As the August and September warmth begins to fade, summer fragrances become less effective. Therefore, you’ll want to consider something more appropriate for the autumnal season.
In this guide, you will discover our selection of the top 10 fall fragrances for men:
- Dunhill Icon
- Terre d’Hermès
- Guerlain L’Homme Idéal EDP
- Guerlain Habit Rouge
- Jean-Paul Gaultier Ultra Male
- L’Envol de Cartier
- Givenchy Gentleman
- Carolina Herrera CH Men Prive
- Hugo Boss Bottled
- Azzaro Wanted
Use the links above to jump ahead to a specific fragrance. Otherwise, scroll down to discover them all!
How To Buy Cologne
Best Colognes By Season
Best Colognes By Budget
Best Colognes By Occasion
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Aromatic
- Seasonality: Fall
- Occasion: Formal
- Longevity: 4/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Good For The Fall?
Firstly, Icon’s oily citrus and rich pepper notes evoke late autumnal spice and pot pourri. Through a clever use of lavender and iris against sage and juniper, it creates a transitional scent that merges the seasons. Once the dry-down reaches the base, it reveals a rich leather and musky tobacco accord.
Read More: Dunhill Icon Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Bergamot, Neroli, Petitgrain, Pepper
- Heart: Lavender, Iris, Sage, Juniper
- Base: Oak Moss, Agarwood, Labdanum
"A richly-scented autumnal fragrance for men."
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Spicy
- Seasonality: Spring & Fall
- Occasion: Office
- Longevity: 5/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Good For The Fall?
With its overt citrus head and subsequent earthy notes in the heart, Terre d’Hermès evokes a Mediterranean orange grove under the baking sun. However, added cedar notes, oak moss and vetiver also carry forestry connotations that make this a perfect choice for the early autumn.
Read More: Terre d’Hermès Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Orange, Grapefruit
- Heart: Patchouli, Pepper, Geranium
- Base: Oak Moss, Vetiver, Cedar, Benzoin
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Oriental Woody
- Seasonality: Fall / Winter
- Occasion: Romantic
- Longevity: 5/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Good For The Fall?
Opening with a rich, herbaceous blood orange and bergamot head, the heart follows with a mysterious amaretto accord with a hint of Frankincense. Eventually, L’Homme Idéal EDP settles into a seductive tonka bean and birch tar accord over a warm sandalwood base.
Read More: Guerlain L’Homme Idéal EDP Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Bergamot, Apple, Plum, Cinnamon
- Heart: Mahogany, Geranium, Vanilla
- Base: Cedar, Sandalwood, Vetiver
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Oriental Amber
- Seasonality: Fall & Winter
- Occasion: Office
- Longevity: 4/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Good For The Fall?
A balsamic fragrance with deep oriental notes, Habit Rouge is un undisputed classic. However, it hasn’t aged as much as some other old-school fragrances and speak volumes about its wearer as a mature and established professional with a romantic streak. Be sure to opt for the Eau de Parfum version!
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Bergamot, Basil, Redwood
- Heart: Rose, Sandalwood, Patchouli
- Base: Labdanum, Benzoin, Oakmoss, Vanilla
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Amber Oriental Fougère
- Seasonality: Fall & Winter
- Occasion: Casual
- Longevity: 4/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Good For The Fall?
A unique and unusual use of pear with mint and bergamot creates a rich harvest opening. This leads onto a spice cabinet heart featuring sage, cumin, cinnamon and coriander. The resulting sweet patchouli and musky cedar base is reminiscent of falling leaves in a pine forest.
Read More: Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Pear, Mint, Bergamot, Lavender
- Heart: Sage, Cumin, Cinnamon, Coriander
- Base: Cedar, Patchouli, Labdanum
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Oriental Amber
- Seasonality: Fall
- Occasion: Office
- Longevity: 3/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Good For The Fall?
An elegant and sophisticated woody scent with an emphasis on guaiacwood, l’Envol de Cartier is perfect for autumnal days at the office but also excels as a reassuring dating fragrance. Indeed, it’s a mature alternative to BOSS Bottled featured below.
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Wormwood, Sage, Lavender
- Heart: Honey, Guaiacwood, Violet
- Base: Patchouli, Vetiver, Guaiacwood
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Aromatic
- Seasonality: Fall & Winter
- Occasion: Office
- Longevity: 4/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Good For The Fall?
