“My advice is to be open to discovering a world of gourmands from some of the greatest perfumers in the world, you may be surprised at how nuanced modern gourmand vanilla scented perfume (click here) fragrances have become,” encourages Glyde. And if you’re overwhelmed by options, it can also be helpful to think back to meaningful scent memories. It’s highly likely a perfumer has taken the aroma of that comfort food and utilised it in a scent composition that may feel both familiar and surprising! “Most gourmand notes are sweet, but they can also be watery, bitter, powdery or sour, just like food,” explains Glyde, who offers Ellis Brooklyn Salt Eau de Parfum as a savoury staple.
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Vanilla Milk is balanced and delectable thanks to a touch of florals. Housed inside this beautiful sculptural bottle is a great vanilla scented perfume fragrance that’s reminiscent of a fruit cake. The combination of vanilla and red berries is simply delicious and balances the sweetness. Don’t get me wrong—this scent is sweet (how could it not be with sugared petals as a keynote?). This delectable scent is also under $100 a bottle, making it a winner.
A cult classic since its launch in 2003, Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille is a masterful blend of Mexican black vanilla, licorice, and sandalwood. Created by Christopher Sheldrake, this fragrance is a scent that transports you to a tropical paradise, where vanilla vines twist around ancient trees and the air is heavy with the promise of adventure. Sameeha Shaikh is Grazia’s beauty writer, working across all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).
Discover each one of the rising-in-popularity vanilla scented perfume trends, below. Those words ring true for the brand’s most popular scent, and arguably the one that put it on the map, Missing Person, £99. Unsurprisingly then, it sold out within five hours of hitting the market, prompting a waitlist of more than 200,000 fans and has since amassed a cool 65.5 million posts on TikTok. This is a super sophisticated vanilla scent, enhanced by both spicy and woody notes.
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Its creamy vanilla bean base note perfectly contrasts with intoxicating orangeflower, jasmine, and spicy cardamom, resulting in a floral, woody, and sweet fragrance. As a vanilla loyalist with over 80 different bottles that contain the note in my collection (yes, I’ve counted), I’ll be the first to tell you hardly any two vanilla scents are the same. So, I made it my mission to find the best vanilla perfumes on the market. Ahead, you’ll find reviews of a few of my all-time favorite scents, plus a few selects from experts and fellow Marie Claire editors.
The vanilla can be detected right away, and it stays into the dry down. What I like best, however, is that the nutmeg starts shining through after a few minutes, and the orange blossom sort of brightens the entire fragrance up. According to Phlur, Perfumer Greg Husar created Solar Power to be inspired by the “diffusive glow of sunlight” by combining golden floral musk and citrus notes like orange flower and bergamot.
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Torn is the perfect name for this perfume because its scent is partly feminine and partly masculine; it’s the perfect genderless fragrance. Upon the initial spray, I’m immediately whisked away to a fireplace with a glass of whiskey in hand. With hints of musk, sandalwood, and violet, it’s subtly spicy and earthy, with a hint of vanilla sweetness. If you want to feel sultry without going overboard on vanilla, this one is for you. Now, if you know the scents from Tom Ford, you know the designer has more than a few vanilla perfumes.
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And if pistachio isn’t your thing, Kyse has a slew of tasty scents like Gateau de Carnaval (Carnival Cake) or Delizia di Marshmallow. “Spring fragrance notes are taking a fresh spin with the infusion of citrus forward scents,” says Levy. Lemon, orange, and grapefruit twists add levity to fragrances and give them a bright quality. In Glyde’s eyes, beauty is a source of joy and means of self-expression, which is why gourmand perfumes are proving popular. If you’ve ever had a loved one prepare you a meal or offer you a home-baked good, then you know the comfort of those delicious aromas,” Glyde explains.
This sequel to their cult classic, Glossier You, smells like a sophisticated birthday cake. It layers notes of buttercream, plum butter, and toasted almond on top of the same base notes as Glossier You. If you’ve ever wanted to play around with your fragrance, the time is now. These fragrances aren’t just for turning heads—they’re also endlessly wearable. New age vanilla scents aren’t sickly sweet or cloying like some of their older counterparts. Instead, next-gen vanilla scents are easy to wear, multifaceted, and interesting.
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“There is that classic, sweet vanillin scent and this is a synthetic vanilla that smells a lot like what we use in baking,” explains the expert. But, “if we look at a real vanilla absolute, this will actually have rich, leathery facets with chocolatey accents. Vanilla absolute is warm and enveloping, often described as having a rum-like quality,” Glyde continues. As mentioned above, this is a gourmand scent which features a trio of vanilla notes.
As a vanilla aficionado, these are some of my favorites, along with others I have my eye on. I’m easily swayed by notes that make me smell sophisticated, energetic, and spicy. However, my fragrance collection is as expansive as a department store aisle and my star players are, without a doubt, the sweet scents that leave me smelling edible, fresh, and flirty.
