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16 Compliment Garnering, Editor-Loved Perfumes to Wear From the Holiday Season 'Til the New Year
Beauty editors agree: These irresistible scents deserve a spot on your wish list.
While it’s true that you can *technically* wear any perfume at any time of year, I love the ritual of picking out a new perfume (or five) for each season. In my opinion, the holiday season is severely underrated: The coldest months of the year mean I can finally wear my boldest, most unique fragrances without choking out everyone in a three-block radius—like leathery ouds, heady florals, and caramelized gourmands. Ready to break out of your fragrance comfort zone? I've curated a list of the very best perfumes to gift (or try for yourself) this holiday season.
Our top perfume picks for the holidays:
To ensure that I'm only recommending top-tier scents, I recruited 10 of my fellow Cosmo editors to help me test these holiday-ready perfumes—ranging from tried-and-true fragrance classics to buzzy new launches. We wear-tested each perfume for at least one whole day, then gave our honest feedback based on longevity, strength, and how the scent transformed over time.
The result? We found 16 cold weather-ready perfumes worth a spot in your stocking. Discover our favorites below:
"I feel this is the scent that a rich man or woman wears in a luxe upstate cabin as they pull on their cable knit and scooch closer to a roaring fireplace, bourbon in hand....Après reminds me of a hot toddy: smoky and spicy with a subtle sweetness. I don’t think I’ve ever worn or smelled a similar fragrance!"—KHADIJA HORTON, SENIOR DESIGNER
- Key notes: Juniper, cardamom, bourbon, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla
- Strength: 3/5
- Longevity: 4-6 hours
When we're wearing it: To warm up by the fireplace after hitting the slopes
"This scent made me feel warm and cozy—it's definitely made for someone who loves a sweet gourmand. Although it's a basic vanilla scent, its beauty comes from its simplicity. Aura de Vanille reminds me of a more elevated Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Body works, but not as sugary. It's the perfect amount of sweet for me, as someone who prefers florals and lighter fragrances."—ANVITA REDDY, COMMERCE EDITOR
- Key notes: Orris, vanilla milk, salted jasmine, sandalwood, cashmere woods
- Strength: 3/5
- Longevity: 4-6 hours
When we're wearing it: For a serotonin boost post-4 p.m. sunset
"Honestly, I'd buy this perfume for the gorgeous bottle alone, but thankfully it smells just as good as it looks. Lazulio starts off mouthwateringly tart and bright with a unique rhubarb note, and the benzoin and vetiver give it depth. It's also shockingly long-lasting with an impressive throw—especially for a fresher scent profile. My fellow editors all agree that it gives 'rich mom energy', so I'm spritzing it on any time I want to feel elegant and uplifted."—LAUREN GRUBER, ASSOCIATE COMMERCE EDITOR
- Key notes: Rhubarb, vetiver, rose, benzoin
- Strength: 4/5
- Longevity: 6-8 hours
When we're wearing it: To a New Year's Eve party
"Thinking of trying the milk perfume trend that's all over TikTok? Xtra Milk is the perfect place to start. It has that creamy, milky factor everyone is obsessed with—without relying on vanilla or gourmand notes. I put it in the same category as Glossier You, a 'your skin but better' scent that adapts to everyone's body chemistry slightly differently. The ultimate clean girl perfume."—SARAH MABERRY, COMMERCE EDITOR
- Key notes: Bergamot, white musk, amber
- Strength: 3/5
- Longevity: 10+ hours
When we're wearing it: For an everyday signature scent
"For the first few hours, this scent is really spicy and intense. It has a strong sillage and is a bit heavier. But when I really start to love the fragrance is after it sits. A few hours in, it's so buttery and creamy. Truly, there's a butter note in here—and it smells divine. Like cinnamon buttered toast my mom used to make me on super cold mornings as a kid. It's cozy and nostalgic, but also sophisticated."—BETH GILLETTE, BEAUTY EDITOR
- Key notes: Vanilla, cinnamon butter, magnolia, sandalwood
- Strength: 2/5
- Longevity: 4-6 hours
When we're wearing it: To bake cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning
"Ginger Biscuit smells like walking into a warm bakery on a cold winter day. While it isn't a very strong scent, I think that's what I like most about it. The longevity and projection are more intimate, and the fragrance is far from cloying. When I wear it, I'm reminded of Christmas morning at my grandma's house: Nostalgic, inviting, and warm."—JAYNE LEMIRE, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
