With Halloween only days away, the fragrance world has found its own spell for the season. Vanity Fair Italia describes a growing taste for “witch scents”: perfumes that feel like little potions, built from smoky incense, precious resins, damp bark, moss and ferns, yet always with a soft, feminine heart. The magazine notes that the American trend agency Spate sees this witchcore mood reaching fragrance more clearly than ever this autumn.
Smoke, resin and a walk in the woods
The perfumers interviewed by Vanity Fair Italia agree that a witchy scent is less a category than a feeling. Ambra Martone, co-founder of LabSolue, links it to ritual, change and closeness to nature, expressed through frankincense and myrrh, sacred woods, sage and mugwort. For her, the mystery comes from fragrances that shift on the skin, playing warm against cool and light against shadow. Lush perfumer Alina Gliwinska points to earthy, smoky notes such as patchouli, vetiver, oakmoss, incense and myrrh, softened with herbs like rosemary and lavender and deepened by plum, sour cherry, jasmine or tuberose.
Not every witch is a dark one, though. The lighter version swaps the shadows for orange blossom, honeysuckle and chamomile, warmed with cinnamon, vanilla, tonka and sandalwood, so the result is more enchanted garden than midnight forest.
Why it is catching on now
The trend reaches beyond perfume bottles. The Business of Fashion reports that incense itself has become a fashionable format, with houses such as Loewe making their own, and cites Google Trends data showing US searches for incense up 20 per cent year on year. Allure, speaking to Gliwinska and other perfumers, describes the same pull towards scents that express a mood or identity rather than simply smelling pretty. Harper’s Bazaar sees it partly as a reaction against sweet, sugary gourmand fragrances.
Holistic consultant Emanuela Mattiuzzi, quoted by Vanity Fair Italia, suggests choosing three or four notes that suit your mood and layering them, keeping woods and resins for quiet moments and green, aromatic notes for clearer, brighter days.
The same moody palette works beautifully in jewellery. Deep violet amethyst rings and amethyst pendants echo plum and lavender, while garnet earrings and garnet bracelets carry the glow of dark cherries and candlelight. Add a few quiet earrings and the spell is complete.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia, “Witchcore, il richiamo irresistibile dei profumi da streghetta (buona)” by Marzia Nicolini (27 October 2026); The Business of Fashion, “The New Fragrance Opportunity Is Centuries-Old”; Allure, “17 Witchy Fragrances That Will Have You in Your Coven Era”; Harper’s Bazaar, “Why Witch- and Ghost-Inspired Perfumes Are Trending Right Now” (10 September 2026). Featured image: AI-generated illustration.
