Experts Say Fall 2026 Will Smell Like These Notes

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love. Promise.Courtesy of D.S. & Durga and NOYZWhat does fall smell like? Usually, it’s warm and cozy. A wood-burning fire. A cabin in the woods. Flannel sheets. Worn leather boots. But the fragrance trends defining fall 2026 demand more, says Jenine Guerriero, Givaudan’s head of marketing and consumer insights for fine fragrance North America. “For years, fall fragrance was defined by familiar expressions of coziness: sweet gourmands, warm spices, and comforting seasonal notes,” she says. “Today’s consumers are looking for fragrances that feel more layered, more intentional, more culturally inspired and ultimately more impactful.”Everything’s deeper now. We want more emotion, fun, and creativity from fragrance, and that’s evident in all the buzziest perfume launches for fall. The biggest notes? Rice, sesame, pandan, honey, single-origin teas, chestnut, and saffron. “These notes deliver warmth and familiarity while also introducing new textures, origins, and stories,” says Guerriero.Overall, Guerriero says there’s also interest in the story behind the scent. “Consumers increasingly want to know not just what they’re smelling, but where it comes from, what inspired it, and what experience it creates,” she explains.Keep reading for a full rundown of all the biggest trends, including a few of our top picks if you’re looking for a new scent.Sparkling Jam“I think the majority of trends are a year or two behind what PerfumeTok has been loving/asking for,” says fragrance expert and fragrance content creator Caroline Stern. For this reason, “I’m expecting fall fragrance trends to really be all about the dark berry—think black currant, dark cherry, and crushed fruits,” she says.Fruits are being candied and baked, not just muddled up at the bottom of your juice. “Perfumers are exploring crisp, green, juicy, sparkling, and textural facets of the fruit that feel fresher and more contemporary,” adds Guerriero. “At the same time, darker fruits like blackberry, blackcurrant, and blueberry are bringing a deeper, more nocturnal character to autumn fragrances.”Textured Gourmands“Consumers still crave the warmth, richness, and familiarity traditionally associated with the fall season, but they’re looking for fresher and more sophisticated ways to experience those emotions,” says Guerriero. “Perfumers are tapping into ingredients and exploring new textures that deliver the same feeling through a more contemporary lens.” Think: Roasted sesame, toasted rice, smoked vanilla, burnt sugar, and chestnut, all of which “deliver the coziness of fall with a modern edge,” Guerriero says.AmberNot that vanilla will ever go out of style, but it’s time for the note to move over. The warm note of choice this season will be amber, both Guerriero and Stern agree. “It never left, but I think a warm and deep amber is really in its renaissance,” Stern says, noting that the note can transform between very masculine and very feminine depending on what it’s paired with. Instead of a foodie vanilla, you might see ambery scents that smell cozy and all-embracing.Warm SpicesThe masses are becoming slightly fatigued with the overly sweet perfume, which seems to be pulling us into the direction of a little spice. “Consumers still love indulgent fragrances, but they’re increasingly looking for contrast, texture, and sophistication rather than overtly dessert-like fragrances,” says Guerriero.On the top of that list is cardamom, “which brings warmth and richness, but also freshness, brightness, and dimension,” Guerriero says. “We’re seeing it paired with milk accords, coffee, rice, sesame, vanilla, chestnut, and creamy woods—resulting in fragrances that feel both comforting and unexpectedly refined.”Cedarwood SkinYou can’t get away from a woody note in the fall, but this year’s take is a creamy, soft cedarwood, says Stern. It’s not the usual forest-y scent you’d expect out of a wood note. Instead, we’ll see cedarwood mixed with vanillas and warm musks to create a fresh, clean smell, Stern adds.Nutty NotesStern anticipates praline, almond, and pistachio to elevate sweet perfumes this fall. “Byredo adding a praline note to the Bal D’Adfrique Absolu really elevated an already gorgeous fragrance, and people have gone crazy for it for a reason,” she explains. It’s also a way to make your scent a bit cozier without dialing up the stickiness (à la the whipped cream and cake frosting scents of yore).Meet the experts: Caroline Stern is a fragrance expert based in Los Angeles. She has more than 366,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram combined, where she covers all things perfume, home scents, and lifestyle. Jenine Guerriero is the head of marketing and consumer insights for fine fragrance in North America for Givaudan. Why trust Cosmopolitan? Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing hair, makeup, nail, and fragrance stories.Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.