How to Choose Your Winter Perfume? The Guide to Comforting and Lasting Notes
Winter transforms our relationship with perfume. As temperatures drop and daylight fades, our olfactory desires shift too. Choosing a winter fragrance can become a genuine sensory and emotional ritual—far from a simple seasonal reflex.
Why Change Your Perfume in Winter? (The Technical Reason)
Our skin, emotions, and daily rhythms all evolve during the colder months. Cold air reduces the diffusion of scent, skin becomes drier, and our moods often seek comfort or stimulation. Wearing the same light perfume as in summer can feel off—or even frustrating.
Why Cold Air Reduces Sillage and Longevity
The chemistry of perfume is heavily influenced by temperature. In winter, cold acts as a barrier to projection (sillage) for three main reasons:
- Slower Evaporation: Scent molecules evaporate less quickly in cold weather. The perfume remains “stuck” to the skin or clothing.
- Drier Skin: Skin, which tends to be drier in winter, retains fragrant oils less effectively than well-hydrated summer skin.
- Olfactory Perception: Cold temperatures slightly dull our sense of smell, decreasing the perception of light, fresh top notes.
This is why, in winter, you must favor powerful base notes and higher concentrations (Eau de Parfum) to ensure lasting sillage.
Choosing by Emotional Need (The Warmth Factor)
1. Craving comfort? (Gourmand and Musky Notes)
If winter feels heavy, turn to gourmand, oriental, or musky scents. They wrap around you like a blanket or a warm mug, offering a cocoon of scent.
- Osiris – A delicately sweet and woody orange blossom: your radiant cocoon. Discover
- Florentina – Powdery musk and iris: a soft caress on the skin. Discover
2. Need energy and momentum? (Spicy and Woody Notes)
Feeling sluggish in winter? Try energizing scents: spicy woods or warm citrus notes that feel like a walk in the forest—or an inner ray of light.
- Valkyrie – Zesty mandarin over a woody base: like a soft armor. Discover
3. Longing for sensuality? (Amber and Deep Vanilla)
Winter invites mystery, slowness, and closeness. Let your magnetic side shine with a fragrance full of character, focusing on deep vanilla or amber base notes.
- Vahina – A floral, solar vanilla: addictive but never overly sweet. Discover
4. Or simply in the mood for something new?
A seasonal shift can be the perfect moment to reinvent yourself. Explore niche perfume brands, try a new olfactory family, or go for a blind test.
The Discovery Set from Delacourte Paris lets you explore five fragrances (5 x 2 ml) to find the one that will carry you through winter.
Winter Perfume: Your Intimate Ally
More than an accessory, perfume in winter becomes part of our inner world—a signature scent that follows us through the hush of the cold season.
Listen to your emotions. Choose a perfume that warms, uplifts, or soothes. And remember: always try perfume on your skin before making it yours.
