Scent is a deeply personal thing, wound tightly around memories and mood.
When I open my masala dubba (a spice tub found in practically every South Asian household filled with chilli, cumin, turmeric, clove and more) and close my eyes, I could be in my grandmother’s Mumbai kitchen, some 4000 miles away.
A whiff of Tommy Girl sends me back to my formative years, when all I wanted was to be a preppy, yacht-sailing all-American girl with a navy jumper knotted around my shoulders and sea spray in my hair.
If I’ve got a good day ahead, I’ll spritz on Jo Malone’s Nectarine Blossom & Honey to tighten the bond between the scent and all the happy occasions I’ve worn it for. One whiff has an almost alchemic ability to brighten my mood, and I always douse myself with more at Duty-Free (because what are holidays if not moments of undistilled joy?). It smells like sweet spring sunshine; a very handy booster to have around when you’re facing 6000 days of January.
I’m a crisp and clean, occasionally floral, fragrance lover. While I’ll always have my forever favourites (as will you), when the seasons shift, it feels appropriate to reach for something new to breathe variety into my fragrance collection.
Scents are split into families: floral, amber (sometimes called Oriental), fresh and woody. The last, woody, may seem unnecessary to explain, but there's more to it than preferring a forest-fresh smell. The category is packed with earthy, grounding scents: think cedar, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, pine and oud. They’re often used as base notes and, in the best fragrances, add a rich layer of elegance and complexity.
High-quality woody fragrances can transport you to a dense woodland just after a thunderstorm or carry you to the enveloping heat of the desert. They can beam you into the heart of a buzzy metropolis or take you to a Nordic forest clearing in spring. Combined with notes from other fragrance families, a wood-rich scent can cloak you in power, elegance or spirituality. It’s just about finding the right wood for you.
If you’re ready to embark on a wood-based olfactory journey, I’ve put together a list of the best ones to try now. Newbie or veteran, you’re bound to find something you like below - touch wood.
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L'Artisan Parfumeur Il Était Un Bois Eau de Parfum 100ml
An unapologetic celebration of beautiful wood, L'Artisan Parfumeur flexes its prowess in this offering, which translates to It Was A Wood. A sniff nudges open the door to a calming and serene world, mingling notes to vetiver, buckwheat and cedar wood. You can practically hear the birds tweeting.
Buy now £170.00, Liberty
D.S. & Durga Radio Bombay
The frenetic, complex and often contradicting notes of Bandra in downtown Mumbai have been captured with sublime expertise in D.S. & Durga's Radio Mumbai.
The EDP recreates the pulsating buzz with top notes of copper and cedarwood before revealing a heart of sandalwood, iris and boronia. At the base, you'll find wafts of balsam fir, coconut and ambergris. Anoint pulse points (behind ears, throat, wrists, ankles) for all-day staying power.
Buy now £155.00, Liberty
Jo Malone London Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense
Famed for its unisex colognes, Jo Malone's Intense line offers a more powerful hit of fragrance. Namibian myrrh trees are the stars of this show, its resinous scent made warmer with notes of sweet and silky tonka bean.
Worried about the scent sliding off after the initial spritz? This combination is available in Jo Malone’s bath and body products too, so you can layer yourself in it from top to toe.
Buy now £112.00, John Lewis
Aesop Marrakech Intense Eau de Parfum
Wood combines with Oriental notes in Aesop's Marrakech Intense EDP. The desert city is brought to life with warm woody notes of sandalwood and clove, lifted by a bouquet of florals: delicate rose, jasmine and neroli are all in the mix.
Buy now £115.00, Space NK
PHLUR Somebody Wood Eau De Parfum
The colour of deep honey, Somebody Wood is as comforting as it looks. PHLUR has made something perfect for cosying up with on frightful autumn and winter nights with a strong but never overpowering EDP. Top notes include grey cloud-zapping bursts of bergamot and lemon, before a heart of jasmine, saffron and cyclamen reveals itself. The base thrums with a medley of warming woods: sandalwood, musk, moss and cedarwood with vanilla and amber for warmth.
Buy now £99.00, Space NK
Who Is Elijah Nomad Eau De Parfum 50ml
Impulse personalities will like Nomad from Aussie brand Who Is Elijah. The versatile fragrance can be worn any place, any time and by anyone, achieved through its ingredients which belong to no less than three scent families. Amberwood sits at the heart with Bulgarian rose and ambergris, sandwiched between saffron, Egyptian jasmine and almond at the top and cedar, fir resin, mush and moss in the base. Despite the mix, it's a very light scent.
Buy now £80.00, Boots
Tom Ford Oud Wood Eau De Parfum 50ml
Tom Ford fragrances rarely feature florals, which is why so many fragrance fans are drawn to the collection. They offer a sniff of the alternative.
