One of my top priorities in middle school was smelling like a cupcake. I would slather myself with lotions that gave off an aroma of sprinkles and diligently spritz myself with body sprays that reeked of vanilla extract. While I eventually grew out of wanting to smell like a processed good, I never stopped wanting to smell delicious. The sprinkle-scented lotions were replaced by creams that smelled faintly of almond, and sprays in hot pink packaging were swapped for artful vessels carrying fragrances of vanilla beans (the fancy kind that flecks good ice cream).
There’s a name for these mouthwatering scents: gourmand, and they’re having a moment. In the last few months, multiple perfumers have dropped their takes on gourmand fragrances, including Liis with their newest scent, Choux Choux. “Gourmands add a sense of optimism and extravagance to daily life,” Liis founders Alissa Sullivan and Leslie Hendin tell me. “They’re expressive in ways other fragrances might not be, for both the perfumer and the wearer.”
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. “They’re also just lighthearted and fun!” Below are eight exciting and, more importantly, delicious fragrances for you to begin your gourmand journey.
Inspired by choux à la crème (or cream puffs), this fragrance has a top note of citrus peel that cuts through the sweetness of its vanilla, caramel, and cocoa notes. Choux Choux will also be available in candle form come Valentine’s Day.
Sprinkling salt on your baked goods makes their sweetness rounder and more pronounced—and that’s also precisely what Soliani’s scent does. The juicy strawberry notes play with the light salinity of salt to create something mouthwatering and truly unique.
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.
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. And if pistachio isn’t your thing, Kyse has a slew of tasty scents like Gateau de Carnaval (Carnival Cake) or Delizia di Marshmallow.
Even Glossier got on the gourmand train. 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.
An unexpected pleasure, One Day’s Taipei smells like warm rice cooked in soy milk; it is comforting and soft—almost homey, and yet sophisticated. People around you are sure to inquire what smells so good.
If you’ve ever dreamt of smelling like a platter of fresh fruit served by the sea, then Narco Oasis is calling. Notes of passion fruit, blood orange, and peach mingle with brown sugar and sea amber to create a luscious fragrance you’ll wish was edible.
This undeniably sexy fragrance promises to deliver “the ceaseless sugar high of youth”—and it absolutely does. Decadent notes of chocolate and cardamom layered with waffle cone packaged in a graphic bottle, it’s the kind of scent you want to gatekeep, but you ended up gifting to your nearest and dearest.
