Long beloved by food enthusiasts, bakers, and anyone with a penchant for warm spice scents, cinnamon also happens to be huge in the perfume world, and with good reason. The warm aroma of cinnamon is a welcome breath of fresh air during the colder months. Like a crackling fire on a cold night, there’s just something inherently cozy about cinnamon, making it a perfect scent for fall or winter perfumes.

Aromatically, cinnamon smells spicy and vanilla-like. It’s warm but far from heavy. It’s sweet enough to add depth to a perfume without being too cloying, so that the fragrance doesn’t become overpowering.

And since cinnamon has this signature spicy aroma that goes with just about everything else, it’s very versatile when it comes to perfume creation. For starters, it goes very well with citrus top notes, including orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, and bergamot. It can also dial up the sensual factor when combined with florals such as magnolia, rose, ylang-ylang, or lily of the valley. The same is true of warmer, spicier notes – members of the same fragrance family almost always complement each other. We’re talking about your typical gourmands: notes like myrrh, star anise, coffee, sage, juniper, and clove.