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Perfume-Tok Loves Gourmands — These Are Our Favorites
November 16, 2023
If your perfume tastes include the likes of buttery caramel, boozy fruit cocktails and anything else that may indulge your sweet tooth, you’re a gourmand lover. “Typically, gourmand perfumes include a rich base of warm and sweet ingredients like vanilla, caramel and tonka bean, which provide a luscious, dessert-like quality,” says Almira Armstrong, fragrance developer and founder of Lumira. “[Gourmands] are the kind of fragrances that make you want to sniff closer and almost take a bite,” adds Carlos Huber, fragrance developer and Arquiste founder.
The year 2023 has marked the era of the modern gourmand, and that is largely thanks to PerfumeTok: a niche Internet community of fragrance lovers that’s rich with resources. Long gone are the days of cloying, sugary fragrances that smell like a lovestruck tween upon first spritz. Instead, these dessert-like scents are becoming more dynamic, layered with notes of smoky woods, bright fruits and romantic florals to create a balanced, multidimensional scent experience for both user and those surrounding.
Ahead, find our fraghead-approved gourmands for every type of perfume lover, from cozy vanillas to lemony gin cocktails to syrupy florals. Spoiler alert: they’re all addicting in their own way, and they’re only going to grow in popularity for the new year.
The Best Gourmand Perfumes to Try in 2024
Viktor & Rolf Bonbon Eau de Parfum
This fragrance is the perfect intermingling of florals and sweet gourmands. Picture a warm, caramel-y elixir with bright notes of citrus and jasmine that enhance the sweet and creamy profile, but don’t cross the line into smelling saccharine or overbearing. Our editors recommend pairing it with the Aesop Rejuvenate Intensive Body Balm for a citrusy vanilla scent that lasts all day long.
YSL Beauty Black Opium Le Parfum
If your perfect day starts with a creamy vanilla latte, this perfume will hit the spot. With three vanilla notes, coffee, creamy white florals and pear, it’s a sensual vanilla floral with warmth that’s reminiscent of brown sugar. It’s cozy, irresistible and long-lasting on the skin.
Mugler Angel Elixir Eau de Parfum
With a meg- long list of notes that includes all types of fruit and syrupy caramel, Mugler’s Angel was the original gourmand. It’s a heavy sweetness that has the internet divided, which is why we want to highlight this new take on the iconic fragrance — Angel Elixir. With notes of bourbon vanilla, pink pepper and amber, it’s already making its presence known on PerfumeTok and people are loving it.
Lancôme Idole Nectar
Syrupy rose with caramel popcorn makes the name of this fragrance super fitting because it’s sweet like nectar. If florals are your first love, captivating rose meets the sweet and salty popcorn note for a succulent combo that’s just right for date night.
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Ruby Orchid
More and more modern gourmands incorporate bright fruit notes to round out the vanilla, caramel and creamy notes in the base. This perfume pairs the two exceptionally well; it’s a juicy peach blend with warm orchid and vanilla bourbon. It carries all the star qualities of the OG Flowerbomb with a juicy note that can take you from season to season.
Giorgio Armani Beauty Armani/Privé Magenta Tanzanite Eau de Parfum
A little sugar and a little spice is just right for this time of year, and that’s what this Armani/Prive scent delivers. With cardamom, cinnamon, coffee and tonka bean, you get a caffeinated, spicy zest balanced with a powdery, creamy sweetness. Plus, the bottle is a gorgeous addition for your vanity.
Maison Margiela REPLICA Matcha Meditation
Let it be known that gourmands don’t have to be dripping in sweetness to give off their signature foodie note. This perfume includes notes of matcha, citrus and white chocolate for a fresh, not-too-sweet, green perfume with a subtle and comforting candy note.
Gritti Tutu Extrait de Parfum
From the name to the bottle to the sweet elixir inside, this niche Italian fragrance is balletcore personified. With notes of rose, raspberry, black currant, champagne bubbles and vanilla, you get a cheerful extrait de parfum reminiscent of berries and cream with an element of luxury, comfort and softness. It’s a captivating signature scent that you’re sure to be remembered by.
Gritti Gossip Night Eau de Parfum is another editor-favorite in the brand’s gourmand line up. It features a luscious blend of lychee, peach, caramel and cream that is equally as enticing as the peach bellini it’s inspired by.
Phlur Vanilla Skin Body & Hair Mist
Don’t let the name fool you — this body mist smells like vanilla cake with warm, creamy sandalwood and brown sugar for the most decadent treat that actually lasts on the skin. If you’re a vanilla lover, this is an easy purchase, but if you’re on the fence, the notes of pink pepper, apple and cashmere wood round it out to create an addictive, sweet and woody gourmand.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait de Parfum
MFK Baccarat Rouge 540 is the little black dress of perfume — there is never a time when it doesn’t serve or bring tons of compliments. The extrait version of this viral scent has a bit more depth with added notes of bitter almond and musk, combined with a candied element that smells luxe and woody with its signature it-factor and subtle sweetness.
DS & Durga Pistachio
If you avoid gourmands because you aren’t into “sweet perfumes,” let this elixir of pistachio, vanilla cream and cardamom be your game-changer. What starts as pure pistachio settles into a captivatingly creamy and nutty skin scent that we can guarantee is unlike any gourmand you’ve smelled before — our editors can attest to this, and they’re obsessed. This perfume is seriously long-lasting, and it gets even better as the day goes on.
Parfums de Marly Althaïr Eau de Parfum
This charming unisex gourmand includes the likes of vanilla bourbon, bergamot, praline and ambrox. It starts off as a woody, almost-masculine vanilla and dries down to this sweet, boozy blend of warmth and vanilla woods that can beautifully suit any fragrance lover. It’s the kind of perfume that will have you sniffing your wrist throughout the day just to smell how good it is.
Caramel Dream Eau De Parfum
If you’re a true gourmand lover, this scent checks all the boxes with its notes of caramel, chocolate, vanilla and sugar. Balanced with almond milk, citrus and amber, it creates an inviting mix that smells warm and edible. Moreover, this perfume falls under the $30 mark, proving that you don’t have to spend tons of money to smell like the sweetest treat.
Arquiste The Architect’s Club Eau de Parfum
If your sweet tooth is better sated by a good cocktail rather than a piece of chocolate, this is just the perfume for you. Smoky vanilla meets a lemony gin drink for an intoxicating blend that insinuates good taste and a little mystery.
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