Best perfume and fragrance advent calendars for a decadent Christmas countdown

Marking the countdown to Christmas itself is a huge part of the festive fun. It’s a time filled with parties, sequins and supermarket picky bits, along with another festive favourite — an advent calendar. While you certainly can't go wrong with a classic chocolate advent calendar, one of the most exciting ways to enjoy a little bit of magic every day leading up to Christmas is a fragrance advent calendar. Part of the beauty advent calendar family, these countdowns ensure you’ll smell divine right throughout December and beyond.

This year, these delights are packed with more impressive products than ever. Brands and retailers have included even more full-sized products, along with limited edition scents, advent calendar exclusives and even products that are yet to hit the shelves.

Luxe advent calendars like these fly off the shelves (Space NK’s superb offering and Harvey Nichols’s dreamy display have both sold out), so if there’s a pick you just can’t resist, we’d recommend ordering early to avoid disappointment. To help you decide between the options on the market, we’ve pulled together a guide to the best fragrance advent calendars for 2024.

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Christmas and Jo Malone go hand in hand, with the scents of seasonal colognes (this year, fir and artemisia) filling the air. Wrapped up in the spirit of the season, a fragrant gift from a loved one, or yourself, with the Jo Malone name is a real festive treat.

For 2024, the brand's advent calendar includes a selection of timeless and seasonal colognes, along with bath and body favourites, miniature candles, a travel candle and a 30ml festive fragrance. While you’ll be paying for a premium advent calendar, the savings are huge – with the calendar valued at more than £1,000.

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Each of the days before Christmas brings a gorgeous surprise with the Diptyque advent calendar, along with a special treat on Christmas Day. Modelled after a sewing box, inspired by the world of artist Lucy Sparrow, the advent calendar has been designed to be repurposed after the festive season is over. The calendar features limited edition treasures such as sapin, friandise and étoile candles, along with brand favourite scents, solid perfume, scented soap and some beautiful festive decorations. A true festive delight.

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With scents for both him and her, The Fragrance Shop advent calendar is valued at more than £300 and can cost as little as £96 (if you are a MyTFS member). The price has increased quite a bit from last year, but the brands included are more premium. Carolina Herrera, Rabanne, Moschino and Marc Jacobs are just some of the fantastic names that you'll find stuffed inside these 25 drawers. Along with plenty of miniature bottles, there’s a 50ml fragrance that costs £52 alone, and a voucher to use off your favourite scent.

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If you love a great scent but have enough perfumes lined up on your dressing table, then consider this candle advent calendar from John Lewis. Featuring some of the department store's most loved candles, including favourites from Neom, Aery, Skandinavisk and more, your home will smell wonderful, ready for your Christmas shindigs. Neom’s cosy night travel candle is worth £20 alone, as is Skandinavisk's Hygge scented candle. This would also make a great gift for a loved one.

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Another highly anticipated advent calendar in the beauty sphere, this glorious marble treasure trove is filled with 24 fragrant luxuries from Molton Brown, worth more than £300. The products include scents for the home, as well as for you. Expect to find shower gel baubles, mini candles and a refillable fragrance travel case.

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A delightful treat from the fragrant bakery of William Penhaligon, the baker's box of delights features 24 scented goodies, including a 30ml fragrance, soaps, body wash, candles and a Giles the gingerbread man limited edition charm. This advent calendar has been executed beautifully, with boxes that, when empty, would store Christmas cookies or ribbon in style.

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Acqua di Parma's luxury advent calendar for 2024 is presented in a handcrafted, glistening box, designed by India Mahdavi. Each day you open a drawer that unveils a festive surprise, including products from the popular blu mediterraneo and colonia lines, along with luxurious signatures of the sun favourites. Although the official value is yet to be announced, last year’s advent calendar cost £450 and was worth over £600.

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Okay, so we're technically cheating a little here with this Lush advent calendar, but what's the one thing, besides the beaming smiles of staff, that you notice when walking into a Lush store? The fragrances. Just like Christmas means mince pies and Michael Buble, it also means the emergence of the beloved snow fairy scent, along with plenty of Lush Christmas exclusives. This year's advent calendar features several gift exclusives, including the magic of Christmas perfume and a hot toddy candle. If you’re searching for an advent calendar for the whole family to enjoy, Lush is the way forward.

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Another festive delight with 25 days of surprise, The White Company advent calendar is waiting to provide a little daily indulgence in your countdown to Christmas. This year's advent calendar contains more full-sized products than ever, including winter and pomegranate signature candles, Seychelles bath and shower gel, and beautiful mini treats of hand wash, home spray and shimmer balm.

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Delivering another iconic design from fragrance brand, Jo Loves, this highly coveted advent calendar welcomes you to a Whistler ski lodge, with intricately designed doors that open to gloriously fragrant treats. Worth more than £750, the advent calendar includes best-selling fragrances, seven full-sized scented products and exclusive products that make their debut in this calendar — including the soon-to-launch black cashmeran and tonka a fragrance paintbrush.

They’re out now! We’ll continue to keep this guide updated as soon as anything else is announced, so for restock info and further launches, keep your eyes peeled.

Cult brands like Diptyque, Jo Malone and Acqua di Parma are just some of the fantastic names that are bringing a touch of magic to the market with their fragrance advent calendars this year. Whether you’re searching for something reasonably priced or more luxurious, there are fragrance treasures for all.

Some of our favourite retailers have also joined in, offering advent calendars filled with fragrance from a selection of fantastic brands. Space NK, Harvey Nichols and John Lewis all offer fragrance advent calendars, but sadly most multi-brand calendars are already sold out.

The fragrance advent calendars that we’ve chosen offer a luxurious way to countdown to Christmas Day, and often, the products included are valued at a higher cost than what you’ll pay. If you’re looking to find a new fragrance, or want to enjoy a mix of scents for personal use and the home, a fragrance advent calendar is a great way to try numerous scents and bag a great deal.

If you’re looking for an advent calendar that has a mix of fragrance and other beauty products, we’d check out the famous Liberty beauty advent calendar for great savings, or the Harvey Nichols advent calendar, which includes 18 full size products.

There aren’t a huge amount of deals on fragrance advent calendars right now, because many of them sell out at full price. If you’re hoping that your favourite will go on sale, it’s worth waiting for Black Friday, as we anciticpate many brands and retailers will be offering discounts ahead of December 1.