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It’s the creamiest scent in my collection and an absolute team player. Combined with other scents, Amazing Grace subtly plays in the background, but its bergamot and lily of the valley notes sparkle through without being too overpowering. I have just about every Good Girl perfume in the Caroline Herrera range, but its newest iteration made me question the stars in my starting lineup. However, Herrera offers a grown-up version that marries vanilla’s sweetness with the creamy ylang-ylang and mandarin for a warm, inviting floral.
If vanilla scents are also your vice, find additional perfumes, hand creams, candles, and more with similar notes below (they’re on my wish list, too!). The scent can be at times…well, vanilla; sometimes too syrupy, young or worse, a combo of both. Golden Rule is the first floral fragrance that has managed to weasle its way into my perfume rotation.
In the mid 2000s, Le Labo Santal 33 ruled the fashion world, and you couldn’t escape the sandalwood-laced scent anywhere you went. After that, Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 became the scent du jour, and the saffron and ambroxan scent became ubiquitous. It would be rare to find a fragrance lover who has yet to experience Valentino’s Born in Roma collection—and for good reason. They’re some of the fashion house’s most successful and well-known scents, not to mention their easily recognizable studded bottles. As Who What Wear UK’s junior beauty editor, she covers everything from the latest hair trends to the stand-out makeup products of the season. At the age of 18 she decided to train as a makeup artist before going on to study english and media at Goldsmiths University.
Experts say vanilla belongs to amber family of fragrances, but its influence has proven to stretch to chypre, floral and beyond. So yes, you will find vanilla fragrances with a multitude of faces, each promising to be as delicious as the next. With so many notes to round out a vanilla base, the key to choosing the perfect perfume is actually staring back at you in the mirror—you! As a starting point, Nwasike recommends deciding what level of sweetness you’re after.
Cosmo US beauty editor Beth Gillette is in love with the best-selling Vanilla 28 from Kayali. With all that is on offer, we know it can be hard to fight the right kind of juice to satisfy your vanilla fragrance craving. So we’ve done the hard work for you and whittled it down to the very best. Very sweet but not cloying, Frangipane al Pistacchio honestly smells like a pistachio confection in an Italian bakery. With a hint of mature sandalwood, it’s warm, nutty, and addictive, just like dessert.
Madeline Galassi is the Senior Fashion & Beauty Editor at The Everygirl, where she leads the site’s fashion and beauty coverage, including trend reports, shopping roundups, and celebrity style. A trend expert with an eye for the latest must-have products and up-and-coming brands, Madeline is always on the pulse of what’s next and making sure readers stay in the know. The Everygirl’s product selections are curated by the editorial team. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. It enhances custard and is a prerequisite to most baked goods, but does vanilla work in your signature scent?
It falls into the category of ‘perfume that will make strangers stop in their tracks to ask you what you’re wearing’. I’m a big fan of Phlur perfumes, and Vanilla Skin is the most beautiful, subtle, skin-like scent with hints of warming vanilla scented perfume throughout. Another TikTok favourite, YSL’s Libre has top notes of tangerine and lavender with a warm vanilla base. When we talk about vanilla perfumes in the context of the best perfumes for women, there’s something for everyone—think of it as an inherent building block rather than the final structure.
Olivia, who goes by Olivia Olfactory across social media, is a content creator specializing in fragrance reviews. She reviews everything from budget-friendly gems to luxurious niche perfumes and has a following of over 400k on Instagram and 240k on Tiktok. Marie Claire is also an authority on perfume, having tested over 500 fragrances for the Marie Claire 2024 Fragrance Awards. We continually stay up to date on the latest fragrance trends, innovations, and releases. After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30?
If you’re dead set on grabbing a Kayali vanilla perfume but want something slightly less popular, go for the Utopia Vanilla Coco, which is a little softer and has boozy and delicious vanilla bourbon. Soft Spot is another your-skin-but-better scent that’s memorable, but not overbearing. Perfumer Honorine Blanc describes Soft Spot as “an unexpected duality of softness and strength,” according to Phlur, which perfectly encapsulates its unique scent. Soft Spot combines skin-like, musky notes with soft citrus and watery florals for a fragrance that’s inviting and intimate. One of my all-time favorite scents, Phlur’s Vanilla Skin is warm and sweet and totally addicting. According to Phlur, Perfumer Clement Gavarry, who created Vanilla Skin, wanted the fragrance to “play with contrasts” against vanilla.
It starts with a strong sweetness dose with base notes of Madagascar vanilla, gourmand caramel, and woody amber. Its pear and rose notes rise to the surface within minutes, resulting in an intoxicating fragrance. I can personally attest that this fragrance brings a sense of comfort and calmness whenever I wear it. If you change your perfumes with the season, I recommend this as a winter perfume, as it’s warm and soothing. Remember when I promised that there were vanillas that were sophisticated and complex?
