Bedtime Scents

The frags we wear and the rituals we create for a good night's sleep.

This post is full of AI generated images. I asked for 80s in my description, the second image is what I got when I wrote "make it more 80s".

I don’t know about you, but I feel like the thing we all need most right now is a good long nap. Maybe I’m projecting, but this year has felt intense, and what I want more than anything over the holiday is good sleep. So here’s a post full of suggestions for fragrances that might help you achieve that.

I won’t bury the lede; any scent can be a bedtime scent. Like all things when it comes to fragrance, the only thing that matters is that YOU like it. If a fragrance makes you feel happy, calm, or cozy, it will probably work as a bedtime fragrance.

When I interviewed 12 of my favorite fragheads (parts 1, 2, & 3), I asked them all what their bedtime scent was and kept those answers for this post. I want more routines in my life in 2025, ones that make me feel grounded and peaceful, and I think having a ritual of putting on a bedtime scent will help with that. So, I hope this post inspires, gives you some ideas, and makes you see that any fragrance is right for drifting off to sleep. Do share yours in the comments! I love hearing about what you’re wearing.

“Bedtime scent is a load-bearing category for me. They aren't just shuttles to sleep, they are also how I reward myself for completing my evening hygiene and skin care routine even though I am very very sleepy and I realllly don't want to, ever.” — Lucy Burrows

What's your bedtime scent?

These images are pretty basic but I like their vibe.

I’ll start with me. On one of my trips this year I was traveling with

Alex Elle

’s Heal The Way, and I sprayed it on my pillows before bed one night. I had the best night’s sleep and in my fog of waking I forgot I had sprayed it the night before and was so delighted and surprised to have that smell be the first thing I inhaled when I woke up. Sweet and musky, it was the perfect welcome to the day.

I also love a pretty airy floral to lull me off to sleep. While I have an abundance of white florals to choose from in my collection, I have recently fallen for Serge Luten’s Fleurs d'oranger which I sampled on my wrists before bed the other night as I’m working my way through a discovery set. It is the perfect intoxicating floral cloud that I want to drift off to sleep on.

Noah Virgile, Amphora Parfum
Totally random, but Black Opium Le Parfum. I couldn't even begin to tell you why—the scent is just super cozy to me. It feels... snuggly, for some reason.

Steven Gontarski, Lucky Scent
Occasionally I dab on Samsara by Guerlain to which I added a few drops of Mysore sandalwood oil and decanted into an old Poison bottle. It's the only time I ever modified an existing perfume. The bottle is close to the bed and looks so inviting. When I'm in bed though, I mostly smell the two pug dogs that sleep close to my face.

“I don’t really know what witchcraft Kyle put in that bottle, but it is instantly the most fluffy, warm, cozy, balanced aromatic musk I’ve ever smelled.” — LC James

Lucy Burrows
Bedtime scent is a load-bearing category for me. They aren't just shuttles to sleep, they are also how I reward myself for completing my evening hygiene and skin care routine even though I am very very sleepy and I realllly don't want to, ever. Mostly, I'm spraying Lilyphéa thrice on my clavicle, where it floats up to my nostrils and lays silken lilypads over my shut eyes, green, watery, vanillic, smooth, blooming just, underwater, light breaking in fractured beams as you go deeper, until, out. Another common twilight reach is Chapel Factory's Baptisma. She whispers to me of mythic clear springs with lilacs blooming at the mossy roots of ancient willows, just enough incense to feel civilized and blessed.

Cute animals spritzing each other with perfume while floating in the nighttime sky? I'll read the kids book based on this concept.

Arabelle Sicardi, Perfumed Pages, You’ve Got Lipstick on Your Chin
I take a shower or bath before bed so I smell like those products: generally a triple-milled goat milk soap that's lavender or jasmine scented and then L'Occitane Body Lotion. I love L'Occitane body lotion and hand cream; I may try any other brand on the market, but nothing really brings me more pleasure than the smell and feel of L'Occitane. I have explored! I do also love the smell of Trader Joe's Brazil Nut Body Oil, too, which is a seasonal product from them.

LC James
It’s OSM Disco Nap. I don’t really know what witchcraft Kyle put in that bottle, but it is instantly the most fluffy, warm, cozy, balanced aromatic musk I’ve ever smelled. I know the kick is for matcha right now, but the maté in Disco Nap is something truly special.

Sable Yong, Smell Ya Later, Hard Feelings
Sol de Janeiro Body Butter Cheirosa 59 gets a lot of play — I love that it’s sweet and playful but also very soft and cozy. I’m a night showerer, so I usually go to bed smelling like whatever lotion I put on afterward. If not that one, the Flamingo Body Butter or Natura Tukuma body lotion.

Tahirah Hairston, Ridiculous Little Things
I don't have a specific fragrance for bed, but I love to wear Everyday Oil after showering for bed and spray my pillows and night clothes with Frederic Malle's Dans Mon Lit, which smells like a bed of roses.

Ashley Moubayed, Don’t Let Disco, Beyond the Beads
L'Eau d'Hiver by Jean-Claude Ellena for Frederic Malle is my go-to bedtime fragrance. Its minimalist, comforting scent is like a warm, soft blanket. The delicate blend of bergamot, heliotrope, and hawthorn creates a soothing and poetic experience.

This is when things started to get weird. I asked for cute animals and these all look like they're possessed and may murder me.

“By the time I crawl under the covers it's stopped burning, leaving just the warm aroma hovering in the air. I fall asleep pretty quickly and peacefully after that.” — Austin

Emma Vernon, Perfume Room Pod, Perfume Room Substack
I am a nighttime showerer and I always use body oil post-shower. I have a few in rotation that I really enjoy, but Costa Brazil Jungle Oil has always been my favorite. To me, it's the smell of luxury. I wish it came in a bigger bottle, with a pump (at half the cost).

Danielle
I love nighttime perfumes! My go-tos for nighttime are soft powdery scents or rich chocolatey gourmands. I love to wear Perfumer H's Heliotrope, Miller Harris' Violet Ida, and Profumum Roma's Sorriso. I have Gallagher's Wicked Good and Theodoros Kalotonis' Velvet Chocolate on my bedtime perfume wishlist. I find these kinds of perfumes instantly relaxing, even more than a cup of chamomile tea.

Chelsea B Canfield
Anything Iris/Orris. I cannot get enough. I find iris comforting even though it’s not classically cozy. Recent rotation includes Iris Cendre Naomi Goodsir, Parle Moi Orris Tattoo, Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist, Trimerous by Jorum, February 14 1912 By Rundholz, Cédre-Iris by Affinessence. Even something a little more lipstick-y like Violet Ida by Miller Harris…… I could go ON.

Austin aka Miss Adventure
Lately I've been lighting a little bit of incense before I go to bed, and it's been such a relaxing experience. I always hated incense growing up because I thought it was too smokey, too patchouli-y, and just gross smelling overall. But after discovering Hibi's 10 Minute Aroma incense matchsticks, I've come around to really enjoy the experience. Since each matchstick only lasts 10 minutes (hence the name), it doesn't overpower a room and it doesn't linger for a super long time like some incense cones I've had in the past. Now, when I want to have a relaxing night's sleep, I'll light one of the matchsticks in my bedroom right before I shower and get ready for bed. By the time I crawl under the covers it's stopped burning, leaving just the warm aroma hovering in the air. I fall asleep pretty quickly and peacefully after that.

Sweet dreams! I hope this lady doesn’t haunt you in your sleep.