Scents That SURROUND

Our favourite fragrances are getting richer and warmer this season

- VANESSA CHIA

As temperatures dip around the world, our anticipation rises for the holidays that are just around the corner. It is also the time of year when beauty routines get an update: bright lip glosses make way for darker or muted velvety-matte lip colours, and pink coral blushers get swapped out for rosy plums. Naturally, your fragrance wardrobe too needs some rethinking.

To match Fall's mood, the fresh florals and citrus scents of Spring/Summer take a backseat as richer, toastier notes of woods and musks step forward, wrapping the senses in a warm, cosy blanket. This is where intense fragrance options come to play. Rather than just having a higher concentration of ingredients and a longer lasting silage, intense fragrances can be thought of as new facets of the originals that you already know and love.

Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Eau de Parfum Intense perfumer Honorine Blanc, shared in an earlier interview with L'OFFICIEL that it is both exciting and challenging to create an intense version. "You have to remain loyal to what people love while offering something new and impactful," she said.

While intense versions might have tweaked formulas, ensuring good balance is key so that it never overwhelms the senses. After all, these reimagined versions are designed to retain the emotional DNA of the original fragrance while amplifying their depth, richness and staying power, explains Quentin Bisch and Louise Turner, the noses behind the Chloé Atelier des Fleurs Cedrus Intense.

Still not convinced? Try the Burberry Goddess fragrance line that centres around vanilla notes. The Eau de Parfum features a trio of vanillas, offering an airy and accessible fragrance, while the Parfum version amplifies the vanilla notes with the addition of raspberry and a rich suede base. Elevating the vanilla trio in the Eau de Parfum Intense is a fourth smoky vanilla wood and more prominent lavender notes, for a warmer, deeper and woodier scent.