- Key notes: Ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, hazelnut, tonka bean
- Strength: 2/5
- Longevity: 2-4 hours
When we're wearing it: To curl up for a classic holiday movie marathon with the fam
"Cherry Smoke is what I imagine a rockstar's girlfriend smells like. It's leathery and sexy without skewing masculine, and fruity without being overly sweet—one of those scents you can't quite put your finger on, so you keep coming back for another sniff. I've tried numerous cherry scents over the years, and this is undoubtedly one of the best for winter. Dare I say I prefer it over Tom Ford's viral Electric Cherry scent?"—SM
- Key notes: Sour cherry, saffron, apricot, leather, smoked woods
- Strength: 3/5
- Longevity: 2-4 hours
When we're wearing it: To dance the night away on New Year's Eve
"It's intriguing and doesn't smell like much else in my collection. The peppery woody spice danced on my nose for the first few minutes, but it dries down into a musk that stays close to the skin, so I think it'd be good for people who don't like an in-your-face fragrance. It does smell wet and dewy. I'd wear it to freshen up throughout the day. I also think it's good for office environments since it's more subtle."—HEATH OWENS, DEPUTY COMMERCE EDITOR
- Key notes: Bergamot, apple blossom, papyrus, black pepper, palo santo, musk
- Strength: 2/5
- Longevity: 0-2 hours
When we're wearing it: To freshen up between meetings
"When I want to feel grown, sexy, and powerful, Musc Ravageur is my go-to. It's pretty much the blueprint when it comes to warm, ambery scent profiles, with a slightly animalic (in a good way), musky dry-down that makes it so seductive—like heat radiating off a lover's skin. This stuff is seriously powerful, so you only need a spray or two to turn heads."—LG
- Key notes: Bergamot, lavender, musk, amber, sandalwood
- Strength: 5/5
- Longevity: 10+ hours
When we're wearing it: To complete your outfit for a black-tie winter wedding
"On first spray, it smells mossy and a little sweet, almost like stepping into a magical forest. As it dries down, though, the scent transforms into a woody blend that kinda reminds me of wrapping yourself in a warm towel post-sauna session. It’s cozy, comforting, and just complex enough to garner compliments allll day long."—SAMANTHA JONES, COMMERCE EDITOR
- Key notes: Green grass, vetiver, freesia, patchouli, vanilla
- Strength: 3/5
- Longevity: 6-8 hours
When we're wearing it: To make eyes over cocktails on a December date
"I'm a big fan of smelling bright and fresh in winter. When it's disgusting outside and gloomy, all I want is to lift up my wrist and smell something that reminds me of spring. Burberry Goddess really has that down. It's both vibrant and soft, changing on my skin as I wear it. The creamy vanilla and lavender feel cozy, but ginger adds a touch of spice that I really love."—BG
- Key notes: Vanilla, lavender, ginger, cacao
- Strength: 4/5
- Longevity: 6-8 hours
When we're wearing it: To spend a day out shopping for holiday presents
"Although I really want to be an oud girl, the note can be too overpowering. However, Vanilla Oud makes it so much more approachable to wear. It's smoky yet sweet, and it transitions beautifully throughout the day for a scent that delivers that #richmom aura. This scent makes me feel confident yet alluring. Because of its depth and layered scent profile, it's both cozy and sophisticated."—AR
- Key notes: Oud, vanilla, praline, saffron, jasmine, cashmere woods
- Strength: 4/5
- Longevity: 8-10 hours
When we're wearing it: To make an impression at a holiday soirée
"Do I have an individuality complex when it comes to perfume? Absolutely, which is why I’m obsessed with this scent from niche Swedish fragrance house Stora Skuggan. The notes of saffron, dried fruits, and amber remind me of walking through a holiday market in Europe—like catching whiffs of spice stalls, bakeries, and mulled wine in the air. It's unique yet comforting, warm without being too sweet, and long-lasting but not overpowering—AKA, everything I want in a cold-weather scent."—LG
- Key notes: Saffron, blood orange, dried fruit, amber, incense
- Strength: 3/5
- Longevity: 6-8 hours
When we're wearing it: To browse handmade gifts at a Christmas market
"It reminded me of making wintertime s'mores with a glass of wine in hand. At first spritz, the scent was super vanilla-y—which is very sweet and intense. If you're a gourmand and dessert perfume person, this would be a great winter scent."—JASMINE HYMAN, ASSISTANT BEAUTY EDITOR
