After clearing out my collection, I have concluded that these are the 19 best autumn perfumes ever made

It's no secret that, as a beauty editor with a special interest in fragrance, my collection is grotesquely large—and autumn perfumes are some of my absolute favourites. You see, I keep over 100 of the best perfumes in my stash. And while I would never condone anyone buying such an absurd number of fragrances, I write about perfume every week, so feel that it's important I have them to hand so that I can give you the best reviews and descriptions.

And with the arrival of autumn (and as we step into prime time for fragrance launches), I am fresh out of my annual perfume collection clear out. This year, I have been particularly brutal with what I have decided to keep and what has been given away to friends. The bottles that get to stay in my autumn rotation must be long-lasting perfumes, fragrances that smell expensive (even if they aren't), scents that win me compliments and, most importantly, possess that sort of joyful comfort that only an autumn perfume can.

So, from inviting floral scents to luxury perfumes that ooze the sort of richness you want out of your cosy season fragrance, here are the best autumn perfumes in existence (and the only ones that made it out of my cull unscathed).

1. Diptyque Orphéon

Anyone who knows me will tell you that this perfume is basically a part of me. If you cut me open, I wouldn't be surprised if I bled Diptyque Orphéon. It is, in my opinion, one of the finest perfumes ever created. While I find an excuse to wear it year round, there's no questioning that its powdery, luxe-smelling nature lends itself to the autumn months. It lasts all day, wins me countless compliments from the harshest of perfume critics and smells absolutely divine. It's like stepping foot into a Hollywood powder room in the Golden Age, where face powder, perfume and cigarette smoke entwine in the air. 

2. Avon Far Away Beyond The Moon

I know this one might be a hard sell, but please believe me when I say this is one of the most deliciously luxe-smelling perfumes that has landed on my desk this year. It is warm and enveloping, with a heady hit of powdery florals and juicy cherry. This is the sort of perfume that belongs on the necks of women at the fanciest of evening soirées, wearing cocktail dresses and (faux, of course) fur shawls draped over their shoulders.

3. Tom Ford Café Rose

Historically speaking, I have struggled to find a Tom Ford perfume that I really feel speaks to me. I totally understand their universal appeal, but there are only two or three out of the vast offering from the brand in which I really like. Café Rose isn't just a perfume I really like, however, it is a perfume I think that everyone deserves to smell. It is, without a show of a doubt, one of my most worn perfumes of the season so far. It's a smoky, caffeinated rose that isn't in the least bit overbearing. It's not a light, silky floral and it's not a hard-hitting smoke show—it teeters the line between the two expertly. It's so good that I recently had the whole ladies room in a restaurant lining up for a spritz once they caught me topping up after dinner. 

4. Dior J'adore l'Or

I have been a die-hard fan of J'adore since I was a teenager. It is one of the few classic perfumes that I have continued to wear over the years. The latest iteration of the scent, however, is punchier, more floral and absolutely perfect for cold, autumnal evenings. Created by none other than Francis Kurkdjian, the best way I can describe l'Or is like a bouquet of heady florals drenched in liquid gold—it is pure opulence.

5. Le Labo Thé Matcha 26

We're shifting gears a little with this one. While I know countless colleagues who lean on Le Labo's Thé Matcha 26 in the warmer months, for me it really comes into its own when the temperatures drop, the air feels crisp and I'm encased in wooly knits. The combination of fig and matcha make for a creamy, comforting, delectable delight, while cedar wood gives it the sort of longevity you expect from a £168 fragrance. It's luxe, warm and skin-like in a way that no other perfume is.

6. Vyrao Witchy Woo

Spicy, floral and totally intoxicating, Witchy Woo is everything you could ask for from an autumn perfume. I have thought a lot about the best way to describe this fragrance, and I have to resort back to the first thing I scribbled down when I initially spritzed it: Cher in the Witches of Eastwick. It's the sort of empowering scent that would make the line "You're not even interesting enough to make me sick" roll straight off the tongue.

7. Aesop Ouranon

Like all Aesop fragrances, Ouranon is a totally genderless scent that has my fiancé and I fighting over it most days. It is rich, spicy and almost impossibly captivating. With notes of frankincense and myrrh, it's like poking your nose into an old, wooden box filled with all of the world's most precious (and expensive) materials.

