As someone who wears a different fragrance every day, I don’t shy away from any specific scent notes. I’ll fluctuate between floral fragrances when I’m feeling more feminine and woodsy fragrances when I want something deeper. I always, however, tend to gravitate toward spicier perfumes.
Spicy scents are my favorite because there’s no rule to what scent family can and can’t have spicier scents. You can have a floral scent with spicy notes, a fresh scent with spicy notes, an earthy scent with spicy notes…the limit does not exist. In my opinion, spicy notes make any fragrance instantly more interesting and electric.
If you’re wondering what exactly makes a fragrance spicy (since it’s not like you can taste it), it’s really any note that you might find in a spice drawer. Think cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, and more. These notes help give scents a certain zing that opens them up. Keep reading for the best spicy scents out there.
Notes: pink pepper, iris, ambrox. This unique scent was formulated to be a little unfinished. That’s because in order for it to work, it needs you—the skin scent works best once it’s mixing with everyone’s unique body chemistry. Customer review: “Let me tell you—it is heavenly. My partner cannot stop smelling me! It really does smell different depending on the person and can range from vanilla to sweet or spicy floral to nostalgic grandmother’s hugs. Definitely worth a try if you’re curious!”
Notes: pink pepper, cardamom, orange flower, saffron, jasmine sambac, mimosa, iris, patchouli, copaiba. As the penultimate scent in Aesop’s Othertopias collection, Gloam bridges the gap between dreams and reality. Pink pepper, cardamom, and saffron bring tons of spice to the otherwise earthy and floral scent. Customer review: “I basically want every Aesop perfume when it is released and this one is no different. It is strong and spicy and woody, but I feel it lingers, and even across the day, the scent doesn’t fade too much. Definitely worth investing in.”
Notes: palo santo wood accord, ebony wood accord, rose, cistus absolute, black pepper. Have you ever come across a scent that instantly transports you to a specific moment in time? Tom Ford’s Ébène Fumé takes me back to an extremely meditative, grounded time in my life—I wear it whenever I want a boost of stability (and a trail of peppery, optimistic-smelling smoke to follow me around). Customer review: “People will comment on how good you smell. The smell is complex and earthy but irresistible!”
Notes: jasmine, orange blossom, tangerine, clove, muguet, lily, olibanum, sandalwood, patchouli. Aptly named, this spicy scent is cinnamon-forward for a spicy edge. It’s good for any occasion, but it’s especially perfect for colder temps. Customer review: “I have loved Cinnabar ever since the first day our paths crossed back in 1980. I thought I met heaven on earth and I was right. Cinnabar is a beautiful and strong fragrance. A little goes a very long way.”
Notes: sandalwood, cardamom, bergamot. This Armani scent is absolutely electrifying. It’s creamy, woodsy, and spicy, all in one. Meant to evoke the smell of a breeze wafting through an imperial garden, it’s one of those scents you’ll want to wear every day. Customer review: “One of the things that makes this fragrance so special is the way it evolves on the skin. Initial spray smells like green tea which last roughly 10 minutes, then slowly the cardamom and bergamot creep in which infused with the tea gives off this exotic luxurious aroma that is inviting and addictive. Finally, you get the sandalwood which cleans it up it and makes this exotic fragrance into a creamy, powder yet slightly sweet masterpiece which is incredibly alluring.”
Notes: violet accord, cardamom, iris, ambrox, cedarwood, leather, sandalwood. Name a scent that smells more like the New York City downtown crowd—I’ll wait. Clouds of this sultry, spicy scent that was inspired by the American west can be found in bars, restaurants, and even subway cars all over the city. It may be popular, but it’s a modern classic for a reason—it smells good on everyone. Customer review: “I’d take a bath in this scent if I could afford it. I hope I’m buried with a bottle when I die.”
Notes: dark cherry, saffron, osmanthus, smoked woods. Don’t be fooled—this cherry scent is anything but sweet. It’s laced with woods and spices for a twist on the fruit. Cherry Smoke is the fragrance equivalent of trying to tie a cherry stem with your tongue at a cigar bar. Customer review: “Received this as a sample and fell in love. I have used a lot of perfumes, and this is my favorite, by far. It starts off with a really rich, creamy cherry scent with smoky undertones, then fades into a sweet, spicy sandalwood kind of scent. The wear down is incredible and it layers beautifully.”
Key notes: Pink pepper, bitter orange, banana leaf, tuberose, porcelain rose, nutmeg, moss, white musk. I personally love that this fragrance is an homage to my home state of Colorado. For me, it smells like coming home. Notes like crisp pine trees and fresh air make the scent crisp while vetiver and musk keep it grounded. The spicy notes make this scent truly special. Customer review: “Great fragrance, unisex. It reminds me of winter season because of the prominent pine note. It’d be perfect for Christmas, but it’s wearable during other seasons and occasions as well.”
Key notes: gin accord, pink pepper, lush violet, orris stem, tree moss, fir balsam. This is the scent equivalent of ordering a rosewater gin and tonic at the chicest, most hard-to-secure-a-reservation bar in town. Gin, pink pepper, violet, and woodsy notes make this fragrance absolutely delectable. Customer review: “So easy to wear, perfectly unisex, pleasant and unique.”
Notes: Turkish rose, red fruits, cinnamon, benzoin, incense, patchouli, sandalwood, castoreum. Portrait of a Lady might be one of the most complex rose scents to ever exist—no wonder it took hundreds of iterations to perfect. It strikes just the right balance between floral, spicy, fruity, and woodsy. The finished product is unexpected and an essential “special occasion” scent. Customer review: “Some may get discouraged by cost, as I was first time I bought. However, a little goes a long way; pretty much used daily and bottle (1.7 ounce size) lasted a good 8.5 months! Plus, the compliments from strangers…can’t put a dollar sign on the added ego-booster.”
Key notes: jasmine, saffron, cedar, ambergris. This is the kind of fragrance that the most sophisticated person you know would wear. It smells unbelievably luxe, and it complements everyone’s body chemistry. Customer review: “It is worth every cent! This is one of those fragrances that are so subtle, that once you put it on you do not smell it anymore, but I assure you…Others will. I work in the legal field…I have been in court during an active hearing and had a defendant risk contempt charges to ask me what I was wearing! That alone speaks volumes. I am constantly stopped on the street, in stores, elevators, in meetings, everywhere and told ‘you smell incredible, what are you wearing?'”
Notes: pink pepper, orange flower petals, clove oil, chestnut accord, guaiac wood oil, cade oil, vanilla accord, Peru balsam, cashmeran. Imagine the feeling of curling up by the fireplace with a book in hand and snow blanketing the outside world. Now put it in a bottle. That’s exactly what this spicy, fiery scent is—it transports you to a cold day, a fireplace, and immediate comfort. Customer review: “After a campfire one night, I didn’t want to wash my scarf because it just smelled like a perfect cocktail of my sweet perfume, trees, flannel, and campfire. This scent captures all of that and makes me feel perfectly ‘scent-imental.’ If you wear spicy, musky scents, this will be perfect for you.”
Notes: Italian lemon, orange bergamot, Moroccan tea, Kashmir wood, wild figs. If you could bottle a warm afternoon spent in the Mediterranean, it would smell like this scent from Nest New York. This spicy, zesty scent is inspired by Moroccan tea. Customer review: “I tried out this perfume in store and could not stop thinking about it afterwards. It is refreshing and not overwhelming, kind of like a glass of lightly sweetened lemon iced tea.”
