If Misty Hills, Antique Candelabras, and Victorian Lace Had a Smell, It Would Be These 17 Haunting Perfumes
As a beauty editor who dedicates a jaw-dropping amount of time to monitoring perfume trends, I know that there are a few unofficial scent families that have captured the attention of consumers. One nostalgia-steeped category of fragrances that makes the rounds once fall and winter arrive is antique-inspired perfumes boasting unique note compositions that can evoke everything from the presence of spectral entities to mysterious spaces from another moment in time defined by a niche note blend.
Wondering which ones are worth adding to your perfume collection? Keep reading to discover the 17 best antique-inspired (not vintage) fragrances that can evoke the yesteryear with every spritz from brands such as D.S. & Durga, Frédéric Malle, Heretic Parfum, and Aesop.
(Image credit: Aidan Monaghan/Everett Collection)
The Best Antique-Inspired Scents, Listed
Lore
Somewhere Nowhere Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Warm woods
Notes: American cedarwood, black tea, cardamom, vanilla cream, leather
Lore’s Somewhere Nowhere Eau de Parfum is a spiced, creamy wood by perfumer Jérôme Epinette that serves as the brands ode to Americana. Described by Lore as “a story of grit, lonesomeness, and grace,” this scent boasts a glowing cedarwood heart steeped with crisp notes of cardamom and black tea. The smooth leather base note lurking quietly in the background is accentuated by a splash of vanilla cream.
Customer Review: “Soft, worn-in leather. A beautiful Ceylon black tea. The sharpness of cardamom in the opening and the dull static of cedar in the drydown. I’m sitting in a boutique tea store drinking something far more expensive than I can afford. The building is old and slightly musty but the scent of leather and tea overpowers any scent that would offend. It’s sexy in a tweed jacket sort of way, and it lasts forever, so be careful. You’ve definitely smelt this before, but this one has something mysterious and refined about it.”
Future Society
Haunted Rose Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Spicy florals
Notes: Black pepper, saffron, rose absolute, passion fruit, ambroxan, sandalwood
In my opinion, the best hauntingly beautiful fragrances always feature one note that’s slightly sheer but detectable, especially to trained noses. This scent is composed with an opulent rose absolute heart accented with ambroxan, black pepper, and sandalwood for a smoldering finish. Far from your typical rose, this Future Society fragrance’s mysterious florals are inspired by South Africa’s macrostylis villosa subspecies one and two, a bloom lost to invasive species in 1960.
Customer Review: “Another beautiful fragrance from Future Society. I’d describe this as [Oud Satin Mood’s] fun younger sister. The sandalwood plays nicely with the rose giving it a creamy almost powdery smell. The passion fruit manages to still keep it fresh. Just a really well balanced and night time/any season fragrance. The longevity is unbeatable especially at this price point.”
Imaginary Authors
The Abandoned Mansion Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Woody spices
Notes: Cedar, quince, petitgrain, pimento berry, oakmoss absolute, ambreine, paperbacks
This rich, woody fragrance smells as if it could have been plucked from the pages of an Agatha Christie novel. A single spritz transports its wearer to an opulent mansion in the Adirondacks that, while lost to time, carries a mystery in every aged brick. The perfume’s inviting opening notes of cedar, quince, and petitgrain are balanced with warm pimento berry and earthy oakmoss absolute. It’s finished off with warm, resinous ambreine and paper, a combination that smells just like cracking open an antique book.
Customer Review: “This will probably be my first full size purchase. It goes on warm and woodsy on me, I get leather and wood with a light spiciness, and it stays like that for the first hour. I like leather/wood/smoky scents, so it’s great! But after that, and for the rest of the day, it’s… old books. Like books with the pages browning and the glue having gone funky. It’s a little sweet and musty but in a good way, with some woodiness to ground it. Not for everyone, but yes I want to surround myself with the smell of old books, so I love this. Imo it’s perfectly on-brand for Imaginary Authors.”
Heretic Parfum
Nosferatu Eau de Macabre
Scent Type: Woody florals
Notes: Lilac, ambrette, petrichor, violet absolute, orris concrete, cypriol, ambergris, oud, labdanum
You had to have seen this one coming, right? Robert Eggers’s 2024 gothic horror film Nosferatu stars Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, and Nicholas Hoult and tells the story of a couple haunted and hunted by the ravenous Count Orlok. Developed as a collaboration between Heretic Parfums and Focus Pictures, this perfume captures the fictional vampire’s otherworldly energy with a composition of wilted lilac, velvet amber, and deep, sensual oud.