8. Beauty Pie Une Balade En Forêt

With strong notes of fir, at first you'd think this perfume would be reserved only for the festive season, but you'd be wrong. It reminds me of walking through a sun-dappled pine forest—it's fresh, sense-clearing and mossy. This is the sort of fragrance that puts a spring in your step on a cold autumn day and makes you feel like you can take on anything.

9. Prada Les Infusions de Prada Infusion de Figue

In my opinion, there is no perfume note more suited to autumn than fig. Its creamy, skin-like nature embodies all of the cosiness this time of year brings with it. This new fragrance from Prada is probably the most delicious fig scent I have ever come across. It is juicy and attention grabbing, while the fig and its woody base melts over you like a cloak of calmness.

10. Sol de Janeiro After Hours Perfume Mist

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have likely heard the hype around Sol De Janeiro's expensive-smelling perfume mists. While this one is not the most unique or impressive blend, it is an absolute feat in terms of affordability and longevity (especially for a body mist). It is a textbook fruity floral fragrance that is perfect for dark, autumn nights out.

11. Creed Carmina

This is, hands down, the most impressive sweet perfume that has come my way in ages. While I don't usually go for sweet florals, even I can't deny the appeal and beauty of Carmina. It has a creamy sort of sweetness that makes you want to nuzzle your nose right into it and never leave. It's indisputably moreish and the perfect autumn comfort.

12. Dolce & Gabbana Devotion

Speaking of sweetness, Dolce & Gabbana's latest fragrance creation is a melting pot of sugar and spice and all things nice. Warming vanilla gives it that autumn appeal, while candied lemon and orange blossom tickle the nose in all the right ways. It is the fragrance equivalent of silky, molten chocolate.

13. Parfums de Marly Althaïr

If you know Parfums de Marly for the sweet feat that is Delina (which, by the way, isn't too dissimilar from Creed's Carmina), be prepared for a shock when you first smell Althaïr. It is spicy, woody and musky all at once—like precious, cinnamon-infused woods burning away while its smoke dances through the air. But with all of that, Marly's iconic sweetness doesn't get lost, still making you want to go back for just one more sniff.

14. Chanel Beige Les Exclusifs de Chanel

If the colour beige (which, by the way, is my favourite) were a perfume, it would be this—but that's not to say it's boring in the slightest. In fact, Beige is one of the most special perfumes in my collection, reserved exclusively for momentous occasions. It is punchy and distinguishable, but has a skin-like nature that means it becomes one with the wearer. Ribboned with honey and florals, it oozes richness.

15. Miller Harris Black Datura

I have never met a Miller Harris perfume I didn't like, and this one is no different. If you like a deep, punchy and heady autumn perfume, Black Datura is the one for you. This perfume is special. The intense, intoxicating nature of tuberose mingles with smoky woods, while pink peppercorn and musk create a sweetness that envelops you in all of its glory.

16. Byredo Blanche

Blanche is (along with the next perfume on this list) the cosiest perfume I own—which is saying something. It is a warm, cashmere blanket that smells like washing detergent and fabric softener. One sniff has you melting into yourself and finding comfort wherever you are. Blanche, for me, is home.

17. Commodity Milk–

With similarly comforting vibes as Blanche, Milk– is a creamy, skin-like delight that has you feeling like your calmest, most content self. It swaddles you up in its warming glory, making you feel as though the outside world doesn't matter.

18. Tory Burch Cosmic Wood

If the depth of warm, woody scents entices you but you don't like the overbearing headiness that comes hand in hand with them, Cosmic Wood is the perfume for you. It has all of the appeal and power of a spicy, woody perfume without the intensity. With sage and vetiver, it has a palatable earthiness that has that effortless, rich and unbothered aroma.

19. Bibbi Pistachio Game

When I first saw the name of this perfume, I was expecting a warm sweetness that I knew wouldn't appeal to me—but I was left in awe at how very wrong I was. There isn't a single perfume in the Bibbi line-up in which I wouldn't wax lyrical about given the chance. Pistachio Game is fresh, green and crisp, like all great autumn perfumes should be, but it has an inviting wisp of spice and smokiness that is barely there, but very much there enough to make it out-of-this-world special.