- Key notes: White chocolate, champagne accord, dark cocoa, plum, sandalwood
- Strength: 3/5
- Longevity: 4-6 hours
When we're wearing it: While hosting a cozy wine night with the girlies
"I don’t typically love overly floral scents, but I appreciated the depth of this one. It felt more sophisticated than other floral scents I’ve tried thanks to the cashmere wood notes while still having an innocent sweetness about it for the first couple hours of wear. It definitely got muskier by the end of the day. I see myself wearing this scent for an evening event rather than an entire day at the office."—CRISTINA CORVINO, DEPUTY MANAGING COMMERCE EDITOR
- Key notes: Pink pepper, black currant, rose, cashmere woods, musk
- Strength: 3/5
- Longevity: 4-6 hours
When we're wearing it: To turn heads at a fancy holiday dinner
"White floral perfumes can be really hit or miss for me, but this jasmine-forward scent from Valentino has remained one of my favorite winter night-out scents for years. It's similar to the original Donna Born in Roma, but less fruity with a heavier benzoin base that makes it ideal for cold weather. Plus, it lasts pretty much forever, so I don't need to top it off throughout the night—though it smells so good, sometimes I can't resist."—LG
- Key notes: Jasmine, vanilla, amber, benzoin
- Strength: 4/5
- Longevity: 10+ hours
When we're wearing it: To score compliments from other girls in the bar bathroom
How to choose the best holiday perfume:
Keep your giftee's personal taste in mind.
Fragrance is extremely subjective. As someone who recommends perfumes for a living, my best piece of advice is to take stock of which fragrances you (or your recipient) already loves, and use them to inspire your next purchase. Does most of their perfume collection consist of sweet, edible-smelling gourmands? Then Brown Girl Jane's Chalet is right up their alley. Or, if you prefer subtle, musky scents akin to Glossier You, Dedcool's Xtra Milk offers a similar your-skin-but-better scent profile.
Think about how each scent performs.
Fun fact: winter's cooler temperatures slow the evaporation of perfume (yes, I'm a fragrance nerd), which means that your scents will smell less, well, smelly. So while you won't get the best performance out of lighter citruses and florals, winter is a great time to experiment with heavier scent profiles that evaporate slower, like vanillas, ambers, and woody fragrances.
Plus, you'll want to pay attention to each scent's concentration. Perfume comes in a variety of strengths, with the most common ones ranging from extraits de parfum (the strongest and most long-lasting) to eau de parfum, eau de toilette, and eau de cologne (the weakest). Most of the scents on this list are eau de parfums, so you'll still be able to smell them during the coldest months of the year.
(Bottle) size matters.
Generally, perfumes tend to come in a few standard sizes: 0.33 fl oz travel sprays, and 1.0, 1.7, and 3.4 fl oz bottles. Larger sizes offer the best bang for your buck with a lower cost per ounce (and usually have prettier packaging), while travel sizes are a great way to test out a scent before committing to a full size.
My advice? Start with a travel spray or smaller bottle. Once you finish it, you can upgrade to a larger size and save yourself some money in the long run. But if you don't end up loving it, you won't feel like you wasted your hard-earned cash.
Why trust ‘Cosmopolitan’?
Lauren Gruber is an associate commerce editor at Cosmopolitan with over five years of experience researching and writing about all things beauty. An expert in the perfume space, she uses her knowledge of the history and science of fragrance to analyze the latest trends. She hand-selected each scent featured on this list, and recruited her fellow Cosmo editors for their testing notes.
Lauren Gruber is an associate commerce editor at Hearst Magazines, where she writes for publications like Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Prevention, Country Living, House Beautiful, and more. She has over four years of professional experience covering a variety of lifestyle topics from home to fashion, with an advanced background in beauty and fragrance. When she’s not researching the most worthy Prime Day deals or hands-on testing all the latest perfume launches, Lauren is probably hanging out with her cat Serafina or flexing her AMC A-List membership at the movie theater.
You can find her previous work at Entertainment Tonight, Shop TODAY, USA Today, Self Magazine, L’Officiel USA, V Magazine, and Modern Luxury Media.
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