With the fall season almost upon us, we want to wear some heavier fragrances, and we might lean towards sweeter scents, perhaps with woody or balsamic notes. and we want to wear fragrances that come across as a bit richer. But, of course, many of us also aim to prioritize the compliment factor.
In this article, I'll be discussing the top 10 most complimented fall fragrances. These are fragrances that always seem to get me positive attention.
10. Navitus Parfums – Vivamor
Vivamor is an amazing fragrance for compliments because it has this sort of Amberwood dry down.
It's a little bit on the sweet side of things, but it has this juicy pineapple in the opening.
And of course, for some people, it might give off a bit of like a Creed Aventus Vibe, but it doesn't have that same prolific vanilla that you get in the dry down of Creed Aventus.
Also, because of the Amberwood in the base makes it an ideal choice for fall and winter, as opposed to spring and summer. For a lot of people, that sweet element does end up being a little bit on the cloying side of things.
9. Xerjoff Naxos
Of course, from the brand Xerjoff, we have Naxos. Naxos is this honey tobacco type of a fragrance.
And once again, specifically, I think it's that sweet element that's in there on account of the honey, that sort of vanilla component that makes this a high compliment factor type of a fragrance.
Of course, the tobacco is very sophisticated, it's very gentlemanly, it's very refined. So again, this is a very specific fragrance in terms of where and when you wear it.
It's not one of those fragrances where you can wear it casually, grocery shopping, and you're going to get a compliment, you might, but it just works well when you're dressed up, you have a nice suit on. And of course, it does well in the fall and winter.
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8. Mancera – Instant Crush
Speaking of Amberwood, here we have a saffron and Amberwood fragrance by Mancera, this one is called Instant Crush.
Now, more recently, they came out with a fragrance called Cosmic Pepper. I've been wearing that for like the past week and a half, wonderful. It's very fresh, it gives off a bit of a designer Vibe. It's a huge compliment-getter, but I don't think it works as well in the colder weather as this one does.
Of course, people have been comparing this one to Baccarat Rouge 540 by Maison Francis Kurkdjian. It does have a little bit of that sweet and cotton candy type of a dry down, that Etho Maltol cotton candy Vibe.
But this stuff is wonderful. And again, I do think it's that sweet element of a lot of these fragrances that gives them that compliment appeal.
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7. Aaron Terence Hughes – Hard Candy Elixir
Speaking of sweets, we have a fragrance by Aaron Terence Hughes, this one is called Hard Candy Elixir.
So this one does remind me of a super, super, super strong version of Ultramale by Jean. This fragrance has that sort of pear-vanilla combination, but it's musky in a clean way. Doesn't smell animalic or anything like that, but it's so strong, it's so potent, it's attention-grabbing.
Hard Candy Elixir by Aaron Terence Hughes is amazing.
6. Creed – Aventus
Here's the thing, of course, I mentioned this one in this list already by name, Creed Aventus.
Now, this is not an explicitly fall and winter fragrance, it's not, I have to be honest with you. However, this one does tend to do very well all year long. And of course, you can get away with wearing it in the fall and winter as well.
It's incredibly versatile, you have the vanilla, the pineapple, the Birch tar, the Apple, the blackcurrant, and there's a medley of different ingredients, some Woods, a smoky touch, some fruits, and Citrus.
Creed Aventus is the number one most compliment-getting Niche fragrance in my entire collection. And for that reason, I'm very, very proud and very happy to include it in this list, even though it is on the more versatile side of things, especially because it can be worn all year long.
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5. Sospiro – Dolce Melodia
Here we have an orange and vanilla fragrance by Sospiro, it's called Dolce Melodia.
If you could imagine just an orangey vanilla, it's creamy, it kind of smells like an orange creamsicle, it puts you in that state of mind. And Dolce Melodia is fantastic. Right?
Of course, I have a lot of Sospiro fragrances, you have Vibrato, you have Um Baso, but those two are good for the hotter weather because they're Citrus forward.
This one does have the Citrus, but it has that strong presence of vanilla that makes it more of a fall and winter fragrance.
4. Parfums de Marly – Layton
Speaking of vanilla and fruits with a touch of citrus, you also have Layton by Parfums de Marly.
