It’s Hump Day and the second day of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. (Musical birthdays today: John Lomax, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Julio Iglesias, Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco.) What fragrance are you wearing?
I’ve been commando since August 27.
Reminder: Personal matters are taking up most of my time right now…
PSA: our next swapmeet will probably (with apologies, it is possible I will have to reschedule later in the month) start on Saturday, 3 October. I am hoping to post a new poll this coming Wednesday, and to possibly start to catch up with new perfume announcements in the meantime. (We are due for a quarterly damage poll soon as well, but I don’t know if I’ll manage that, we’ll see.)
Meantime, our standard-issue open thread poll. Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the thing you’ve been wishing everybody would discuss in an open thread poll, whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
For the most part, the houses that managed to stay intact through World War II couldn’t recoup their losses during the lean postwar years and folded. Those that survived were often pushed out of department stores by corporations that had bought up multiple fragrance, cosmetics and fashion brands and had the power to negotiate shelf space. Now, even larger brands like Chanel and LVMH’s Dior and Guerlain are releasing their own fragrance revivals. Marketing research seems to have confirmed what the little houses already knew: When it comes to scents, we’re increasingly looking to the past to discover what’s timeless in a world flooded with novelty.
— Read more in How Do You Resurrect a Lost Perfume? at The New York Times.
It’s Friday, plus Greta Garbo’s birthday, International Equal Pay Day and National Cheeseburger Day. What fragrance are you wearing?
I’ve been commando since August 27.
Reminder: Personal matters are taking up most of my time right now. I will post when I can, and not post anything when I am too busy…
But the fragrance trends defining fall 2026 demand more, says Jenine Guerriero, Givaudan’s head of marketing and consumer insights for fine fragrance North America. “For years, fall fragrance was defined by familiar expressions of coziness: sweet gourmands, warm spices, and comforting seasonal notes,” she says. “Today’s consumers are looking for fragrances that feel more layered, more intentional, more culturally inspired and ultimately more impactful.”
Everything’s deeper now. We want more emotion, fun, and creativity from fragrance, and that’s evident in all the buzziest perfume launches for fall. The biggest notes? Rice, sesame, pandan, honey, single-origin teas, chestnut, and saffron.
— Read more in Experts Say Fall 2026 Will Smell Like These Notes at Cosmopolitan.