Vanilla perfumes are rocking the scent scene right now …
There’s nothing boring about vanilla. Yes, for a long time it tended to signify super-sweet concoctions, usually thrown in with fruit notes and pink pepper for an all-round cloying sugariness. But in recent years we’ve been seeing richer, smoother, and more softly gourmand scents that are far more sensuous and sophisticated. Take Prada’s Infusion de Vanille, for example, or Chanel’s Le Lion, which pairs an animalic, rather than sugar-sweet, vanilla with leather to astonishing effect. Victoria Beckham’s 21:50 Reverie (from €200), too, is a super-smooth take on vanilla, with tonka bean and woody notes.
Designer prices have certainly ramped up in recent years: Tom Ford’s Vanilla Sex and Vanilla Fatale are €338, while Byredo’s Vanilla Antique is €300 for 50ml. So, it’s interesting that body mists are big news now, offering a lighter, airier and more affordable way to access some of the scents you love. Clearly, these are not designed to last on your skin in the same way, but they are a fun way to enjoy great smells.
I do always think it’s worth tracking the perfumer behind your favourite scent, because you’ll often find their more affordable work on the high street. With Phlur, you can wear a scent created by Frank Voekl – the perfumer behind most of the Le Labo scents, including bestselling Santal 33 – for less than €30. Voekl created Phlur’s Father Figure (a fruity fig and cassis) and coconut and vanilla blend, Golden Rule. Perfume editor extraordinaire Frederic Malle was hugely influential in bringing perfumers back to the forefront, putting their names on the bottles, and this is a rewarding way to shop for perfume: get to know the names you like, and hunt them out.
Here are three new takes on vanilla that are seriously addictive:
1 Vanilla Powder Hair Perfume by Matiere Premiere
Matiere Premiere continues to be the most exciting new perfume brand I’ve come across in years – perfumer Aurelien Guichard’s scents are stunning, with immediate and lasting impact, thanks to the finest and most carefully sourced ingredients (many grown at Guichard’s own family farm in the Grasse region). And Vanilla Powder is the perfume that switched me back on to vanilla-centred scents; before, I found them to be overly sweet, synthetic and cloying. But Vanilla Powder, launched in 2023, has a softness and smoothness that’s really addictive, with its powdery coconut and white musks.
A new collection of hair perfumes has just landed, including Vanilla Powder – and each one smells just as good as the original eau de parfum, just lighter. Aurélien Guichard, co-founder and master perfumer, says he focussed on “sensuality, a scent trail and a ‘flying effect’”, so that these are never “overwhelming or overbearing as if you were wearing a perfume helmet on your head!” Try also Radical Rose, which is perfect for spring.
Matiere Premiere always go to great lengths to ensure the ancillaries (i.e. body lotion and wash, etc.) are the same top quality as the perfumes; not all brands do this. And this hair perfume, with around 95 per cent natural ingredients, is an easy and enticing way to wear this beautiful scent. €65. www.matiere-premiere.com
2 Auburn Eau de Parfum by Cos
An exciting new high-street perfume collection lands in April: four new scents by Cos. We’re intrigued, especially since other brands in the H&M stable (notably & Other Stories) are known to tap in to top perfumers, including Jérome Epinette, who’s behind Victoria Beckham and Byredo perfumes, to name but two; I’m longing to try the & Other Stories Perfect Pistachio eau de toilette (€35 for 50ml, body mist from €9).
We’re longing to find out which perfumers Cos have worked with for this new collection. We love the sound of Auburn, described as having an “opulent sweetness”, with notes of dark vanilla, wood, cardamom and coffee – delicious. Prices start from €25 for travel-sized 15ml to €79. Candles, from rose and plum to cinnamon and geranium, will be €49. Available in store soon and online at Cos.
3 Vanilla Smoke Hair & Body Fragrance Mist by Phlur
I’m only just discovering Phlur, a US-based brand founded in 2015. I was a bit put off by the name, somehow, but I’m now realising that Phlur brings top perfumers to us in a more affordable way. With Tangerine Boy, for example, you’re getting an Epinette perfume for €114 (50ml, with 9.5ml travel size for €33) – not cheap, but far less than luxury brands. The brand is smart at picking up on fragrance trends, such as “solar” scents and caramel, and has had big hits with vanilla-centred scents, including Vanilla Skin.
Phlur’s new Vanilla Smoke mist has an “iconic creaminess”, and combines vanilla with incense, amber and balsam. From €29 (for a travel-friendly size, 88ml), it’s an accessible way to wear a striking scent. There’s a scented candle available, too. At SpaceNK, Dundrum Town Centre.
We may earn a commission if you buy through affiliate links on our site.
