Think of vanilla, and your olfactory memory conjures whiffs of creamy, warm and saccharine notes. While this is the common association, it’s doing the component a disservice.
Vanilla is a hugely popular ingredient in fragrance for one simple reason: its versatility. It is rich and intriguing enough to wear for date night but sweet for office days. It can be sultry, seductive and deep but also lightweight, dynamic and dare we say it, even fresh.
The adaptable nature of the note means that, depending on the other components it is paired with, it can give a totally different effect that is worlds away from the cheap candles and heavy body sprays of our youth (although don’t sleep on Sol de Janeiro’s nostalgic revival).
There are over 54.1 million views on TikTok videos related to vanilla perfume but our obsession with the mouth-watering ingredient is far from new. Cultivating vanilla dates back to the Totonac Indians in east-central Mexico. When the Aztecs conquered the Totonacs, they included it in a tonic Chocolatl (a spicy hot chocolate-like concoction) that was said to ignite the feeling of love.
The drink was a hit, especially with Aztec Emperor Montezuma, who reportedly downed up to 50 cups of the stuff after every meal before visiting his harem of some 4,000 concubines. This connotation of love evolved into the idea of vanilla as an aphrodisiac, brought to Europe by the Spanish conquistadors with the belief that it enhances sexual prowess and was prescribed for male potency.
While this effect cannot be evidenced in fragrance, it has never faltered in its popularity. We’ve spritzed our way through the innumerable vanilla perfumes on the market to find the best but first, we have called on the expertise of Gergely Markus, The Perfume Shop Retail Training Manager to tell us everything we need to know about the scent.
Can I wear vanilla extract as perfume?
“Although you can apply vanilla extract directly to the skin, there are considerations to keep in mind when doing so”, says Markus. “As vanilla extract contains alcohol, this can be drying to the skin and therefore not always advised. We’d recommend heading to one of our stores to select a fragrance that has vanilla as a note, combined with other ingredients for a more complex, longer-lasting effect”.
What fragrance family is vanilla?
“The vanilla notes in fragrances are known to be within the Amber fragrance family”, explains the perfume expert. “Other notes that fall into this category include tonka bean, coffee, cinnamon, resins, and more. These often have a sweet, ‘gourmand-like’ smell”.
How to layer vanilla perfume
“As vanilla can often be a little sweet, we’d recommend laying your fragrance with those that contain notes of jasmine, musk, or even citrussy scents. Some great fragrances could include the likes of Yves Saint Laurent Libre, Armani My Way, or The Perfume Edit Citrus Fresco”, he suggests.
What does vanilla smell like in perfume?
“Vanilla has a traditional sweet and warm scent to it”, Markus reveals. “It’s also floral and can often create a creamy or woody impression. Vanilla has a delectable and addictive quality, being one of the most well-known gourmand perfume ingredients”.
Shop the best vanilla perfumes below
Laura Mercier Vanille Eau de Parfum 50ml
If you’ve ever caught a whiff of the typically sold-out Body & Bath Ambre Vanillé Honey Bath, you’ll know just how addictive the aroma truly is. The rich scent combines vanilla orchid, vanilla musk and bourbon vanilla and is deep, decadent and comforting. It may be overpowering if not for the floral notes of heliotrope and daylily and anchor of sandalwood and amber at the base.
Buy now £63.00, lookfantastic
GUERLAIN Aqua Allegoria Forte Bosca Vanilla Eau de Parfum
The honeycomb-inspired packaging will be enough to convince you to add the Aqua Allegoria Forte Bosca Vanilla Eau de Parfum to your scent wardrobe, but you’ll keep spritzing it for its rich olfactory experience. The collection takes its inspiration from a Corsican beach in summer and this particular scent is designed to evoke the warmth of the sun as it sets.
You will catch glimpses of its coastal inspiration with touches of driftwood to represent the sea as well as the comforting salty vanilla. The composition is made up almost entirely of natural origin ingredients, 90 per cent to be exact, where the alcohol ingredient is French beetroot harnessed from responsible farming. It’s also refillable.
Buy now £102.00, Cult Beauty
D.S. & Durga Deep Dark Vanilla
D.S. & Durga is a fragrance house like no other with the founders’ unique, self-taught approach to fragrance formulation so you can be sure that its vanilla aroma doesn’t follow suit either. The versatile aroma calls on real vanilla to provide its gourmand, almost edible scent composition.
Not only is it genderless but its notes of cabreuva, orchid and pink pepper combined with vines, green vanilla leaves and cypress root can be layered up for day or night alike. The base of hay, dark patchouli and vanilla absolute eschews the sweet stereotype of vanilla with a smoky twist that is green when it dries down.
