Hamburg  - As winter draws near and the temperatures drop and the world becomes cold and dark, fragrances that add a bit of warmth, sensuality and exoticism to the air are usually in fashion.

That's also the case this year. While over the summer light, fresh scents were in, now heavier Asian florals and seductive, sensuous essences are taking over perfumeries.

"This winter, luxurious scents are taking the lead," said Britta John of the perfumery cooperative Beauty Alliance in Bielefeld, Germany. The hottest trend is fruity-oriental scents that can be rounded out by the women who wear them with woody fragrances.

That means fruits such as orange, apple, mandarin and mango are worked into the core of the fragrance, said Martin Ruppmann of German association of cosmetic manufacturers in Berlin.

"In addition a lot of white flowers - jasmine, freesias, lotus flowers and orchids - are conspicuous and make for a sensuous-floral touch," Ruppmann said.

This season, perfume makers have especially had fun playing with the fragrance of orange blossoms. Boucheron of Paris combines essence of orange blossoms and "rose absolute" with fruity notes of osmathus flower and exotic spices in its fragrance B.

Calvin Klein combines orange blossoms with exotic plum, muscat blooms, damask rose and Egyptian jasmine in the perfume Secret Obsession. And Giorgio Armani's Code accentuates the orange blossom in combination with Arabian jasmine and an essence made of pink pepper.

A somewhat differently-based fruity scent is created by a mixture of lemon, mandarine, pear and guave in Diesel's fragrance Fuel for Life Unlimited. Benetton, meanwhile, unites peach with orange and bergamot in Essence. Miss Sixty's Miss is fruitier, having magnolia, water violet and peony at its core.

Donna Karan's DKNY Delicious Night is based on a luxurious bouquet of jasime, orchids and freesia. Espirit combines the scents of violets, wild roses and passion blooms in its anniversary fragrance Celebration. Purely exotic is Estee Lauder's fragrance Private Collection Amber Ylang Ylang that, as its name implies, is based on the sweet smell of the bloom of the Asian ylang-ylang tree.

And after a nine-year break from perfume production, even Jean-Paul Gaultier has created a new women's fragrance: Ma Dame, which combines bitter orange with rose and grenadine.

The concentration of aromas such as orange and rose show that a retro trend also is at work in the fragrance branch, said Elmar Keldenich of Germany's association of perfumeries.

"For a long while, mainly light, synthetic scents were in demand. Now reverting to classic fragrances is becoming more common," said Keldenich. These fragrances smell differently than they did in grandma's day. "The classics have been newly composed, modernized, so to speak."

A new method of interpreting a classic women's fragrance, for example, is to round out the fragrance's base with a typically masculine scent.

"Patchouli, amber and tonka beans can appear next to musk, cedar wood and vanilla in women's fragrances," said Ruppmann. Replay For Her, for example, is based primarily on the lush scent of tonka beans, while Velvet Hour from Kate Moss is based on cashmere and amber. Celine Dion combines amber and musk in her fragrance Sensational.

Agent Provocateur promises more than just a delicious rounding off with its mixture of ambra oil, Haitian vetiver, exotic woods and musk in its fragrance Strip. The company says Strip combined with body heat "reacts to your body temperature and exudes from your skin to release the sexual attractant within."

Not all fragrances this season are in actually new. Many manufacturers are tying into already successfully introduced perfumes, said Beauty Alliance's Britta John, adding that limited edition fragrances or variations are a trend.

In addition, collectors' editions in which the the container is simply changed, are very popular. Some examples are Chanel's Eau Premiere, a variation of its classic Chanel No 5; Chopard's Magical Nights, a reinterpretation of its fragrance Happy Spirit; and Shiseido's limited edition Zen Gold, a version of its established fragrance Zen outfitted in gold packaging. (dpa)