Today I’m sharing my favorite natural and non-toxic winter fragrances now that the colder months are just around the corner! Instead of the citrus, aquatic, and green notes I reach for in summer, I find myself craving darker, earthier, heavier, and gourmand scents that are sexy, cozy, and comforting.

If you’d like to learn more about the difference between clean and organic perfume, check out my in-depth guide to clean and organic perfumes. Otherwise, read on for my top picks for natural and non-toxic fall and winter perfumes!

PHLUR Vanilla Canyon

If you love vanilla but find most vanilla perfumes too saccharine or cloying, Vanilla Canyon is for you. This is one of Phlur’s better scents in my opinion along with Heavy Cream. It opens with juicy velvet plum and tonka bean, then softens into jasmine and wild honey before settling into a warm base of Madagascar vanilla, patchouli, and oak wood. The oak and patchouli give it a grounded, almost earthy feel, so it reads more cozy and sophisticated than sweet. It’s the kind of scent that lingers beautifully on skin and sweaters all day.

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Commodity Milk Expressive

Commodity Milk is one of the most comforting scents I own. It’s creamy, soft, and a little sweet, with notes of milk, marshmallow, mahogany, tonka bean, and skin musk. The cool milk note keeps it from feeling heavy, while the mahogany and tonka add warmth, so it smells like a cozy blanket and a warm latte all at once. The Expressive version is the stronger, longer-lasting concentration, which makes it perfect for cold days when you want your scent to stick around.

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DedCool Milk and Xtra Milk

If you love a clean, skin-like scent, DedCool’s Milk is a cult favorite for a reason. I love their airy, lactonic scents which seems to be the brand’s DNA. Milk is a soft blend of bergamot, white musk, and amber that smells like your skin but better, and it was originally made to be layered under other perfumes. I love wearing it under Vanilla Canyon or Super Amber for extra warmth. If you want that same scent to stand on its own, Xtra Milk is the full eau de parfum version. It has the same notes but is stronger and longer-lasting, while still feeling light and never overpowering.

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NOYZ Only Human Mylk de Parfum

NOYZ’s Mylk de Parfum is such a fun twist on perfume, and it’s perfect for dry winter skin. It’s a pour-on fragrance milk that’s alcohol-free and infused with hyaluronic acid, so it hydrates while it scents, and it absorbs quickly without feeling sticky. Only Human is a skin-hugging gourmand that opens with pink pepper and bergamot, softens into waterlily and bamboo, and dries down to warm vanilla bean, ambroxan, and cedarwood. This actually is quite long lasting for a milky liquid type of perfume.

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Maison Louis Marie No. 4 Bois de Balincourt

I’m going to make a bold statement and say that Bois de Balincourt is Maison Louis Marie’s best scent. It’s alluring and harmonious, and the layers of notes draw you in so you can’t stop smelling yourself. This sultry, warm, woodsy scent is a feminine-leaning unisex fragrance with a yummy quality that never tips into gourmand territory.

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Dirty Hinoki by Heretic Parfum (Personal Fave)

Heretic Parfum uses naturally derived botanical ingredients in an organic, non-GMO alcohol base to create clean fragrances that explore the raw, unpolished side of plants and flowers. Heretic perfumes have names like Dirty Hinoki and Dirty Coconut, and they offer an interesting and sometimes unusual take on classic notes like vanilla, coconut, sandalwood, and lavender. They’re unisex, vegan, cruelty-free, and handcrafted in small batches at their Los Angeles studio.

Dirty Hinoki gives me the best of both masculine and feminine in one bottle. It opens with a juicy burst of lemon, then fades into woodsy notes with a caramel-like sweetness. Depending on the day and the weather, I sometimes get more of the woods and sometimes more of the sweetness. The dry down feels like a completely different perfume, one that’s feminine and sweet. It’s perfect for fall and winter, but honestly, you could wear it year-round!

Desert Fleur by Bohemian Rêves

If you’re looking for a simple, plant-based patchouli vanilla perfume that’s still rich and decadent, check out Desert Fleur. There’s something addictive about this scent that has me reaching for it constantly. Earthy patchouli opens into rosewood and warm amber before drying down to soft vanilla flower and sandalwood. It’s made with organic sugarcane alcohol and comes in a travel-size mist, so it’s easy to try before committing to a full bottle.

Wild Vanilla Orchid by Floral Street

For a fine-fragrance take on vanilla patchouli, UK brand and Sephora staple Floral Street makes Wild Vanilla Orchid. It’s a sweet vanilla patchouli scent and my second favorite in the Floral Street line, after Arizona Bloom, which I save for the warmer months. Overall, the Floral Street line leans very sweet, floral, and girly, and some are a little too much for my taste, but Wild Vanilla Orchid is one I enjoy wearing from time to time.

Dark Is Night by Henry Rose

Founded by Michelle Pfeiffer, Henry Rose is a unisex clean perfume brand built around safety and transparency. Pfeiffer swore off conventional fragrance when her kids were young and launched Henry Rose in 2019 with five perfumes. The brand discloses every ingredient it uses, and its fragrances are EWG Verified, which covers health, transparency, and good manufacturing practices, and Cradle to Cradle Certified, one of the world’s most rigorous sustainability standards.

Dark Is Night is beautiful, sexy, and interesting. It’s a rich, heavy scent and the longest lasting in the Henry Rose line. I spritzed it in the morning and could still smell it in the early evening! The notes are vetiver, freesia, patchouli, and vanilla bean, but on my skin, the smoky patchouli and vanilla really shine. I’d love a full-size bottle for winter.

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James by Rosie Jane

By Rosie Jane was founded in 2012 by makeup artist Rosie Jane Johnston. While she was pregnant, every fragrance made her nauseous, so she decided to create her own, and By Rosie Jane was born!

James is a woodsy amber fig scent with a subtle hint of floral. It’s lovely if you want something that isn’t distinctly feminine but smells woodsy, warm, and cozy without being overly masculine. Other great winter picks from the brand are Dylan, which leans more masculine than James, and Lake, a vanilla perfume with a hint of citrus.

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Vetiver Elemi by The 7 Virtues

Vetiver Elemi is a sweet, earthy, feminine scent that’s perfect for winter. It opens with bright bergamot that quickly fades, and while the heart has holiday favorites like nutmeg and cardamom along with florals, it’s the warm cedarwood, patchouli, and vetiver that really dominate.

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Torn by Henry Rose

I’m such a sucker for vanilla scents, and Torn is no exception. It’s a yummy vanilla floral with rose, violet, and jasmine at the heart and a base of musk, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla bean, and praline. I love the pairing of patchouli and violet, which I don’t see together very often in clean perfumes.

To me, Torn is seductive yet still playful. It’s a cozy, sultry, warm, and sweet vanilla that most vanilla lovers will enjoy, and it’s a great pick if you’re ready to upgrade to a more sophisticated vanilla. For a powdery floral from Henry Rose for winter, check out Flora Carnivora.

Smoke Vanilla by Aftelier Perfumes

A dark, sophisticated vanilla with a whole lot of smokiness, Aftelier’s Smoke Vanilla is a must-try for natural perfume lovers. This grown-up vanilla is made with vanilla absolute from Madagascar and accented with smoky lapsang souchong tea and the warm, balsamic notes of Siam wood. Just note that it isn’t a sweet, girly vanilla. Aftelier is known for its heady, animalic perfumes, and this one has that same depth.