Fragrance is stepping into the great outdoors this season. While winter always delivers a forest-load of pine and fir tree scents, this autumn is about getting down to earth, from Anne Flipo’s intense Synthetic Jungle (for Editions Frédéric Malle), conjuring a “green paradise”, to Jo Malone London’s comforting harvest festival of a cologne, Pear & Freesia.

Natural smells can be incredibly evocative. In the dying days of summer, I watered the tomato plants in my dad’s greenhouse while he was in hospital. The homely nostalgia of this earthy warm smell was an emotional one, especially mingled with the last of the sweetpeas – he always puts a vase of them in my room when I visit.

Heading outside is key from the outset, believes perfume boutique owner Marija Aslimowska: “Over the past year, we have benefited from having a shop that allows our clients to stand outside (while covered) to smell a perfume – not only maskless, but in fresh air too. This truly is the best way to smell a fragrance, uninterrupted by other smells and also in a quiet environment (no seductive retail lights, music, sales assistant stories). It’s just you and the perfume.”

Naturally, gardens have always inspired perfumers, from Hermes’ Christine Nagel to Flipo, whose heightened rush of greenery – think wet flower stems – will sustain me through winter. To capture such intensity in a bottle demands all the tools available, believes Frederic Malle: “The paradox is that using naturals leads to ‘old perfume smells’,” he says. “To actually replicate nature as we know it, you need synthetics. Perfume becomes interesting the moment chemistry comes in.” Though there are exceptions au naturel … (see below).

Scent goes beyond glamour – many found it helped us feel better during the past year. Just as we use essential oils to relax or help us sleep, fragrance can be more than allure. Supplement-makers The Nue Co also create “functional fragrances”, using scientific research into the connection between cognitive function and the olfactory system. As perfumer Frank Voelkl notes: “Scent is one of the fastest ways to alter your emotional state.” Forest Lungs, for example, is an “anti-stress fragrance supplement”, with calming notes specifically chosen to lower anxiety levels.

A beautiful smell can be uplifting just in itself, though. When I realised the perfumer behind Estée Lauder’s Infinite Sky was Dominique Ropion, my heart beat a little faster. And it is indeed bright, airy and expansive. In fact all eight in this Luxury Collection are signed by top perfumers, including Flipo and Rodrigo Flores-Roux (creator of whip-smart bestsellers like Neroli Portofino, and Arquiste’s Anima Dulcis, one of the most magical things ever captured in a bottle). Sometimes you want a scent that makes your heart race …

Back down to earth, those who experienced a temporary loss of smell this year know that breathing in even a sprig of rosemary or the air after rain is uniquely precious. As we head into shorter, darker days, we’re keeping that in mind.

FOREST BATHING FRAGRANCES

1. NIGHT SKY Infinite Sky is quietly exquisite. Estée Lauder perfumes are often overshadowed by designer brands, but shouldn’t be. Smell this elegant and optimistic sunset, with warm vanilla, to see why. Estée Lauder Luxury Collection, €145, at Brown Thomas.

2. INTO THE WOODS This is what Margiela scents do best, for my money – forget the insipid beachy/flowery ones and go straight for the smoking hot ones, evoking sultry jazz club and glowing embers. Leafy Autumn Vibes, with moss and cedarwood, is as warm as a cashmere scarf on a wind-bitten day. From €56, at Arnotts.

3. IRISH WOODLAND Inspired by a Co Meath forest, Deep in the Woods is an autumnal delight with damp leaves, moss and woods. €35; at IMMA and www.eqfactories.com.

4. GLORIOUS GREENERY The Nue Co Forest Lungs is a calming scent supplement, with green cardamom, iris, palo santo and cedarwood. Spray at moments of stress. €98, at Cult Beauty.

5. WILD AT HEART Parfum d’Empire’s Mal-Aimé (€108) is inspired by the perfumer’s native Corsica – it has rampant notes of thistle and blackberry – while woody, mossy Corsica Furiosa has a resin-warmed hit of vivid green. At Parfumarija, Westbury Mall, Dublin 2.

6. OTHERWORDLY Aesop’s Othertopias trio of scents celebrate the wildness of nature, from seashore to earthy forest depths. €160, at DOPL and Indigo & Cloth, Dublin 2, and Samui, Cork.

7. A ROSE GARDEN Rose perfumes aren’t always common or garden – Chloé Eau de Parfum Naturelle is of natural origin (from €59.95, stockists nationwide). And Irish standout Wild Rose eau de parfum is 100 per cent natural and organic (€130, www.burrenperfumery.com).