Can you smell fall lingering in the air?

NEW YORK -- With the growing season for many flowers coming to an end, the best way to add a sweet smell to the air might be a quick spray of a perfume.

Fragrance makers seem to have scoured the globe to find new and rare scents to put in their pretty bottles -- and when the desired smell couldn't be found in a tropical rain forest or exotic Asian island, the companies turned to the laboratory.

Using a technology called Headspace, created by International Flavors and Fragrances, scientists capture the essences of living flowers and transform them into new molecules so perfumers can take those scents and blend them with others to match whatever emotion they are trying to evoke.

Five roses are the basis for Very Irresistible Givenchy. The centifolia rose is supposed to represent elegance; a peony rose is daring; fantasia rose is spontaneous; the passion rose is intense; and the "emotion rose" (created using Headspace) is sensual. To contrast the floral, there also is star anise and verbena leaf.

Estee Lauder collaborated with Eden Project, a nature conservancy in Cornwall, England, to create Beyond Paradise. The partnership gives Estee Lauder access to the scents of many rare plants, including orange flower templar, Brazilian jabuticaba fruit, lealia orchid and crepe jasmine.

Yves Saint Laurent and brand creative director Tom Ford update Rive Gauche, originally launched in 1971, with a reworked floral heart of rose and jasmine while retaining the familiar notes of vetiver, musk, oak moss and myrrh as its base. Meanwhile, a brand new Rive Gauche Pour Homme opens with bergamot, star anise and rosemary, has a center of lavender, geranium leaves and clove bud, with a finish of patchouli and gaiac wood.

Ralph Lauren Blue is supposed to take the wearer on a three-stop trip to an exotic tropical island, the shores of Nantucket, Mass., and a spa. The common link among the three destinations -- and the perfume itself -- is the watery floral accord.

Burberry Brit, described as modern English style in a bottle, actually is a green oriental scent with notes of Italian lime, pear, green and sugared almonds, amber and mahogany, and vanilla and tonka beans.

Still Jennifer Lopez is the second perfume from the actress-singer-fashionista. It has the unique signature scent of sake, combined with white pepper, mandarin and Earl Grey tea.

Instead of using citrus as in other oriental fragrances, Clinique Simply gets its brightness from white dew-laden flowers. Also, soy milk replaces the vanilla notes of other traditional perfumes and toasted soy nuts combined with a smoked wood replace spicy notes.

Avon's newest fragrance is Treselle, which uses extracted nectars from the lotus flower as part of its opening note. Sweet licorice and black pepper berries are combined with the nocturnal melati flower for the heart, and iris flower and tiger orchid are the creamy base.

Clean Baby Girl and Clean Fun are both soapy scents. Baby Girl is infused with lemon and orange, Egyptian geranium, African violet, cinnamon Ceylon, and a cedar base; while Fun is reminiscent of a bubble bath "blasted" with citrus smells, rosewood and a touch of lavender.