Top 15 Winter Perfumes Without Vanilla

Set 1: Brandy & Wine – Boozy Perfumes

With winter comes Xmas and with Xmas comes all the associated alcohol: brandy, mulled wine, port, eggnog… the options are endless. Boozy perfumes aren’t something new or uncommon by any means but the focus here is those drinks we associate with winter and the holiday season. Whether you like a drink with the gifts or not, here is the first set of three winter perfumes without vanilla.

Liquides Imaginaires – Bloody Wood (Difficulty Rating: 4/5)

Bloody Wood by Liquides Imaginaires is a bit of a weird one because it’s both icy cold and fruity warm at the same time – there is a set of cold winter fragrances below, in case you’d rather move away from the stereotypical “cozy perfume for winter” vibe.

Part of the Les Eaux Sanguines collection – along with Dom Rosa and Bello Rabelo – Bloody Wood is inspired by blood and wine. The metallic opening evokes the scent of blood, but the fragrance soon transitions into a warm heart of fruity red wine. The contrast of the cold and warm makes this possibly a rather polarising scent: blind buy with caution!

For another niche fragrance that smells like blood, try La Haine by Moth and Rabbit – you can read more about it here.

Shop now: Liquides Imaginaires – Bloody Wood

Givenchy – Gentleman Reserve Privée (Difficulty Rating: 2/5)

Givenchy‘s Gentleman Réserve Privée is the most masculine leaning of the suggestions for boozy perfumes, featuring notes including whisky, chestnut, and patchouli. If you’re looking for something classy and romantic, this perfume won’t let you down. The opening is a hit of warm whisky that blends into a smooth and chocolatey chestnut and orris – the latter is an earthy scent created from the bulbs of the iris.

It’s great for getting compliments, so definitely a designer fragrance to consider for date night!

Shop now: Givenchy – Gentleman Reserve Privée

Amouage – Overture Woman (Difficulty Rating: 3/5)

As Amouage often do, they have released two versions of this perfume: Overture Man which features Cognac, and Overture Woman which features Brandy. The main difference between the two types of alcohol is that Cognac is made solely from white grapes in the Cognac region of France, while Brandy can be made from any fruit, for example cherries, apples, or grapes.

The perfume starts with boozy apple – almost like cider – and moves into a sweet and slightly smokey base with hints of rose along the way. Although marketed to women, Overture Woman is more of a unisex fragrance. The sweetness is tempered by the leather and incense in the base, so while this niche fragrance is extremely close to being gourmand, it doesn’t get there entirely.

Shop now: Amouage – Overture Woman

Set 2: Fruits and Spices – Warming Winter Perfumes Without Vanilla

Certain fruits and spices are associated with winter: cloves and cinnamon for baking cakes, pomegranates in winter, figs in autumn. Where I live there is the tradition of giving a paper bag filled with seasonal nuts and fruit to kids on November 11th. The bag includes chestnuts, almonds, dried fruit, a tangerine, and maybe a little toy as a gift. In December, there are popular pastries filled with treacle mixed with a variety of flavours including cloves, citrus zest and aniseed. Thinking about all these possibilities – and some other fruits and spices too – here are three fruity and spicy perfumes to warm you up in winter.

Sora Dora – Vanuatu (Difficulty Rating: 3/5)

Vanuatu by Sora Dora opens with a strong cumin note that may not be to everyone’s taste, and which overpowers the cardamom somewhat. This almost pungent note at the start is accompanied by a citrus-and-tart freshness which then fades away as the perfume evolves. The fig milk and cardamom bring warmth alongside a light violet that doesn’t lean powdery; the papyrus and sandalwood base are creamy and complex.

The difficulty rating is rather high for Vanuatu because of the strong cumin – a divisive note that can can smell almost sweaty for some – but it doesn’t take too long to move into the fruity, woodsy base . This niche fragrance needs a bit of time to develop.

Shop now: Sora Dora – Vanuatu

Xerjoff – Starlight (Difficulty Rating: 3/5)

If you want the cardamom to shine, Starlight by Xerjoff is the niche perfume to try. Alongside the cardamom in the top notes, cinnamon in the heart makes this perfume particularly warming and best suited to winter and cold weather. The almond note gives a bit of sweetness, but rather than a creamy sweet, it’s more dry and powdery, keeping it firmly away from the gourmand family.

Shop now: Xerjoff – Starlight

Jo Malone – Pomegranate Noir (Difficulty Rating: 1/5)

With all those fruits and spices, Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone is the perfect fruity perfume if you want to smell like spiced fruit punch. It’s no secret that perfumes from the brand struggle with longevity – this one does too – so take that into consideration if planning to purchase.

Shop now: Jo Malone – Pomegranate Noir

Set 3: Warm and Woody: Cozy Winter Perfumes Without Vanilla

Cozy perfumes could be an entire list all of its own – “cozy” is open to interpretation as what one person finds cozy may not be the same for someone else. This set focus on warm woods and notes like honey. These are winter perfumes without vanilla… but some of them may be just as sweet!

Acqua di Parma – Oud & Spice (Difficulty Rating: 2/5)

Oud & Spice by Acqua di Parma is great as an introduction to oud because the oud is barely there! The warmth in this fragrance is mainly from the cloves, cinnamon, and patchouli. If you’re looking for a challenging oud fragrance, you will definitely have to look elsewhere.

Shop now: Acqua di Parma – Oud & Spice

Electimuss – Persephone’s Patchouli (Difficulty Rating: 1/5)

While Oud & Spice was a great introduction to oud, Persephone’s Patchouli by Electimuss is the patchouli fragrance for people who hate patchouli. Here, this note is soft, clean, warm – never dirty. It opens with a mix of fruit and spice then moves into the base which is slightly sweet from the honey, but grounded and balanced thanks to the patchouli. If you’re after a darker, dirtier patchouli, go for Electimuss’ Patchouli of the Underworld instead.