Customer Review: “Like digging your feet into graveyard earth to press your cheek up against a limestone statue sodden with rain. The floral is perfect to me, straight-laced green snapped-stem realistic floral, not really powdery or sweet or girlish or sensual in any way. It’s a place smell rather than a ‘person’ smell.”
Guerlain
Après L’Ondée Eau de Toilette
Scent Type: Warm florals
Notes: Cassia, anise, violet, carnation, vanilla, iris
Violet is one of those notes that, when added to a smooth blend of vanilla and iris, reads as almost melancholic. This eau de toilette by Guerlain is a prime example of a perfume that captures that emotion beautifully with a delicate mix of warm and spicy cassia and anise. Unlike a number of this edit’s fragrances, this Guerlain eau de toilette unfurls itself to reveal a soft and sheer bouquet of violet, carnation, and iris.
Customer Review: “A light summer splash for the melancholic. The next best thing to a prescription of sea air for a nervous disposition. Broderie anglaise, candied violet, French soap, velvet ribbons. The lightest touch of absinthe. Beautiful, fleeting, radically tender. The most romantic fragrance I have ever owned, and it’s not close. Performance is polite and reserved. A modern skin scent in an antique dress.”
Heretic Parfum
Poltergeist Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Aromatic woods
Notes: Juniper, pine, wormwood, frankincense, champaca flower, birch tar, cade, cedar, vanilla, patchouli, labdanum, palo santo, fruit
Clearly, Heretic Parfum knows how to pull off a bold and unique fragrance like no other, and its Poltergeist Eau de Parfum continues that tradition with this smoky new addition. Part of the brand’s limited-edition series, Poltergeist is inspired by the energy spirits. Sharp and herbal with a smoldering touch, the fragrance opens with green pine and resinous juniper, then shifts to reveal bitter wormwood, scorched birch, and glowing frankincense.
Customer Review: “I really like this one [because] it’s a dark, alternative scent. To me it gives me the scent of a druid in moss covered ancient forest working the ritual bonfires of Samhain. It is stronger and a lot of people won’t like the smoke at first but it wears well and it’s not the same citrusy crap everyone else is wearing.”
Zoologist
Moth Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Floral musk
Notes: Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, cumin, lemon, nutmeg, saffron, heliotrope, iris, jasmine, mimosa, muguet, rose, ambergris, honey, resins, guaiac wood, musk, nagarmotha, oud, patchouli, smoke, vetiver
What’s more antique than an attic filled to the brim with memories of days gone by? Zoologist’s Moth Eau de Parfum delivers a jolt to the senses with an illustrious blend of black pepper, warm cinnamon, and bright lemon softened by powdery florals. The perfume is finished with a smooth and sensual combination of resin, woods, and musk. This smells just like slipping on an oversize coat and holding the scent of a loved one close.
Customer Review: “A dark dusty attic of a smoker with boxes of dried bouquets, in it sits an old sick bed where overly honeyed tea has spilt all over the sheets. There it sits to rot and collect dust. A truly artistic fragrance that I feel lucky to even have a sample of. I hope to one day have a full bottle of it so I can truly revel in the entirety of its artistry. It’s delicious, draws you in, yet off-putting and face scrunching all the same. Makes me deeply curious to try more and more of Zoologists creations.”
Scent Type: Woody spices
Notes: Thyme, elemi, pink pepper, nutmeg, cypress, suede, geranium, vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood, myrrh, oak moss, frankincense
If you prefer cool and fresh perfumes that still smell inviting and familiar, get your hands on this Aesop scent. While it’s one of the more underrated perfumes from the brand, it’s quickly become a favorite of mine. It reminds me of the PNW with its herbal and woody blend of thyme, cypress, and oak moss mixed with suede, sandalwood, frankincense, and geranium. There’s also something warm about this one… Perhaps it’s the combination of patchouli and frankincense.
Customer Review: “So beautiful. The opening is like the tops of trees (cooler, brighter, perhaps more fresh) and after a while, it dries down the the bottom of a warm forest, hot bark, crushed leaves, moss. The spice lasts all the way through on me but just becomes more delicate. I love the dichotomy of woody scents like this that feel so strong where you feel you are making a statement, it gives you confidence, yet at the same time makes you want to settle into warmth and embrace coziness.”