Here you have this apple lavender vanilla type of a combination. You do have some spices in here, cardamom as well if I'm not mistaken. But this stuff is super, super sexy.
There's Layton Exclusive, you can wait until the wintertime to wear that one. That one has the agarwood, it's much heavier. But the original Layton is a huge compliment-getter.
It's one of the biggest compliment-getters right next to Percival. The only thing with Percival is that I prefer wearing it in the hotter weather. Of course, if you're wearing it in a climate-controlled environment, you can wear it all year long. But Layton is the one that evokes that type of a Vibe: “Where you know what, it's fall and winter, this is the DNA that I want, that added sweetness is perfect”.
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3. Yves Saint Laurent – Y Eau de Parfum Intense (2023)
Of course, let's go ahead and move on to a designer fragrance.
The first designer on this list, this one by Yves Saint Laurent is Y Eau de Parfum Intense, the 2023 release composed by Dominic Ropion. This is an aromatic Clary Sage, Juniper, and ginger type of a fragrance.
Now, of course, in the dry down, you are going to get a bit of that coumarin appeal. So there is that tonka bean that's in there, you'll see coumarin written on the box as well. I don't believe it's in the note breakdown, but this is a huge, huge, huge compliment-getter.
And I think the reason why I prefer this over many of the other Y fragrances is because of the concentration. And you're more likely to get noticed with this one because it's stronger. This one gives off more of a professional demeanor. So if you want to wear it in an office setting, the office-friendly fragrances are Y, Creed Aventus, and even Vivamor to an effect. But I think Vivamor is more of like a date night, sensual night out on the town type of a scent.
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2. Narcotica – Dulce Diablo
Now we're talking about compliments, this stuff gets me so, so, so, so, so many compliments.
There's chocolate, there's vanilla, there's Peach, there's apricot, there's cognac, there's a touch of whiskey in here as well, it's boozy, it's classy, it's sensual, it is a Gourmand Lover's Dream.
This one is a Holy Grail when it comes to so many different factors. This is an amazing fragrance. If you haven't tried Dulce Diablo By Narcotica, just give it a try without a second thought. And of course, this brand has a lot of different fragrances. They have Doza, they have the self-titled one, but this one is by far my favorite at the moment.
1. Tom Ford Tuscan Leather
And the fragrance that I decided to put in the number one spot gets me compliments not because it tries too hard, not because it's sweet, it's not sweet at all.
It does have Sandalwood in here, and the sandalwood can potentially give off a bit of a sweet creamy Vibe. But I think this one gets me compliments just because of the aesthetic.
You put this on with a nice suit, you walk around very confidently, you have your shoulders back, your chest out, and you're carrying yourself with a certain level of poise and sophistication.
This one is very refined, very well composed, and perfect for the modern gentlemen. And even though this fragrance came out over a decade ago, it still gives that modern vibe to it.
And I love wearing this one, this is super classy, super timeless, and super elegant.
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Honorable Mention:
Of course, this has received so much hype throughout the years, but I can't deny how well this fragrance works, especially on my skin. From the brand Tom Ford, this one is called Oud Wood.
This is an entry-level Oud, and I say that because it's not animalic, it's not Rough Around the Edges, it has that agarwood in here, and it has a touch of cardamom in here as well.
Cardamom is super sophisticated. Of course, if you think of fragrances like by Yves Saint Laurent, you know there's cardamom in that fragrance. That one is super classy, very sophisticated, and refined.
There's something about Oud wood. You're going out on a formal scenario, you're going out on a date, you're wearing a nice suit, you want to convey a sense of style, refinement, elegance, and so on.
Composed by Richard Herpin, who is an amazing perfumer. He's done fragrances, of course, for Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Usher, and so on. This stuff is awesome.
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The Verdict:
There you go, the top 10 most complimented fragrances for the fall and winter. Of course, if I was doing specifically the winter, I would certainly curate a list of some potentially heavier fragrances. But these are ones that I think are going to get you a lot of compliments, they're going to get you noticed. Some are a little bit on the sweet side of things, some are woodsy, some are boozy, some are, you know, well-rounded.