The Oud Wood EDP pays homage to the wood’s use in temples, heightening the intensity with rose, cardamom, sandalwood and vetiver with Tonka bean and amber at the base. Chic and sensual, staying true to the brand’s DNA.
Buy now £169.58, Amazon
Le Labo Santal 33 Eau de Parfum (100ml)
If you’re familiar with the Santal aroma, you’ll detect it a mile off. It is such a powerful and long-lasting scent that just a few spritzes in the morning will stand the test of time throughout the day. Get ready to cue the compliments as the smokey wood and spicy notes will be sure to catch attention. It’s unisex, sensual and has notes of cardamon, iris, violet, ambrox, sandalwood, papyrus and cedarwood.
Buy now £234.00, John Lewis
Gucci Oud Intense
You can’t help but feel powerful wearing Gucci’s Oud Intense, presented in a black square bottle with a gleaming gold topper. Rich and intoxicating, it’s the perfect thing to wear for a second or third date when seduction is on the cards.
Buy now £155.00, The Perfume Shop
Creed Royal Oud
The grand palaces of Persia play muse to Creed’s best-selling Royal Oud fragrance. The perfume is filled with ingredients prized in ancient cultures: think cedar and sandalwood alongside glorious notes of oud. Perfect for making a majestic impression.
Buy now £210.00, Selfridges
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood eau de parfum 70ml
The latest fragrance from the legendary fragrance brand begins with a rich Laos oud that is softened with notes of violet accord and rose from Bulgaria and Turkey as well as vanilla and amber. If you like to take the rough with the smooth, this is the oud for you.
Buy now £235.00, Selfridges
Liberty LBTY. Fragrance Hera Reigns Eau de Parfum
Since the LBTY fragrance collection launched in October 2023, the luxury department store has proved its prowess in the scent space with beautiful flacons adorned with Liberty prints and sumptuous elixirs to fill them with.
New to the line-up is Hera Reigns, offering a twist on a classic oud. The opening of pink pepper provides a spicy entry to the fragrance and is set alongside gardenia and rich woods. At the heart is jasmine paired with precious oud.
Buy now £225.00, Liberty
Hermès Barénia
The first chypre perfume in the Hermès fragrance line-up is known as Barénia and it encapsulates the sophisticated elegance that is synonymous with the leather goods label. The seductive scent is classic in its notes; butterfly lily is combined with the delicate miracle berry, and given depth with oakwood and intense patchouli for a captivating woody olfactory experience.
The curved flacon was designed to resemble the Collier de chien bracelet with its medor studs, which are set on the bottle and made from precious metals, encapsulating one of the heritage pieces from the fashion house.
Buy now £80.00, The Fragrance Shop
Le Sel d’Issey by Issey Miyake
Instead of being a simple scent note, salt takes centre stage in Issey Miyake’s new fragrance for men. Designed to mimic the smell of a fresh sea breeze, this scent will catapult you to the seaside and make you feel as fresh as the ocean air. It is a marine woody aroma that blends natural-origin marine seaweed with natural-origin oak moss – the latter which is a type of algae that migrated inland, resulting in a herbaceous scent.
This transportive ocean aroma is combined with cedarwood and sand vetiver to give it that rugged edge, making it the perfect everyday fragrance – and one that’s set to be a staple in any discerning gent’s morning routine. The top note of ginger further enhances the freshness of the salt and adds a captivating twist to an already intriguing scent.
Along with being inspired by nature, it has also been formulated with eco-conscious practices in mind. Which is why Miyake’s vegan scent is made with up to 95 per cent of ingredients of natural origin, and the alcohol used for blending with the perfume concentrate is also 100 per cent natural – derived from French beetroot, in fact.
Taking the fragrance composition’s eco-friendly credentials one step further, the bottle itself is also made from 20 per cent recycled glass, and the sleek, sophisticated, and minimal style is available in 50ml and 100ml editions, which are both refillable. The box it comes in has been thoroughly considered too, using 10 per cent upcycled seaweed to create it.
Buy now £72.00, John Lewis
Sunspel Oak Wood
The marketing spiel deems this fragrance the ‘white t-shirt of fragrances’, meaning it's a staple in your collection. Indeed it is ideal for everyday wear with a clean scent that, thanks to oak moss and sandalwood, evokes memories of strolling in the British countryside when the weather is onside.
Florals pop up like wildflowers in a meadow: bergamot, neroli, chamomile and angelica seed, while the base carries a spicy finish from amber and frankincense notes.
If you like smelling clean and wholesome with a twist, add this to your basket immediately.
Buy now £80.00, Sunspel