The most common notes in antique-inspired fragrances range from soft, powdery florals and cool spices to dried wood and damp moss. Petrichor, the smell of fresh rain hitting dry earth, is at the heart of many of these. The result is hauntingly beautiful, nostalgic, and grounding.
(Image credit: Original art by Kennedy Caldwell)
Aesop
Miraceti Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Balsamic woods
Notes: Labdanum, ambrette, styrax
Aesop’s enchanting Miraceti Eau de Parfum calls to mind images of ghost ships and perilous seafaring journeys riddled with mythological creatures. While the scent is woody and balsamic, there’s an aquatic note hiding just below the surface thanks to a combination of resinous, leather-like labdanum balanced by glowing amber and sweet styrax (also known as snowbell). I’d imagine this perfume is something you’d find in a historical apothecary.
Customer Review: “I recently had a love affair with Aesop’s fragrances and I had all of them except Eidesis. I didn’t plan on getting Miraceti because the top note is not my favorite among Aesop’s line. But after a couple weeks of going to the store, trying Miraceti on just for kicks, I started to appreciate the imagery this fragrance evokes in my head. Rarely any fragrance can achieve that effect on me. But with Miraceti, I get seaweed, salt from seawater.”
Fulton & Roark
Ghost Trees Extrait de Parfum
Scent Type: Ozonic marine
Notes: Juniper, pink peppercorn, ocean ozonics, white cypress, thalassogaia florals, salted sea, ghost wood, elemi, driftwood
Another antique-inspired ozonic perfume I always keep in my collection is Fulton & Roark’s Ghost Trees Extrait de Parfum. Reminiscent of the ocean throwing itself against dark, boulder-filled shorelines, the perfume opens with juniper coupled with lively pink peppercorn and ocean waves. The addition of white cypress and thalassogaia (an innovative fragrance technology that captures the calming benefits of marine environments) florals keeps this grounding marine perfume photorealistic.
Customer Review: “You stand on the edge of a rugged cliff, the wind whipping against your face, tasting of salt and storm. Above, the clouds move fast—not the soft, cotton kind, but the kind that carry weight and warning, shifting and rolling like something alive. The trees nearby lean with the wind, their trunks curved and their branches swept in one direction, shaped by years of relentless air. Below, the ocean crashes against the rocks in a constant rhythm, white spray exploding upward with every impact, hanging briefly in the air before vanishing into mist. The world feels raw and powerful here—beautiful, but on the edge of something wild.”
D.S. & Durga
Brown Flowers Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Floral musk
Notes: Acabia, dried cedrat, Queen Anne’s lace, brown orchid, coffee flower, sambac jasmine, aged musk, roots, coffee
If you enjoy the smell of dried brown florals, you’ll love D.S. & Durga’s Brown Flowers Eau de Parfum. To me, this floral musk calls to mind the image of an opulent dressing room belonging to a golden age Hollywood star decorated with bouquets from admirers. Its notes include acabia, Queen Anne’s lace, and brown orchid along with coffee flower, jasmine, musk, and a splash of coffee for good measure.
Customer Review: “Is it vintage or is it nostalgic? It’s avocado appliances, amber glassware and macrame but in the comforting way of childhood corningware patterns and brown plaid couches. Brown Flowers is an era in a bottle. If you left it in a drawer with an ashtray full of Virginia Slims, it would become a literal portal to 1979. It’s that one cool aunt or family friend that was the epitome of the chic woman you wanted to become.”
L’Artisan Parfumeur
Passage d’Enfer Eau de Toilette
Scent Type: Amber woods
Notes: Lily, incense, white musk
I’ve been looking for a scent that captures the familiar, essential oil–laden air and cold stone of an ancient church, and I found it in Passage d’Enfer. An homage to the Parisian origins of the brand, it’s both cool and nostalgic with fresh, green lily mingling with luminous incense and an all-embracing white musk that hangs in the air long after you’ve left a space. Not only is this fragrance’s silage impressive, but it’s also long-wearing.
Customer Review: “This is a scent you have to search for, one that you seldom catch a ‘glimpse’ of. That’s when you will faintly smell a hint of a cold incense and a single flower of Lilly with little life left in it. The perfume is like a delicate, cold floral breeze. It’s unisex with a tilt towards feminine. I wore it on an early summer’s Sunday, to church actually, to see if I could create a connection and it didn’t strike me as a churchy fragrance, but the melancholy is there.”
