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.
- LizabeCo The Embering Parfum Oil - There is a moment, in the slow turning of the year, when warmth is no longer a promise but a memory. The light fades early, the air gathers weight, and smoke drifts in from somewhere unseen. This is the season of The Embering — the quiet fire at the heart of autumn. It opens with the dark sweetness of black maple sap, thick as ink, its edges sharpened by the aromatic heat of clovebud and the dry, bittersweet curl of orange peel — like citrus rinds left to warm beside the hearth. As the scent deepens, the earth rises to meet it: velvet moss underfoot, patchouli seared by flame, and ghosted cedar whose presence lingers long after the wood is gone. At its base lies the stillness after burning — the mineral whisper of cold ash, the low hum of ember smoke, and the resinous shadow of incense, all settling into the rich, damp loam of forest soil. The Embering is autumn’s final exhale — a flame kept alive in the heart.
- Nui Cobalt Appalachian Autumn Perfume Oil - An homage to the Nature Spirits. Deer musk accord, campfire smoke, birch trees, angelica, ripe pears and rain. Wear to align your energy with that of the wilderness to invoke its many blessings. It's particularly soothing and supportive through the changing of the seasons.
- Paranormal Perfumes Autumn Aura Perfume Oil - Inspired by the aromatic and awe-inspiring magic of Autumn. Base notes of spiced apples and mulled berries are reminiscent of hot apple cider and fall pastries. Middle notes of cinnamon and star anise add a special October spice. Top notes of brown sugar add just a hint of sweetness to this fragrance.
- Zelda's Cauldron Jack In The Grove Perfume Oil - An autumn blend of warm nutmeg, brown sugar, pumpkin walnut muffin, dried hay, smoky incense, creamy caramel and woods.
