Get ready to feast your senses on a bounty of blackberry scents, because as the exuberance of summer yields to autumn’s golden hush, a shift occurs in the air – a coolness, a softening, a whisper of change that rings with the promise of misty hedgerows and brambly adventures. Let’s explore…
Yes, okay, part of us wishes the beautiful summer sunshine could have carried on awhile longer; but there’s also beauty to be found in the days when the earth’s palette deepens, shadows lengthen under coppery light, and nature offers up the succulent yield of late harvest. Plump, wild blackberries, their skins inky and glistening with dew and tinged with the sense of transition.
The poet Sylvia Plath once marvelled at coming across a lane laden with blackberries, sharing that sense of wonderment at seeing them en-masse, and at the world proffering us such jewelled, juicy gifts:
How wonderful, then, to now allow ourselves to revel in fragrances which seize upon this luscious note, bottling late summer’s last hurrah and welcoming the cosy embrace of the colder months ahead. We feel blackberry-centred scents can marry both worlds: they fizz with fun and fruity brightness, yet linger with spice, woods, and warmth, offering a sense of sensory escape and snuggle-worthy hugs with every spritz.
Now then, which of this lusciously juicy crop of blackberry perfumes would you pick first…?
Shay & Blue Blackberry Woods
This is a dusky stroll through an enchanted forest as twilight seeps through the branches. Created by Julie Massé, we’re plunged into the heart of blackberry season, the first cool nip in the air raising goosebumps on your arms, fingers stained purple from the sweet-tart juice of berries picked at their prime. Sparkling zesty orange flutters at the top alongside the signature sleekness of blueberry, painting a scene of sweet anticipation. The fragrance blossoms into a creamy heart of magnolia and orange blossom, their soft florals lending a gentle embrace before being enfolded in the comforting warmth of musk and cashmere wood. You’re left with the sensation of leaves crunching underfoot and the woodsmoke of dusk in the distance – a perfectly woven olfactory scarf for autumn’s arrival.
£65 for 100ml eau de parfum in the Shop
Lalique Amethyst
Unfurling like a freshly embroidered berry tapestry, this exuberant ode to hedgerows is groaning with the bounties of blackcurrant, blackberry, mulberry, and a whisper of blueberry for extra piquancy. Nathalie Lorson crafts a vibrant opening – nutmeg’s spicy prickle meets the tangy, jammy explosion of blackberry, underscored by the gentle freshness of blackcurrant. As the fragrance deepens, its heart reveals the silky, powdered blush of peony, a subtle dusting of rose peppered with spice, and the hypnotic warmth of ylang ylang. The base emerges soft and feathery with vanilla and musk, evoking the last rays of late afternoon sun glinting through a many-faceted amethyst gem, glowing with the remembered heat of summer and the anticipation of autumn’s many mysteries.
Currently £44.50 for 100ml eau de parfum superdrug.com
Jo Malone London Blackberry & Bay
Ah, now this conjures a rush of childhood memories – muddy boots stomping through tangled brambles, cheeks flushed from crisp air, baskets overflowing with glossy fruit. The initial impression is a bold, tart burst – blackberry juice bursting beneath your teeth, blackcurrant and bucco tree essence lending their green snap to a portrait of autumn hedgerows. Bay leaves in the heart – fresh, herbaceous galbanum and leafy verdancy – signal the moment when fruit and foliage are entwined. Anchored by cedarwood’s dry, charismatic depth, the fragrance lingers like the memory of a wild ramble, wrapping your senses with the promise of comfort and exploration.
From £56 for 30ml Cologne jomalone.co.uk
Salvatore Ferragamo’s Signorina Misteriosa
Effervescent as the last sparkling sip of summer, we find this quickly drapes itself in intrigue fit for long, candle-lit evenings. Wild blackberry and neroli fizz vivaciously atop the fragrance, beckoning you closer to an opulently plush heart of orange blossom and tuberose – florals that unfurl in sultry, petal-soft waves. Finally, the base, a mesmerising black vanilla mousse, emerges like dusk itself – sweet, enigmatic, almost edible, cocooning you in an irresistible, velvety warmth as night falls outside.
Currently £64 for 50ml eau de parfum debenhams.com
Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl Forever
That first glorious rush of blackberry is joined by the sunlit optimism of bergamot and juicy pear. It is nostalgia and modernity entwined, echoing the familiar warmth of the beloved icon with the joyful anticipation of new beginnings. Peony, iris, and jasmine bloom in the heart, like a floral crown tossed joyfully in the breeze, before settling into a gently enveloping base of amber, sandalwood, and cedarwood. This fragrance is a soft, nostalgia-laden embrace, wearable for crisp spells and those golden afternoons destined to become scent memories.
From £22 for 30ml eau de toilette theperfumeshop.com
With blackberry scents, it’s as though autumn reveals its playful side, yet at the same time invites us closer, urging us to wrap ourselves in the comfort of berries and woodsmoke, spice and memory, with an invitation to linger a little longer in the mellow magic of the season.
Written by Suzy Nightingale