Sweet and citrus notes of cotton candy and an array of fruits add that vibrant playful touch, and then the perfume develops into a rich and complex blend, thanks to the musky, woody base notes of patchouli. One of the most thrilling aspects of exploring the world of gourmand fragrances is discovering indie perfumers who create scents far beyond the typical vanilla and almond. If you want to smell like strawberries and salt, there’s a perfume for that. “The new generation of gourmands appeal to a wide range of sensibilities by being inventive, approachable, and sophisticated,” Sullivan and Hendin added. ” Below are eight exciting and, more importantly, delicious fragrances for you to begin your gourmand journey.
It’s worth noting that there are actually two iterations of the scent. Although the fragrances are similar, this newer version features a fourth vanilla wood, which adds a rich, smoky element to the perfume, making it even more captivating. As VanDerMillen mentioned, vanilla can have an earthy feel, and that’s certainly what you get with this Jo Malone perfume. The earthy woodiness of vetiver grounds the creamy warmth of vanilla to create an intoxicating, not-too-sweet fragrance. Adding cardamom, lavender, and sage gives it even more of a grounding feel. A complementary evening skincare ritual can enhance how fragrance performs.
Well-hydrated skin holds scent longer, allowing even modest perfumes to develop their full character. Consider adding peptide-rich products that improve skin texture while creating the perfect canvas for fragrance. French perfumery techniques have long dominated the luxury market, but many affordable brands now employ similar methods. French-inspired fragrances often deliver that je ne sais quoi that reads as expensive. Look for terms like “eau de parfum” rather than “eau de toilette” for better concentration and longevity. Then I’ll recommend Anthropologie’s top rated Outremer Eau De Toilette’s Vanille.
Soft Spot’s skin-like scent makes it a year-round staple for me, which I can’t say about other musky perfumes. While its warm notes make it sound like it might make it a fall and winter fragrance, Soft Spot’s scent is both timeless and season-less to me—like a warm hug you want to linger in a second longer. Much like its name, its soft, addicting, and the perfect day-to-day fragrance. Yes, it is absolutely possible to find a perfume that is both woody and sweet. In fact, the differing scent profiles are what make Mugler’s Angel so iconic.
It’s light, sits close to the skin, and is easy to layer with other fragrances or scented lotions. I went through my bottle fairly fast, which I didn’t care about, since it’s under $30. The boyfriend I had when it was in rotation really liked it, and he was picky when perfumes were concerned. I enjoyed it for everyday type things but preferred something heavier come night. This addictive scent is particularly earthy thanks to vanilla scented perfume bourbon but the addition of lavender gives it a woody floral finish that balances out the sweetness perfectly.
At first sniff, Fleur Éclair comes across as a classic floral–a little powdery and rosy. But as the scent lingers, spicy notes of cardamom and amber seep through, and a sweet cocoa scent emerges. Sprinkling salt on your baked goods makes their sweetness rounder and more pronounced—and that’s also precisely what Soliani’s scent does.
This bottle will last you forever, too, as you only need two drops for a long-lasting scent. I’ve tried my fair share of perfumes over the years, but Tom Ford perfumes are the only ones that are consistently complex, unique, and downright luxurious. One of the brand’s most famous scents, Tobacco Vanille, is an acquired taste—and that is exactly why I love it. Don’t be thrown off by the tobacco note; I find its smokey spiciness pairs beautifully with the vanilla and ginger. Every time I wear it, I’m transported to a rustic cabin in the woods where I’m snuggled up by the fireplace.
It’s hard to get a cherry perfume right (it’s easy to step too much into the scent that it smells nauseating and medicinal), but this one from Tom Ford manages to do so perfectly. Typically a floral perfume person, but wanna try the sweet side of scents for a lil change-up? Add Lancôme’s La Vie est Belle to your lineup, which is a very feminine floral scent. Shop Vanilla Sex while it’s still marked down at Nordstrom until May 17. Plus, snag more sweet-smellling perfumes that are classics, but with a twist.
If you want heads to turn and constant questions about what you’re wearing, this seductive, nocturnal floral scent is the nighttime scent you’ve been looking for. Bourbon vanilla offers the sexy side, while mandarin, orange blossom, and jasmine keep it playful. Whenever I spritz a deep, overpowering musky scent, I cut it down with this sweet delight from Nest. Golden Nectar is precisely how you’d imagine it to smell; the honeyed aroma takes cues from golden orchid, creamy vanilla, and a hint of musk to warm the body up. It’s such a classic, elegant perfume that uses flowers like iris and jasmine, fresh notes of pear and orange blossom, and then settles to a warmer tone thanks to the patchouli and vanilla.