We all can get a nostalgic flashback when we smell the scents of autumn (leaves, campfire smoke, damp earth, mushrooms, cooked marshmallows, apple cider, pumpkin, cinnamon, etc.). Words like cozy, crackling, crisp and crunchy describe the season. It turns out there's a scientific reason that people have a smell inextricably linked to the season in their head: it's a confluence of chemistry, biology and psychology that can trigger different emotions like anxiety, sadness or excitement depending on your personal collection of memories associated with the time of year.
"In summer, we have just more of a mixture of scent and sort of a wide blend of scent ... we smell a lot more of everything around us," said Rachel Herz, a neuroscientist and author of The Scent of Desire. "When it gets cooler and drier, specific scents tend to stand out more — we're able to kind of pull out the scent of leaves, the scent of bark, the scent of grass in more distinct ways."
Beyond the man-made and commercial scents of pumpkin spice and apple pie, autumn has its own, much more natural smell. It’s the musty, earthy smell of dying and decomposing leaves blended with wet earth and maybe a bit of smoke from burning leaves. The dominant earthy smells are largely the product of plants hunkering down for the winter. Fallen leaves begin to decay and the sugars and organic compounds in the leaf break down, creating the classic musky-sweet smell of a leaf pile. Maple leaves, for example, have high contents of sugars and when decaying they release a pleasantly sweet, almost syrup-like scent.
You will receive a 1/2ml sample (1ml sample vial filled half full) of each of the fragrances in this sampler.
- Ghoulish Goods Kentucky Goblin Perfume Oil - A blend of all things reminiscent of Kentucky; maple bourbon, warm apples, horse saddles and tobacco fields. When first applied, this scent gives off a warm bourbon and apple scent. As it dries down, the notes of worn leather with hints of tobacco and faint traces of apple come to life. This intricately blended fragrance perfectly combines warm fall scents of maple, and apple that are cut through by the sharp notes of bourbon, all with an underlying earthiness of suede and tobacco. This combination serves a unique fall scent without it turning gourmand or cloyingly sweet. With top notes of apple, cinnamon, bergamot and cassis; middle notes of bourbon, butter, cedarwood, tobacco leaves and herbs; and base notes of maple, vanilla, sandalwood, leather, black amber and smoky musk.
- Haus of Gloi Samhain EDP - The scent of freshly turned earth, wet leaves,
- Lunar Life Apothecary Harvest Moon Milk Perfume Oil - The perfect autumn indulgence—a rich and creamy blend that wraps you in the warmth of a golden autumn night. With a top note of spiced cardamom; middle notes of warm milk and pumpkin puree; and a base note of butterscotch caramel.
- Obscura Hortus The Autumn People Perfume Oil - Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, the strangeness of its characters, and the sheer mystery of autumn; the beauty in foreboding and death, comfort in the unknown, and bewitching tales whispered into the breeze. Autumn is a season of inspiration, constant wonder, and a feeling of contentment for the autumn person. So long summer, it’s our time now! The scent opens with the strong scent of disturbed earth, moss, and spice as though Mr Dark and his horrible carnival clawed their way out through the forest floor. Ancient frankincense, and amber create a strange fog that billows from the midnight steam engine. It mixes with hints of sweet apples, pumpkins, and black tea that hover in the atmosphere around the sleepy autumn town. The presence of dark patchouli and vanilla lingers in the shadows with the dust witch. This scent is weird, wonderful, and unisex.
- Obscura Hortus We’ll Be Younger in the Morning (Hocus Pocus) Perfume Oil – A perfection blend of apple cider donuts, sweet ginger and a perfect autumn latte. Notes of caramel, clove and cream also swirl in this magical brew fit for an autumn witch.
- Siren Song Elixirs Samhain Perfume Oil - Inspired by the Gaelic celebration of Samhain, the fall festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the dark winter. Rich spices of cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove mixed with newly harvested fall pumpkins creates the familial scent of home-cooked pumpkin pies. Top notes of vanilla and creamy marshmallow fluff create a decadent sweetness that is enriched with the warm burning sensation of midnight bonfires, roasting marshmallows and oak-cured bourbon that you can almost taste upon your tongue with one sniff. Forget pumpkin spice lattes! Get drunk upon the dark pumpkin spiced sweetness of Samhain. With key notes of pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, toasted marshmallow, bourbon, bonfire and black leather.