Buy now £155.00, Space NK
THE 7 VIRTUES Vanilla Woods
The 7 Virtues arrived in the UK alongside Sephora, bringing with it a natural, sustainable approach to perfume making. The Canadian-based brand steers clear of synthetic, instead calling on organic, fairtrade essential oils that give back to communities who have suffered after the effects of war. The transparent brand tracks the journey of the components as well as informs on its aromatherapy benefits.
Vanilla Woods uses sustainably sourced vanilla from Madagascar as the finishing note and key takeaway. It opens, though, with fresh pear, has a heart of rose and sets the named ingredient alongside caramel and warm amber for the base. It’s sweet but not overly so with a spicy, warm feel.
Buy now £85.00, Sephora
Chanel N°5 Eau de Parfum Spray
Chanel’s N°5 is oft dubbed “the very essence of femininity”. The iconic aroma is defined by its powdery floral bouquet aroma that has stood the test of time. Not your typical vanilla aroma, it centres around May Rose and jasmine with a zesty citrus opening. But once it settles on the skin, what remains is a deep, smooth and sensual vanilla trail that lasts. The flacon is almost as instantly recognisable as the aroma itself with its minimal, square glass exterior.
Buy now £84.15, John Lewis
Kylie Cosmetics cosmic kylie jenner eau de parfum
Her sister Kim may already have seven fragrances to her name but Kylie Jenner has only recently entered the space with Cosmic, her first scent since launching Kylie Cosmetics back in 2014.
Inside a bottle worthy of your shelfie, you’ll find a sweet floral scent that is enveloping and intoxicating. The deep base of vanilla musk accord and cedarwood is juxtaposed with an opening of star jasmine and blood orange and heart of golden amber accord and red peony accord that only gets better the longer that you wear it.
Buy now £34.00, Selfridges
Prada Paradoxe Eau de parfum
In a bottle resembling the Italian fashion house’s signature triangle logo comes the latest fragrance from Prada - a treat for the senses. The floral aroma has a transportive feel as you pick up on the dynamic combination of neroli, amber and musk. It begins as a light, fresh and crisp aroma but has added dimension through an amber accord at the heart. It’s given further depth from the musk base for a non-traditional floral bouquet.
Shop the best floral fragrances here
Buy now £59.00, John Lewis
Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Eau de Toilette
Don’t let the name fool you, this fragrance is anything from Classique. Launched in 1993 under the name JPGaultier Eau de Parfum and rebranded in 1995, it’s a dynamic, evolving and surprising scent where sweet orange is paired with rice powder and vanilla meets ginger. The floral amber combination is seductive and intoxicating.
The bottle, now a signature of the brand, resembles a curvaceous torso and was compared to the corset Madonna wore during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour which was designed by Gaultier.
Buy now £53.51, The Perfume Shop
Billie Eilish Eilish Eau de Parfum
Billie Eilish has added perfumer to her impressive CV. Her debut fragrance, Eilish, launched in March 2022 and is already destined for cult status.
Most impressively, the 20-year-old headed up every step of the process, from the sculptural bottle design to sourcing the exquisite array of perfume notes. A spritz releases initial notes of rich cocoa, creamy vanilla and soft spices. Then, there’s a fruity layer of mandarin and red berries that hit you like you’ve entered a dessert parlour.
Vegan and cruelty-free, this is pretty much perfection.
Buy now £49.00, Boots
Ariana Grande MOD Vanilla and Blush Eau de Parfum sprays
It’s one of the most lauded celebrity fragrance lines on the market and Ariana Grande is constantly unveiling new eau de parfum sprays to add to our scent wardrobes. The double MOD drop is made up of aromas that are designed as an expression of freedom, taking inspiration from the 1960s movement of the same name but putting a modern twist on it with its scent profile.
While its name suggests MOD Vanilla is a sweet scent, it actually opens with an unexpected note of dark plum and musk with pink freesia, a play on the senses that paves the way for what follows. Taking the experience on is gourmand, orris butter and white praline and finally vanilla absolute, cocoa butter that has been upcycled and papyrus that ensure this is not your ordinary vanilla.
MOD Blush is equally as alluring where Italian bergamot is set against passion fruit and dark raspberry and then given a spicy twist with pink pepper. Rose petals, magnolia and pear sit at the heart, while it is anchored with a sensual concoction of ambrox, dreamwood and musk that leaves a trail.
Buy now £33.00, Boots
