the cold, you don’t really want to wear aquatics and Fresher. If I’m lounging around at home and I want something a little bit heavier, Jaipur Chai always does the trick for me.
Malaise of the 1970s by Etat Libre d’Orange
At number 8 of the list of warm and spicy perfumes, we have Malaise of the 1970s by Etat Libre d’Orange. This one is awesome. This one is plum, pepper, and patchouli, so there’s a bit of sweetness in there on account of the plum, but there’s enough of the pepper to keep it dark. And this is one that definitely, if you give it a little bit of time, after about an hour or two, it warms up on the skin considerably and leaves a nice aftereffect.
Blue Encens Comme des Garçons
Now we have two more on this list, and the next one, again a designer brand. Not too many designer fragrances do spice well. I was going to put the original Hero by Burberry, just because that one is a bit peppery as well. It also has cedar wood, which can kind of come across as giving off a peppery effect. But I promised myself that I had to look at the note breakdown, and there had to be at least one spice on there for it to make its way onto this list.
The next one is by Comme des Garçons Parfums, which is a designer, and it’s Blue Encens. This fragrance has incense in it, specifically frankincense. It’s very well done. It’s a tad smoky, definitely mysterious, but it also has pepper. So this one is a nice, warm, smoky, mysterious, meditative type of fragrance—perhaps not as meditative as Avignon, which is part of the Incense series. But if you’re looking for something not as simplistic, a little more complex, definitely check out Blue Encens.
Kalan Parfums de Marly
So this next fragrance is peculiar; it’s complex; it’s very daring and strange and bold, and there’s a love-hate relationship among many fragrance consumers and aficionados out there. Personally, I love it, but it does take a little bit to warm up to it. But it’s such a phenomenal fragrance, and I can’t sing enough praise about it. And it’s one of those fragrances where, yes, it’s not my favorite from the brand, and it did take a while for me to enjoy it thoroughly. But I feel like the magic of this fragrance really unfolds once you put it on skin.
The fragrance is none other than Kalan by Parfums de Marly. Parfums de Marly, especially when it comes to a lot of their exclusif fragrances, Pegasus Exclusif and Layton Exclusif, they can do spice well. They add some more wood, specifically some agarwood. Here you have a spice accord, so they don’t tell you exactly what spices are in this hidden blend. There’s also blood orange in the opening, but it dries down to this beautiful woody amber, and it’s just a wonderful fragrance from such an accomplished house.
And these have been 10 wonderful warm and spicy perfumes to keep you warm and cozy this winter season. Thank you all so much for joining me today. Thank you for reading this to the end. I really appreciate you taking your time.
