What’s the first perfume you remember wearing? For many of us, the answer will be something soaked with sweetness and steeped in nostalgia. In the 1980s, Coty’s classic Exclamation scented shopping-centre corridors with clouds of vanilla and peach, while anyone who reached high-school age in the 1990s will know the saccharine signatures of Victoria’s Secret and Charlie. Come the Noughties, the celebrity fragrance industry was in full swing, with most falling back on tooth-melting notes of sugar and spice.
Gourmand perfumes haven’t always been the chicest proposition post teenhood, but today they’re truly coming of age, with a host of deliciously indulgent scents hitting the shelves, combining nostalgia with sophistication.
For Bee Shapiro, founder of Ellis Brooklyn, the gourmand perfume revival chimes with our collective desire for comfort. “I've always believed fragrance is tied to our current psychology. The world is in a state of flux, so what's more comforting than a touch of nostalgia – something lighthearted and fluffy and easy to digest? Sweet scents aren't super challenging in that they are very understandable. The notes also often reference the kitchen or a sweet treat — it's like a little indulgence but feels familiar as well.”
Our cravings for comfort might have led us back to notes of vanilla, caramel and honey, but – as with most things in beauty today – there’s also influence coming from the buying behaviours of Gen Z. “TikTok probably has been the single largest influence on fine fragrance in the last couple of years,” says Shapiro. Indeed, the social-media platform has encouraged engagement and interactivity far more than its predecessors, namely the generic aspirational #ads of the peak Instagram era.
“Unlike Instagram or platforms focused on static imagery, with TikTok there's opportunity to discuss, and bring to life how a fragrance actually wears,” she explains. “It's more like very consumable, short-form TV, and with the rise of #perfumetok, there is so much more fragrance knowledge being shared on the platform.”
Gourmand scents are a particular hit on the youth-dominated TikTok, where cult classics such as Kilian’s Love, Don’t Be Shy and Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge have found a new generation of fans.
As perfumer Kilian Hennessy adds, “social media can also be a way for niche brands to engage with younger consumers – even if they’re not the primary target”.
“The most gourmand scent I have created for Kilian Paris is Love, Don’t be Shy, a marshmallow accord blended with orange blossom and vanilla," he says. "To give you an idea of how gourmand it is, my desire here was to create a scent that would be so yummy that your partner would almost want to take a bite out of you. I know from the press that a certain celebrity singer was wearing it, and she isn’t a teenager anymore but a true glamour icon.” In response to Love, Don’t Be Shy’s new-found TikTok fame, Kilian created Princess: a scent with the same marshmallow accord, but a much more accessible price point.
So, how does one master the art of smelling both sweet and sophisticated? Take your pick from the new school of olfactory treats: from Tom Ford’s latest risqué reveal to D.S & Durga’s rebellious take on the genre, there’s something to satisfy every craving.
The gourmand perfumes to invest in now
One of the advantages of remaining an independent perfume house is the freedom to experiment – something David Seth Moltz of D.S & Durga does frequently.
Pistachio began as a fun, ephemeral addition to the line up, but when the limited run of 100 bottles sold out instantly, the brand decided to make it a permanent member of the family.
A left-field ode to pistachio ice cream, it's curiously spicy with a spike of cardamom and a marzipan twang of sweetness.
Tom Ford Vanilla Sex
As the name suggests, Tom Ford's latest offering is a straight-up sugar high: full fat, extra creamy and laced with a hint of bitter almond. Perhaps the sweetest of bunch.
Byredo's sweeter side is quite unlike any other. The first 'oud gourmand' fragrance in the brand's growing roster, Rouge Chaotique is a potent essence that masterfully blends warm saffron with the jammy sweetness of booze-soaked plums, ending on a base of praline. For a sweet tooth with bite, head here.
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Dolce & Gabbana's gourmand scent masterfully makes pure vanilla feel fresh and light with the inclusion of a citrusy lemon-biscuit top note. It's mellow yet youthful: the kind of familiar fragrance you'll want to spritz on your favourite jumpers.
“I love a pear note in sweet fragrances — there's the sweetness but also a fresh, juicy quality that is so inviting,” says Shapiro of her gourmand scent. “It combines pear with marshmallow and orris – the effect is something delicious but also elevated.”
Kilian Hennessy is the undisputed king of the big, sexy gourmand, and Love, Don't Be Shy is perhaps the most adored in his entire collection. The secret is a revolutionary marshmallow note, which perfumer Calice Becker used in place of the traditional gourmand patchouli. The result is a completely delicious kind of sugar rush, rich in orange blossom and ending with resinous labdanum.
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Clean, soft musk lays a sophisticated base for the layers of vanilla and coconut in Matiere Premiere's chic gourmand. Defying the usual headiness of the two starring notes, it's a muted and well-balanced scent that leans more creamy than sickly.
When Christian Dior's favourite Parisian restaurant, Maxim's, created a vanilla-based dessert just for him, they likely had no idea it would live on in olfactory form as part of the brand's storied fragrance line. Vanilla Diorama is an ode to that creamy, chilled dessert, with a fleeting hit of citrus that gives way to a lingering spike of rum.
Widely considered the first gourmand scent, Mugler’s Angel is a truly iconic perfume, still as popular today as it was in 1992. Rich floral patchouli grounds the maximalist blend of indulgent notes, with caramel, coconut and honey coming to the fore. If you’re new to gourmands, and after something to make an impact, start here.
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Currently enjoying a major renaissance thanks to TikTok’s fragrance heads, Baccarat Rouge isn’t an outwardly gourmand blend, but the spun-sugar drydown means it’s a hit with the sweet-toothed. The ambery, woody skin scent wears close to the body, so it's a discreet, personal fragrance rather than a room-filler.
Kilian has collaborated with legendary nose Alberto Morillas on this intoxicating launch. Can't Stop Loving You spotlights the seductive trail of white flowers – namely orange blossom and jasmine – with treacly warmth from honey and an earthy oakmoss base.
