Nostalgia is always viewed through rose-colored lenses. Yes, things were simpler when you were a kid. There was no 9-to-5 to get to or taxes to pay. But keep those rose-colored lenses on for a second; being a grown-up also has its perks, and this fall’s fragrance trends are a nod to the fun parts of being an adult.
Summer is a great time to revisit juicy, fresh, or sweet gourmands, but as the weather cools down, we’re reminded of more nuanced indulgences. A lineup of complex spice notes like saffron, toasted sesame, and cardamom is best appreciated by the more mature (few children ever request grated nutmeg over their buttered noodles), along with the depth and darkness of a good cup of coffee. And of course, for those 21-plus, a boozy cocktail note like bourbon or whiskey. We’re also leaving behind a juicy slice of watermelon (we reserve the right to return to it) for darker, more romantic fruits, a deep and sexy plum or an indulgent dried date.
Classic notes are also growing up this season—tonka is vanilla’s more interesting older sister, able to shift from woody to dry to nutty, depending on the present company. And peony, while bringing a lightness to an otherwise darker slate of fragrance trends, still feels like a more sophisticated floral than an obvious rose.
There’s nothing wrong with holding on to childhood and being a little immature from time to time. In fact, we’d encourage it. But you have to admit, being a grown-up isn’t all bad, especially if you smell sensational. Below, fragrance experts break down the trending notes and accords that you’ll be craving this fall.
Grown-up gourmands
No offense to toddlers, but our palates have evolved beyond sugary fruit snacks. Luckily for us, the cooler months serve up a whole world of complex flavors to feast on: deep spices that bloom, shift, and tantalize, a touch of amaretto in a cup of single-origin dark-roast coffee, and a dish of briny olives swimming in rich, verdant olive oil. The singular culinary pleasures of being a grown-ass adult.
That maturity extends to fragrance this fall. According to the Spate Popularity Index, gourmand fragrances saw an 85% year-over-year increase in popularity in 2026. But the food group has shifted away from juicy, bright, and simple. A joint study by CPL Aromas, a global fragrance house, and The Fragrance Shop, a major UK-based fragrance retailer, calls this evolution “gourmand 2.0.” They’ve noticed sugary ingredients cut with textural gourmand notes like tea, coffee, rice, and spice. Perhaps, they posit, as a response to the growth of GLP-1 use—an era where appetite is being renegotiated and reimagined.
“Traditional gourmand notes like vanilla and pistachio are being saturated by the body mist craze and starting to become more mainstream and cater to a younger audience,” says Emma, the perfumer student behind the social media account @perfumerism. “For fine fragrance brands, there is an urge for brands to capitalize on this trend of gourmand while also distinguishing their product as a premium with novel and complex notes.”
Jeniece Trizzino, vice president of innovation and product for Scentbird, agrees: “In the last couple of years, gourmand meant sugar—vanilla, marshmallow, cookie dough with frosting on top.” This fall, she adds, gourmands are leaning more toward comforting meals, less toward dessert.
Trizzino highlights spices like earthy saffron. Anti Bast grounds saffron and warm cardamom (a fall spice rack classic) with incense absolute and amber, creating a warm, spicy scent ideal for cooler weather. If that feels too heavy, Dries Van Noten’s new Velvet Violet lifts culinary aromatics like nutty toasted sesame and bitter roasted barley with lighter notes like fresh pink pepper and powdery violet.