Ex Nihilo
Bois d’Hiver Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Woody spices
Notes: Pink pepper, cardamom, heliotrope, cyclamen, white cedarwood, sandalwood, patchouli, cypriol, musk
Pink pepper, sandalwood, and patchouli are all notes that are commonly used in nostalgic fragrances that feel like they could have belonged to a different century. Ex Nihilo’s Bois d’Hiver offers all of those notes with an additional layer of sweet and powdery florals paired with white cedarwood. Described by the brand as “a contrasted version of a great and dynamic woody fragrance,” it’s the epitome of balance.
Customer Review: “Bois d’Hiver is an exceptional take on a spicy woody fragrance, offering depth and refinement in every phase of its development. It opens with a bold, bitter cardamom note that immediately sets the tone, immersing you in a rich, warm atmosphere. As it evolves, soft floral and woody notes emerge, adding an unexpected yet seamless complexity beneath the initial spiciness.”
D.S. & Durga
Well Dressed Werewolf Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Aromatic woods
Notes: Balkan cedar, labdanum, hay, fur, dandy violet, jasmine absolute, castoreum, patchouli, ambergris
Recommended by senior beauty editor Jamie Schneider, D.S. & Durga’s Well Dressed Werewolf Eau de Parfum is the most whimsical of the fragrances belonging to this edit. Boasting a composition of Balkan cedar, labdanum, hay, violet, jasmine, and amber, this scent paints an image of a werewolf who sure knows how to dress. While I may naturally gravitate toward fragrances with a lighter floral profile, I’ll never say no to trying something quirky.
Customer Review: N/A
Frédéric Malle
Carnal Flower Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Floral musks
Notes: Green aquatic, ylang-ylang, jasmine absolute, orange blossom absolute, tuberose absolute, coconut, white musks
Honeyed florals are front and center in Frédéric Malle’s Carnal Flower Eau de Parfum with a vibrant blend of tuberose, jasmine, orange blossom, and ylang-ylang combined with creamy coconut and white musks. In other worlds, it’s a modern take on a traditional floral blend that’s sweet without being creamy. This scent took 18 months for perfumer Dominique Ropion to create, and it’s done to perfection.
Customer Review: “This is a masterpiece for me, on paper, on a tester card, and on my skin, this is absolutely beautiful. Tried this multiple times now, probably one of my first ‘love at first smells’. The zest and melon play wonderfully with the florals (ylang-ylang) is gorgeous…like a blooming ylang-ylang tree in the summer. There’s a powdery aspect here however it is not that significant when it comes to my skin but still a gorgeous touch. Evolves in a deeper way as the hours go by and lasts.”
Penhaligon’s
The Bewitching Yasmine Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Amber spices
Notes: Cardamom, coffee, incense, jasmine, vanilla, oud
I dedicated a love letter to coffee-infused beauty products, and I’m grateful to have been introduced to this enchanting perfume by Penhaligon’s. The Bewitching Yasmine Eau de Parfum is a mouthwatering amber fragrance enhanced with a stunning blend of cardamom and coffee combined with vanilla and oud. The entire composition is dappled with soft white jasmine flowers, sweet vanilla, and smoky incense.
Customer Review: “Truly bewitching. The first spray is like casting a thick, sweet spell, drying down into a spicy oud, incense smell on the skin. The Bewitching Yasmine makes me feel like a forest witch under cover of darkness; deep, sexy, alluring and powerful. I adore the unique feline bottle and the amber, wooden color of the liquid. A unique signature fragrance for the witchy woman.”
Amouage
Reflection Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Amber fougère
Notes: Rosemary, red pepper berries, bitter orange leaves, neroli, orris, jasmine, ylang-ylang, vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood, cedarwood
Clean fragrances can smell fresh and energizing while also exuding a nod to the past like Amouage’s Reflection. Hundreds of reviews from happy customers note that this fragrance smells like a fresh bar of soap, but every time I smell it, I pick up on the herbaceous rosemary and juicy red pepper berry. There’s also something slightly spicy here that adds depth to the perfume, which is set off beautifully by sandalwood and cedarwood.
Customer Review: “I have no idea what I’m smelling but I love it. I don’t know if it’s the pink pepper note, but to me it has sort of the aromatic effect (not the scent, just the feeling) of Sichuan peppercorn and muskier/old mint on the tongue and hard palate. Overall, it just smells like the best soap ever, not that it’s soapy but I’d want my soap to smell like this. The kind of bar of soap that doesn’t dry out your skin either. Like the very best, most refreshing shower you’ve ever had.”
