Key Takeaways
- The end of fall is full of spooky, mystical energy between Halloween and Scorpio season, calling for moody fragrances to match.
- From Wednesday and Nosferatu-inspired perfumes to unexpectedly twisted notes, our below selections bring an alluringly eerie energy to the everyday.
October has a certain transitional magic to it. The days are getting shorter, the nights longer; fall has finally settled in; and even the Halloween-skeptical among us are ready to concede that spooky season is in full swing (not to mention the arrival of Scorpio season). And what better way to honor the moment’s mystical air than to wrap yourself in a fragrance that matches its sense of strangeness?
A good spooky season perfume is moody, layered, and so much more than just a “fall fragrance.” It may share many of the same qualities—a certain autumnal warmth, a depth and richness of scent—but the best late fall scents also often have a certain otherworldliness and an embrace of the supernatural and macabre. Below, we’ve rounded up eight moody, morbid favorites that’ll have you smelling like the spectral haunting of your dreams.
D.Grayi Wednesday’s Nevermore
D.Grayi
It’s only fitting that a fragrance inspired by everyone’s favorite goth girl should top our list. Crafted by D.Grayi, an independent fragrance project that heavily favors natural ingredients, Wednesday’s Nevermore is as powerfully moody as its namesake—specifically the version from the Netflix series Wednesday. The Addams family’s Mexican heritage shines through by way of marigold and black copal, two sacred materials frequently used in Mesoamerican spiritual ceremonies, while notes of paint and ground coffee honor Wednesday’s refusal to water herself down for anyone else’s convenience.
Amphora Baby Boy
Amphora
Right down to its deep purple juice, this standout from Amphora Parfum is sinister and sweet in equal measure. The sugary grape note at the core of the fragrance calls to mind childhood idyll, while olfactory echoes of civet and hay hint at something darker fermenting beneath the surface.
D.S. & Durga Well Dressed Werewolf
D.S. & Durga
Released just in time for the turn of the season, D.S. & Durga’s new “studio juice”—as the singular scent house calls their especially luxurious limited-release fragrances—is tailor-made for spooky, moody evenings. Notes of cedar, fur, and jasmine weave a scent profile that’s at once deeply animalic and abidingly debonair, and the overall effect indeed leaves a lasting impression of a startlingly stylish lycanthrope.
Clue With the Candlestick
Clue Perfumery
The self-taught indie perfumers behind the dazzlingly inventive Clue Perfumery have mastered the art of evoking an entire world with every spray. Fittingly, this standout fragrance feels evocative of the board game franchise that shares the brand’s name, with wafts of incense, labdanum, and cherry communion wine painting a picture of a murder most foul. With the Candlestick supplies the howdunnit; the who and the where, on the other hand, are up to the wearer.
Heretic Nosferatu
Heretic
Last year, plant-based fragrance house Heretic Parfum partnered with Focus Features to release this fragrance inspired by Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu. Much like the film’s immortal title character, the fragrance leaves a lasting impression. Notes of violet, petrichor, and vegan ambergris call to mind a feeling that’s morbid and dank yet also achingly, desperately romantic.
Kayali Oudgasm Chocolate Oud
Kayali
Best known for sugary-sweet confections like Juicy Apple and Yum Boujee Marshmallow, Kayali’s recent Oudgasm collection uses its namesake oud notes to highlight a seductively sensual new side for the brand. All the scents are delicious, deep, and delightfully unexpected coming from Kayali, but Chocolate Oud has unforgettably moody energy. This mesmerizing gourmand blends its hero ingredient with notes of cocoa, rum, and caramel apple for a result that feels more than appropriate for spooky evenings.
Andrea Maack Coven
Andrea Maack
Peppery, mossy, and whiskey-soaked, Coven is the embodiment of that iconic line from The Crucible, “I saw Goody Proctor with the Devil!”—a lie made flesh, a collective hysterical belief solidified into something all too real. But Andrea Maack’s witches aren’t something to fear: This fragrance is lush, comforting, and mysterious, like an enchanted forest urging you to lay down for just the shortest nap.
Francesca Bianchi The Dark Side
Francesca Bianchi
If Andrea Maack’s Coven is a green witch, Francesca Bianchi’s The Dark Side is an enchantress of the dark arts. Like an occultist seeking to ensnare a victim, notes of honey, spice, and cedar lend this sticky-sweet scent an inescapable gravity. Once it has you in its grip, it won’t let go.
