A guide to Autumn/Winter 2016’s best new fragrances

Like it or not, autumn is well on its way and your signature scent should follow suit. Sarah Young takes a look at some of the new season’s finest fragrances

Christian Louboutin Eau De Parfum Collection is ringing in the fall season. £215 each. Available at selfridges.com

Some of the best things about the new season are the smells that come with it from smoky bonfires and damp leaves to wafts of spicy cinnamon and despite the fact that we Brits endured our hottest day in over a century last week; the scent of fall is well and truly in the air. As a steady stream of new-season collections drop in stores so too the changeable world of fragrance enters its own seasonal renaissance. Just as we retrieve our cosy knits from hibernation our beauty repertoire must also follow suit.

Blustery weather calls for heady more decadent aromas as the less heavy perfumes we once prised are replaced with a healthy roster of warming scents to suit the season. Luckily, a slew of new fragrance launches means that there’s plenty to choose from but these aren’t the typical mysterious musks we’re used to. Instead, autumn’s scents cater to everyone, offering a merger between midsummer freshness and the dark, sultry undertones of cooler climes.

At the lighter end of the aromatic spectrum are a host of fragrances full of contrast; from Viktor & Rolf’s BonBon Couture to Coach and Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming these new interpretations see sweet smelling classics seasonally defined by their woody undertones. Floral notes such as orange blossom and peony are juxtaposed with blonde tobacco and white musk offering a more intense, stronger version of their originals.

Loewe 001 Woman 50ml £61 harrods.com

The changing weather seems to have inspired a trend for sensual flankers with Jean Paul Gaultier, Paco Rabanne, Burberry and Calvin Klein jumping on the sensory bandwagon. As a reinterpretation of the original scent, Jean Paul Gaultier has launched Classique Essence with added hints of precious wood and spicy ginger as well as a new shape bottle in laser cut glass. Paco Rabanne bid Lady Million Prive as a more hypnotic, deep and oriental version of the original while My Burberry Black contains notes of candied roses and a base of amber and patchouli. For Calvin Klein, a variation on the theme of the original Euphoria, Deep Euphoria, brings a completely new composition to the table with rose, white peony and animalistic musk.

But perhaps the biggest new additions come courtesy of Loewe and Christian Louboutin. For Loewe, this is the release of its first fragrance under the helm of JW Anderson which interprets the aftermath of a first intimate encounter between two people; Woman 001 blends zesty notes of tangerine with creamy vanilla and fine-grained sandalwood.

Last month, Christian Louboutin joined its men and shoe destinations with the debut of the new beauty boutique on the ground-level beauty floor at Selfridges London; soon after came the launch of the brand’s debut trio of fragrances; Bikini Questa Sera, Tornade Blonde and Trouble in Heaven. With each scent defined by its own unique personality, Christian Louboutin aimed to create a means for women to express themselves.

“I wanted to celebrate woman and her desires. I wanted these fragrances to enhance an aspect of her personality, or perhaps reveal something about her that no one knew before,” the fashion giant said.

Sticking to the same scent seems so wide off the mark considering the amount of new launches on the market so why not build the ultimate fragrance wardrobe with an autumnal offering to match the changing weather ahead. From bright and girlish to warming, more masculine scents, the switch up of seasons means it's time to transition your fragrance choices for fall.