Overlooked in favour of better-known classics, Givenchy Gentleman is a bold yet refined experience that demands respect and admiration. If you’re looking to define yourself in a position of authority, it’s a courageous choice.
Read More: Givenchy Gentleman Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Cinnamon, Honey, Rose
- Heart: Patchouli, Orris Root, Jasmine
- Base: Vetiver, Vanilla, Civet, Oakmoss
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Spicy Leather
- Seasonality: Fall & Winter
- Occasion: Romantic
- Longevity: 3/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Good For The Fall?
CH Men Privé was a much-hyped release when launched. However, reformulations has caused its cult following to dwindle. Nevertheless, it’s an alluring and seductive fragrance for autumnal nights that ideal for socialising and dating.
Read More: CH Men Privé Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Grapefruit, Single Malt Whisky
- Heart: Lavender, Sage, Cardamon, Thyme
- Base: Labdanum, Benzoin, Tonka Bean, Guaiacwood
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Aromatic
- Seasonality: Winter
- Occasion: Office
- Longevity: 2/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Good For The Fall?
Thanks to its deep, woody undertones, BOSS Bottled is a wonderful autumnal fragrance that’s reminiscent of walking over dead leaves in a forest. As it’s quite understated, it’s a great option for the office or even as a casual fragrance.
Read More: BOSS Bottled Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Bergamot, Apple, Plum, Cinnamon
- Heart: Mahogany, Geranium, Vanilla
- Base: Cedar, Sandalwood, Vetiver
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Spicy
- Seasonality: Fall & Spring
- Occasion: Casual
- Longevity: 4/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Good For The Fall?
Not only does Azzaro Wanted offer a wonderful bouquet of notes but it’s a surprisingly versatile fragrance. Although an overall casual composition, it can happily be worn for dates. Furthermore, it’s perfectly wearable during the milder months of spring so it isn’t locked into a single season.
Read More: Azzaro Wanted Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Lemon, Ginger, Lavender
- Heart: Cardamon, Geranium, Cade, Blackcurrant
- Base: Vetiver, Tonka Bean, Agarwood, Ambergris
How Do We Associate Smell With Seasons?
The human memory will store a variety of sensory information from sights, sounds and taste. However, one of the most powerful among these is our sense of smell.
Through our experiences, our minds will create vast databases of different scents and aromas, which we associate with many things. This is how we’re able to detect danger through smelling gas, smoke or fuel.
However, there’s also an emotional aspect that comes with this superpower. As sentient beings, we’ll often create links between particular aromas and pleasant memories.
Given that much of these recollections are set in a particular time, we’re also able to associate seasons with smells. Gifted perfumers are very much aware of this and will create blends that provoke both joyful and whimsically comforting emotions.
What Summarises An Autumnal Fragrance?
Compared to the other seasons, fall is a much more complex period in the year. Like spring, it is a time of change. However, the transitions it experiences can vary to a much greater extent.
The ideal autumn will begin with bright, sunny days that are reminiscent of the late summer. Usually, this coincides with the harvest of crops, fruit and a variety of herbs and spices. Therefore, we’ll begin to see more Oriental fragrances from this season.
However, it will eventually transition via golden colours towards darker hues of brown before drawing to a close. Likewise, the base fragrances for fall will reflect many of these characteristics as well as the evolution it experiences.
Typical Fall Fragrance Characteristics & Notes
Interestingly, certain smells can be interpreted through colours too. For instance, we’ll associate aromatics with green or liken citrus with yellow and orange. Similarly, notes and accords such as leather, spices or even woods can give us hues that range from golden to dark brown.
Therefore, it isn’t surprising that many autumnal fragrances will feature these scents in order to paint a vivid autumnal picture. Meanwhile, some summer and winter notes are used to contrast one another throughout the dry-down to denote the changing climate.
Furthermore, the fall is a rich harvesting season from which iconic fragrances will draw inspiration. These days, contemporary fragrances will feature more fruity notes so we can begin to expect aromas of pears and apples in the head.
Finally, we’ll often associate autumn with falling leaves and humid forests. This makes the use of woody notes key to create a tangible fall cologne once at the base. Whilst cedar is seen in many months, it can be paired with mahogany for a richer leafy forest accord as well as patchouli to create the humidity.
What Next?
Now that you have discovered our selection of the best men’s cologne for the fall, you can see what we suggest for the other seasons. Jumping back to the top will reveal all our other fragrance lists for the best recommendations.
However, we also offer a plethora of other fragrance resources including the following:
Men’s Fragrances Contents