Shop now: Electimuss – Persephone’s Patchouli

Elie Saab – Le Parfum (Difficulty Rating: 1/5)

To be honest it was a toss up about whether or not to include Elie Saab‘s Le Parfum in this list – it’s a good wear for most of the year, but the honey is really quite strong and warming so this would be best suited for the winter. There’s a fresh opening from the orange flower which moves into an elegant floral in the jasmine, but the base is ultimately very warming thanks to the honey and patchouli. Le Parfum is a very popular choice for brides on their wedding day – perhaps best for a winter wedding though.

Shop now: Elie Saab – Le Parfum

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Set 4: By the Fireplace – Smoky and Tobacco Winter Perfumes Without Vanilla

Sitting around the fireplace in the winter reading a book and/or smoking a pipe feels more like something out of Pride and Prejudice rather than the 2020s if we’re being honest. It’s definitely a stereotypical – idealised, if you will – visual when thinking of winter. A lot of tobacco perfumes veer cloying and sweet – think Tom Ford‘s Tobacco Vanille and Mancera‘s Red Tobacco. Both have notes of vanilla, and are definitely divisive perfumes. This set of three winter perfumes without vanilla goes in three different directions: the pure tobacco, the sweet tobacco, and the plain old burning smoke – no tobacco anywhere.

Demeter – Pipe Tobacco (Difficulty Rating: 2/5)

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of opening a fresh tin of pipe tobacco, you’ll know that lovely smell of the moist tobacco inside – it’s got the tobacco notes, yes, but it also smells fruity and just a little bit sweet. That’s what Demeter‘s Pipe Tobacco smells like.

Pipe Tobacco is an Eau de Cologne, meaning it only has 2-5% perfume oil concentration (this is less than an Eau de Toilette which has 5-15%) and therefore suffers from very short longevity – about 2 to 3 hours. Luckily the price point makes up for that: a 30ml/1fl oz bottle like the above is $25.00. This fragrance lasts much longer on clothes than it does on skin though, so that’s a good note to take into consideration.

In case you’re not familiar with them, Demeter is a brand that creates fragrances based on everyday scents and objects – they tend to focus on singular notes, and because of that they’re perfect for layering. You can see more of their fragrances – called the Demeter Fragrance Library – here, and they have hundreds of perfumes to choose from.

Shop now: Demeter – Pipe Tobacco

Atelier Versace – Tabac Impérial (Difficulty Rating: 2/5)

Tabac Impérial by Atelier Versace is the sweet tobacco that doesn’t have vanilla, but it makes up for that with honey and benzoin. It’s a smooth blend with great longevity – around 10 hours – and strong sillage, but the sweetness may be a bit overpowering and cloying for some noses. Best to test this one first if you’re not into gourmands! If you like fragrances like Tobacco Vanille (Tom Ford), Tobacco Honey (Guerlain), and Tabac Rouge (Phaedon), this will be a great addition to your collection.

Shop now: Atelier Versace – Tabac Imperial

Imaginary Authors – A City on Fire (Difficulty Rating: 5/5)

A City on Fire by Imaginary Authors is the smoky perfume with no tobacco and no sweetness either. The smoke is more of a bonfire smell, with a hint of gunpowder and burning rubber or tar. It can feel quite aggressive, similar to La Haine by Moth and Rabbit: it’s not an easy perfume to get into. It’s less “cozy fireplace” and more “raging fire consuming the house and car” – but the name gives that away anyway. In a set of smoky perfumes though, it’s definitely something to try if you like your fragrances a bit more experimental.

Shop now: Imaginary Authors – A City on Fire

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Set 5: A Walk in the Forest – Icy Cold Perfumes

This is the last set of winter perfumes without vanilla and these move away from fragrances that evoke warmth and comfort. Here the theme is cold and snow, a walk in the frozen forest. This is all about enjoying the frosty season and leaning into that icy feeling: here are three cold perfumes.

Maison Margiela REPLICA – Soul of the Forest (Difficulty Rating: 3/5)

Soul of the Forest by Maison Margiela REPLICA captures that distinctive fresh yet damp forest smell. There’s a hint of petrichor and wet moss after the rain, but also the other parts of the forest too: the berries on trees, the fir needles, the cold air. The sap in the heart adds a touch of sweetness to stop this from going too cold, and there’s a hint of smoke from the incense.

Shop now: Maison Margiela Replica – Soul of the Forest

Creed – Silver Mountain Water (Difficulty Rating: 1/5)

Developed by Olivier Creed and Pierre Bourdon, Silver Mountain Water was inspired by the former’s love of skiing, intended to evoke the streams in the Swiss Alps. Having never skied or been on a mountain, I can’t vouch for this Creed fragrance’s accuracy in capturing that vibe, but it’s crisp and fresh, with a metallic and icy feel. It does suffer in longevity, and to be honest I see it recommended for summer rather than winter. But let’s not be beholden to what others say: you ski in winter anyway, right?

Shop now: Creed – Silver Mountain Water

Serge Lutens – Parole d’Eau

Serge Lutens‘ Parole d’Eau features notes of eucalyptus, lemon zest, and pine needles: this is definitely going to be crisp and fresh. It evokes a cold forest with a refreshing quality from the eucalyptus and lemon, and there’s a slight ozonic character to it as well. Similar to Silver Mountain Water above, this is often recommended for summer rather than winter, but the point here is cold not warm. Something to give that fresh feeling of waking up in a cabin in the woods as an icy stream bubbles past. Brrr!

Shop now: Serge Lutens – Parole d’Eau

Top 15 Winter Perfumes Without Vanilla – Full Shopping List